Victor's Way

Deep within the green wooded hills of Wicklow lies an attraction that piques curiosity. Even its name is enough to suggest the attraction is unusual. Victor’s Way Indian Sculpture Park is a privately owned meditation garden in Wicklow. It was designed as a contemplation or meditation space for adults between the ages of 28 and 65 who need to take some quality time out for rest and recovery.

Tranquil setting

Wicklow is the perfect place to escape urban life and the city's restrictions. Within a thirty-minute drive from Dublin, you find yourself surrounded by peaks. The city's grey concrete is replaced with the iconic Irish sight of green fields and hills that run down to the sea. For most visitors, the sculpture park does not fall into their travel itinerary. If you find yourself driving through this phenomenal area, take the time to stop. Please note the sculpture garden only opens in the summer from 12 pm to 6 pm.

Located near Guinness Lake, the park stretches 20 acres in a valley and is framed by the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain. The park is the result of 25 years of work by its owner, who spent a great time studying Buddhism and Hinduism in India. A 2km path takes about 1 hour to get around, passing through open green fields, ponds, forests, and several small lakes. It has the desired effect of putting you at ease. The flora and fauna are so verdant, and numerous butterflies and dragonflies dance from plant to plant.

But neither the terrain nor the local wildlife is in focus. The park's main mission is to encourage the visitor to contemplate life. This is done via a series of black granite sculptures: seven major sculptures and 37 minor sculptures. The major sculptures represent the seven developmental stages of life. The statues were designed in Roundwood before being completed in Mahabalipuram in southern India.

Contemplative space for adults

It is suggested that you enter alone, without kids or animals. This is a park for adults who are looking to contemplate, not a fun park for families. The combined effect of examining the chiselled sculptures is to expand the normal state of consciousness and move into a quiet place of contemplation, where one is open to interpreting the world more carefully. The distraction of mobile phones is unacceptable. Unless the weather is perfect, wearing outdoor clothes and watertight shoes is a must. Ideally, the intentionally mindful visitor should walk alone, slow to half speed, and experience twice as much. Chatty companions, children and dogs, who may disrupt the serenity of the contemplative ambience, should not be brought.

Most visitors use the benches and forest recliners provided and absorb into their inner world and/or the serene forest atmosphere. The recliners are not designed for total comfort, though they are far more comfortable than sitting upright. Moreover, using the recliners improves the intensity of the brain and body flooding process. Such a posture relaxes the stomach muscles, resulting in abdominal breathing, which induces physical and mental relaxation. There are several locations within the forest bathing area. Forest bathing is about taking a healing timeout while hearing the sounds of birds singing and smelling the sweet freshness of the air. Immerse yourself in the holistic ambience of the forest and renew your mind, body, and spirit.

Complex journey

The statues are carefully organized to form an order so that a walk through the park takes visitors on a complex journey from birth through the trials of adulthood to ultimate enlightenment. They appeal to people in the difficult stages of middle life and delve into the unexplored human potential for growth through creativity.

Two bosom ladies on either side of the entry, known as Victoria’s Gate, form an unusual opening to the Victor’s Way. The opening represents the birth canal through which we come into this world. It’s our first journey in life; at this point, our world becomes much bigger. The birth canal here represents being born again and entering the park, with all the worries of the world left behind on the other side.

The channel opens into a field of two to three-metre sculptures of the Hindu god, Ganesh. It is the largest number of Ganesh statues outside India. He is the patron of arts and sciences. Therefore, most sculptures play musical instruments or read a computing manual. Ganesh is believed to bring good fortune and remove the obstacles. He is seen as modern and cool. There are some neat touches on the statues, such as small animals doing everyday tasks. For example, Tabla Ganesh’s little buddy casually listens to a Walkman. Ganesh can be seen playing a uilean pipe and wearing a tweed cap, known as Paddyganesh. The whole group took the sculptor seven years to complete.

The Ganesh field contrasts sharply with the next part of the park, the Enchanted Forest, where the sculptures become more complex. The first is “Awakening,” which captures the moment a child enters the world. Next is “Separation,” one of the most elaborate structures. It depicts an infant trying to separate from his mother. While her human side pushes him away towards his independence, her wild side pulls the newborn closer.

The emptiness of the Cobra seat suggests openness and limitlessness; while seated here, you can create any reality. Although nowadays cobras are perceived as scary bringers of death, in Egyptian times, they symbolised the feminine principles of wisdom, fertility, and healing. Thus, unlimited creative potential is believed to be behind the wisdom seat. The index finger represents the basic truth of life: to create. We postulate that we will be unhappy if we don't create, so the words “Create or Die” are etched on the fingernail. Creativity begins in each of our fingers.

As you move on, you will emerge on a lakeside. These are Victor Way Gardens' most picturesque and peaceful areas. The gentle, calming waters reflect the skies above, and Lord Shiva is in the centre. Shiva is one of the main Hindi Gods, an icon for the maturing adult. He is driven to live life to the fullest, to make the most of every minute, knowing that life is in decline. Whatever the message, the sight of the sculpture sitting in the water is impressive, throwing off beautiful reflections in the sunlight.