Thailand Stories

It’s a Nun’s Life. Thailand and Myanmar, a comparison “Buddhism’s not really for Women…………. they can’t make merit.” As Lo Win my Burmese Buddhism sceptical motorcycle taxi driver I hired for the day in Mandalay put it, while I snapped the…

When I drive down Ratchadamnoen Klang Road towards the Democracy Monument, I often noticed this strange structure in the grounds of Wat Ratchanatdaram. It is marked on some tourists maps as simply “The Metal Castle”. It is really a remarkable structure. …

One of the most revered Buddha images in Samut Prakan Province is Luang Poh To which can be found at Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai. During the annual Rub Bua Festival, usually in October, a replica of this image is taken out on a boat on the Samrong Canal for local people to worship. …

Over the recent long holiday weekend in Thailand, we celebrated two important Buddhist holidays: Asarnha Bucha and Khao Phansa. The first takes place on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month. It commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon to his first five disciples. On this day people celebrate the Triple Gem. This represents…

As part of the celebrations for their birthday, many Thai Buddhists will go to their local temple to offer alms to a monk and to then receive a blessing in return. Monks are also often invited to mark other anniversaries. This week, my school celebrated 55 years and so twenty monks were invited. After …

The Mon people, in the communities surrounding Wat Bang Ya Phraek in Phra Pradaeng District of Samut Prakan, took part in a parade and merit making activities this afternoon. In Thai, this parade is called “ngan hae yot phra chedi sai”. Which is basically a parade to carry the pinnacle or slender …

Taking a break from the hectic Songkran celebrations the other day, I went to Wat Chai Mongkol in Samut Prakan. It was like an oasis in the middle of a war zone. In the surrounding area, roaming pickup trucks, packed with people armed to the teeth, were patrolling the streets looking for…

One of the more traditional events that took place during Songkran recently was “song nam phra”. This is the practice of bathing Buddha images with rose scented water. Most tourists, and even some Thai teenagers, seem to think that Songkran is only about throwing water at each other. However, it…

One of the most impressive temples in Ayutthaya is this one called Wat Yai Chai Mongkol. Like many of the others, a lot of the buildings and Buddha images were destroyed by the Burmese during the sacking of the city in 1767. However, the big chedi still remains. The remainder, like …

The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is just south of the Grand Palace in Bangkok and most tourists visit both in one day. The full name is Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan, but most Thais just call it Wat Pho. The temple is one of the oldest …

One of the most beautiful and also important temples in Lamphun Province in Northern Thailand is Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai. According to legend, the Lord Buddha himself once came to this area to collect alms. A local Lua tribesman offered him some “samor”, a kind of fruit. The Buddha predicted that a man would later erect a …

One of the most important events in the Thai Buddhist calendar is Makha Bucha Day (sometimes spelled Magha Puja). It takes place on the full moon day of the third lunar month which is usually late February or early March. This year it was today, 28th February 2010. Like many Thai people, I was up early this morning before …

The grounds of a Buddhist temple in Thailand have a variety of buildings of all shapes and sizes. At first glance their use might seem to be random. But, there is one building, called the “phra ubosot” which is not only the most sacred but also has distinguishing features that makes it…

Traditionally, in Thailand, when a Buddhist dies, their body is cremated and then the bones and ashes are collected and are either kept at the temple or at home or sometimes both. However, there is a third option which is seemingly becoming more popular these days. It is called “loi angkarn” which …

In Thai society, the head is considered both clean and sacred. In contrast, the feet are considered dirty. It is considered an insult to wave your feet at someone while sitting down or use to your feet to push something to one side. In…

This is a picture of a Thai family scattering the ashes of a deceased relative in the Gulf of Thailand. Traditionally, Thai families either keep the ashes at home, at the temple or scatter them on the waters or a combination of all three. Many people travel to Paknam in Samut Prakan to scatter ashes at the mouth …

This large Reclining Buddha can be found at Wat Khun Inthapramun in Angthong Province in Central Thailand. It is 50 meters long. Some guidebooks mistakenly say that it is the longest in Thailand. However, I know one at Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang in Samut Prakan that is 53 meters. This Reclining Buddha is believed to …

Phra Pathom Chedi is located in Muang District, Nakhon Pathom Province, 56 kilometers west of Bangkok. The pagoda is the largest structure of its kind in Thailand. It rises more than 120 meters into the air with the radius of the base of 233.50 meters. The present chedi was built in the …

Judging by these photos that I took early this morning, not everyone was nursing hangovers after welcoming in the New Year at midnight last night. Like thousands of other local people from Paknam, I was up early at 6 a.m. to head down to the City Pillar where the main road through town had been closed for a merit …

The giant three-headed elephant at The Erawan Museum is the largest of its kind in the world. It is about 50 meters high which is the same as a 50 storey building.

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