Geek in Thailand. Jody Houton
attraction draws huge numbers of visitors who come to marvel at the majesty and beauty of the temple and its 52 Buddha statues that decorate the exterior.
Wat Rakhang
Wat Rakhang (Bell Temple) is a popular temple for visitors who wish to ring in good fortune to their lives. The ringing of the temple bell is a common practice for those wishing to bring positive influence in their life. Wat Rakhang is also well known for its artistic exterior design.
Housed in Wat Traimit in Chinatown, Bangkok, is the world’s largest golden-seated Buddha. Carved in solid gold, the 5 ft (1.5 m) high statue, which weighs around 5 tons, is believed to date back to the Sukhothai period. It is well worth a visit if only to learn more about the interesting story of the structure.
Wat Ratchabophit is a temple designed in rather a unique manner and is well worth a visit. Although its layout includes a traditional Thai circular courtyard, complete with golden chedi, the interior design of the temple was heavily influenced by the gilded Italian architecture of the time. There is also a royal cemetery in the temple grounds.
The otherworldly design of the interior of Wat Paknam is strikingly beautiful. Unlike other traditional Thai temples, the ornate décor is colored with unconventional light blues and reds, and unusual shapes and hues. The temple is also well known for its meditation lessons, and monks here instruct in Buddhism and meditation in both English and Thai and therefore attract many visitors each day.
Another Thai temple worthy of mention is Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) in Chiang Rai. As its name suggests, it is a completely white structure (representing purity) that would not look out of place in a Lord of the Rings movie. The unconventional temple was designed in 1997 by Chalermchai Kositpipat, who once said that it would never be finished in his lifetime. He plans to build—or have someone build—another nine dream-like structures and aims to have them all finished by 2070.
OTHER PLACES OF WORSHIP
Thailand is also home to some beautiful Christian churches. Increasingly of late, more and more Russian Orthodox churches have sprung up around the kingdom. One incredible structure, built in a classic cross-shaped plan and topped with a gold onion-shaped dome, is the Church of the Holy Trinity Church in Phuket.
Because of the relatively large Muslim population in Thailand, there is understandably more than a fair share of spectacular mosques in the kingdom. A stand-out mosque is the Pattani Grand Mosque, situated in the troubled south of the country. Easily the largest mosque in Thailand, the Pattani Grand Mosque, opened in 1963, is also widely regarded as one of the hundred most beautiful mosques in the world, with the large dome in the center and four smaller surrounding ones often drawing comparisons with India’s Taj Mahal.
The best-known Sikh temple (Gurdwara) in Thailand is located in Bangkok. The structure that stands today, the Siri Guru Singh Sabha, was originally built in 1933. Located in the Phra Nakhon district, known to the locals as Little India, this six-story temple, trimmed in gold and topped by a gold dome, is steeped in Sikh culture and heritage.
Owing to the sizable Nepalese community in Thailand, there are also a number of Nepalese temples in the country, including Phuket. A temple stands at the top of Patong hill and is immediately recognizable and distinguishable from Thai Buddhist temples owing to the use of more vibrant and mixed colors and, of course, the representation of the multitude of Hindu gods.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THAI BUDDHISM
If you’re an early riser in Thailand and regardless of whether you’re in the metropolis of Bangkok or the smallest village in Surat Thani, it is likely you will see orange-robed monks walking through the neighborhood giving blessings and receiving alms.
Around 95 percent of Thais are Buddhists, the highest percentage of Buddhist nationals in the world. The Thai version of Buddhism is chiefly derived from the Theravada or southern school of Buddhism, which originated in Sri Lanka, but over time has incorporated elements of Thai myths and folk stories and, owing to the large Thai Chinese population, various Chinese gods. Thai Buddhism has also been heavily influenced by Hinduism.
In 2013, following the death of Kanchanaburi born Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara, who was also Sangha Leader of the Buddhist World as bestowed by the World Fellowship of Buddhists, King Bhumibol ordered a 30-day national mourning period.
The importance of Buddhism in Thailand cannot be understated. Around 50 percent of Thai boys and young men typically enter the monkhood or become ordained at least once in their lifetime. King Mongkut himself was a monk for 27 years. In days gone by, the king of Thailand was seen as a protector of the religion. Kings, queens, princes and princesses therefore take part in religious ceremonies, attend services and make merit each year.
MAKING MERIT
Thai people ‘make merit’ (do good things as prescribed through religious doctrine), whether giving alms to monks or visiting temples on birthdays, significant dates and religious holidays. They make merit to bring inner happiness, become successful, gain guidance and cease earthly desires.
It is quite common for a Thai home to have some sort of Buddhist shrine, complete with Buddha image, to which family members pray, meditate or make merit. Outside homes and places of business, daily food offerings are made to the spirits and ancestors in a bid to appease them.
MULTIPURPOSE MONASTERIES
Many Buddhist temples in Thailand double up as retreats or places of rehabilitation. Each year, thousands of young Thai offenders are dispatched to their local temple for guidance, instruction or therapy. Treatment often involves taking an alcohol or drug vow against the use of either for a certain period of time. Attendees also purge themselves regularly and drink herbal concoctions that make them vomit into large trough-like areas in the temple.
A much-revered monk, who ran the country’s largest drug rehabilitation program at Wat Thamkrabok in Saraburi province, was former police officer Phra Chamroon Panchan. His treatment of those suffering from narcotic addiction was internationally recognized. In the 1970s, at the end of the Vietnam War, the temple also became a shelter for up to 30,000 hill tribe (Hmong) refugees from Laos. Controversy has, however, surrounded the temple since it was first used as a rehabilitation center in 1959, and in 2003 the Thai military sent hundreds of troops to the temple to investigate accusations that the temple was being used as a base for drug and arms trafficking. As a result, the Hmong were fenced into the temple grounds for more than a year. The fencing has since been removed.
Novice monks accept morning alms at Amphawa Floating Market.
Monks set out to get their daily food donations.
MONKEY BUSINESS
Although Buddhism in Thailand is arguably as strong as it ever was, there is a gradual sense that many, especially among the younger generation, are becoming somewhat disillusioned. The year 2013, especially, was not a good one for Thai Buddhist monks, with many being caught on camera carrying Louis Vuitton bags, shopping for iPhones and even endorsing air humidifiers. Such ‘vulgar’ displays of consumerism and earthly objects are strictly against the principles of Dharma (law of nature) and, as such, were met with much condemnation in Thailand. According to the National Office of Buddhism, there are around 61,000 monks in Thailand.