11-12-2005, 06:10 PM
HINDU GODS: A deathless fascination
Published on November 13, 2005
Indiaâs pantheon still exercises its old power in Buddhist city. For generations, Hindu gods and goddesses have occupied a special place in the hearts and minds of many Thai Buddhists as well as foreign visitors, especially from other Asian countries.
One unique place in Bangkok where you may observe or worship these deities is the Ratchaprasong intersection, where many of the cityâs upscale shopping and hotel complexes are situated.
Last Wednesday was a special day at the extremely popular Brahma shrine in front of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel. Hundreds of Thais and foreign faithful flocked to the shrine to pay obeisance and pray for fulfilment of their desires.
Apart from the Brahma shrine, set up in 1956, there are five other prominent shrines in the vicinity of Ratchaprasong intersection.
A statue of the elephant god Ganesh sits in front of Isetan shopping centre, while the Trimurti, a form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the Hindu gods symbolising creation, preservation and destruction, adorns the front of Zen department store.
At the Intercontinental Hotel near Gaysorn Plaza, Narayana, another name for Vishnu, is mounted on his celestial vehicle Garuda, while the plaza itself has the Statue of the Goddess Uma Parvati on its fourth floor. Opposite Gaysorn is the Amarin Plaza, where the rain god Indra stands majestically.
The property-owners view Hindu gods and goddesses as helpful for the prosperity of their businesses. For instance, the owners of the original Erawan Hotel decided to build a prominent shrine to the four-faced Brahma back in 1956 after several workers lost their lives in mysterious construction accidents.
Essentially, the shrine was intended to ward off misfortune. Since its consecration, the shrine has become a model for similar ones nationwide.
But the power of Brahma in front of the Erawan Hotel is perceived to be so enormous that when Central Pattana Plc took over the nearby World Trade Centre two years ago it decided to dedicate a shrine to the trinity, which includes Brahma, in front of its new property to ward off any potential business misfortune.
Kitti Wattanamahatma, a well-known theologian, said: âBusinesswise, itâs not good if the powerful Brahma faces the World Trade Centre, so the Trimurti shrine is needed to resist Brahmaâs power. However, the sculpture of the Trimurti in front of the World Trade Centre [now called Central World] does not show them holding weapons. Hence I think they might not be in a position to check the power of the Erawan Brahma shrine.â
Phanuwat Phanwichartkul, an astrologer and expert on Chinese fengshui, observed that the location of Central Worldâs Trimurti shrine was wrong.
âAccording to fengshui theory, the triangular logo of âCentral World Plazaâ seems to be incorrectly placed in front of the shrine,â he said.
Even as theologians debate the positioning of the Trimurti, the shrine is being thronged by Thai teenagers. Many of them view the Trimurti as a loversâ shrine and visit the place to pray for romance and good relationships.
Kitti noted that there might be a misunderstanding among the teens as the Trimurti are not really associated with love or romance.
To ensure that its multibillion-baht property is adequately helped by deities, Central World later decided to erect another shrine to Ganesh, the god of accomplishment, wisdom, and success, on the other side of its shopping complex.
As for the Intercontinental Hotelâs Narayana shrine, Kitti said the image seemed to have been built as if it was part of the hotelâs d?cor, surrounded as it was by fountains, rather than being erected as an idol with a sanctuary.
âAny Hindu shrine needs a sanctuary to have any real power to protect the business,â Kitti said.
However, Phanuwat explained that both the Narayana and the Indra (in front of Amarin Plaza) we4re supposed to protect the properties from evil forces as they were situated next to the Skytrain mass-transit system.
Although some of the oldest Hindu texts dwell on a monotheistic concept of godhead, Hindus have for centuries worshipped deities in various forms.
Besides property-owners, all these shrines of Hindu gods and goddesses are also immensely popular among local and foreign worshippers, especially the Chinese from Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Chen Siek Hui, an Indonesian-Chinese, said she had returned to Bangkok last week after a trip to Vietnam to offer prayers at the Erawan Brahma shrine and thank the deity for answering her prayer.
âI prayed here last year when my business ran into trouble. I believed Brahma would give me the courage and strength to solve the problems. Now my business is running smoothly, so I came back to say thank you, and while I was here I asked for better health for my mother,â she said.
A relative of Hui, who accompanied her to Bangkok, said there were several Brahma shrines in Indonesia but Hui had great faith in the one at the Erawan Hotel.
Besides Indonesian-Chinese, the Erawan Brahma shrine often sees worshippers from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, including celebrities. Among these is Taiwanese movie star Nicolas Tse, who said that his prayer had been answered after he visited the shrine.
Pathomkanok Barnes
The Nation
Published on November 13, 2005
Indiaâs pantheon still exercises its old power in Buddhist city. For generations, Hindu gods and goddesses have occupied a special place in the hearts and minds of many Thai Buddhists as well as foreign visitors, especially from other Asian countries.
One unique place in Bangkok where you may observe or worship these deities is the Ratchaprasong intersection, where many of the cityâs upscale shopping and hotel complexes are situated.
Last Wednesday was a special day at the extremely popular Brahma shrine in front of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel. Hundreds of Thais and foreign faithful flocked to the shrine to pay obeisance and pray for fulfilment of their desires.
Apart from the Brahma shrine, set up in 1956, there are five other prominent shrines in the vicinity of Ratchaprasong intersection.
A statue of the elephant god Ganesh sits in front of Isetan shopping centre, while the Trimurti, a form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the Hindu gods symbolising creation, preservation and destruction, adorns the front of Zen department store.
At the Intercontinental Hotel near Gaysorn Plaza, Narayana, another name for Vishnu, is mounted on his celestial vehicle Garuda, while the plaza itself has the Statue of the Goddess Uma Parvati on its fourth floor. Opposite Gaysorn is the Amarin Plaza, where the rain god Indra stands majestically.
The property-owners view Hindu gods and goddesses as helpful for the prosperity of their businesses. For instance, the owners of the original Erawan Hotel decided to build a prominent shrine to the four-faced Brahma back in 1956 after several workers lost their lives in mysterious construction accidents.
Essentially, the shrine was intended to ward off misfortune. Since its consecration, the shrine has become a model for similar ones nationwide.
But the power of Brahma in front of the Erawan Hotel is perceived to be so enormous that when Central Pattana Plc took over the nearby World Trade Centre two years ago it decided to dedicate a shrine to the trinity, which includes Brahma, in front of its new property to ward off any potential business misfortune.
Kitti Wattanamahatma, a well-known theologian, said: âBusinesswise, itâs not good if the powerful Brahma faces the World Trade Centre, so the Trimurti shrine is needed to resist Brahmaâs power. However, the sculpture of the Trimurti in front of the World Trade Centre [now called Central World] does not show them holding weapons. Hence I think they might not be in a position to check the power of the Erawan Brahma shrine.â
Phanuwat Phanwichartkul, an astrologer and expert on Chinese fengshui, observed that the location of Central Worldâs Trimurti shrine was wrong.
âAccording to fengshui theory, the triangular logo of âCentral World Plazaâ seems to be incorrectly placed in front of the shrine,â he said.
Even as theologians debate the positioning of the Trimurti, the shrine is being thronged by Thai teenagers. Many of them view the Trimurti as a loversâ shrine and visit the place to pray for romance and good relationships.
Kitti noted that there might be a misunderstanding among the teens as the Trimurti are not really associated with love or romance.
To ensure that its multibillion-baht property is adequately helped by deities, Central World later decided to erect another shrine to Ganesh, the god of accomplishment, wisdom, and success, on the other side of its shopping complex.
As for the Intercontinental Hotelâs Narayana shrine, Kitti said the image seemed to have been built as if it was part of the hotelâs d?cor, surrounded as it was by fountains, rather than being erected as an idol with a sanctuary.
âAny Hindu shrine needs a sanctuary to have any real power to protect the business,â Kitti said.
However, Phanuwat explained that both the Narayana and the Indra (in front of Amarin Plaza) we4re supposed to protect the properties from evil forces as they were situated next to the Skytrain mass-transit system.
Although some of the oldest Hindu texts dwell on a monotheistic concept of godhead, Hindus have for centuries worshipped deities in various forms.
Besides property-owners, all these shrines of Hindu gods and goddesses are also immensely popular among local and foreign worshippers, especially the Chinese from Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Chen Siek Hui, an Indonesian-Chinese, said she had returned to Bangkok last week after a trip to Vietnam to offer prayers at the Erawan Brahma shrine and thank the deity for answering her prayer.
âI prayed here last year when my business ran into trouble. I believed Brahma would give me the courage and strength to solve the problems. Now my business is running smoothly, so I came back to say thank you, and while I was here I asked for better health for my mother,â she said.
A relative of Hui, who accompanied her to Bangkok, said there were several Brahma shrines in Indonesia but Hui had great faith in the one at the Erawan Hotel.
Besides Indonesian-Chinese, the Erawan Brahma shrine often sees worshippers from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, including celebrities. Among these is Taiwanese movie star Nicolas Tse, who said that his prayer had been answered after he visited the shrine.
Pathomkanok Barnes
The Nation