Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [57]
The alms bowls are sold for between 600B and 2000B and make great souvenirs. But the village itself is just as interesting. When we visited, an elderly woman intercepted us nanoseconds after we’d walked into the soi and quickly ushered us through her living room and out the back door. After leading us down a series of tiny lanes populated with kids, sleeping cats and cockroaches, we were delivered to the artisans at work. Competition is certainly keen for your tourist baht, but you wouldn’t call it touristy. More a raw, poor community that is both a window into the grittier side of Bangkok life and a chance to pick up a souvenir with a story – bypassing the middleman. To find the village, walk south on Th Boriphat, south of Th Bamrung Meuang, then follow the signs into narrow Soi Ban Baat.
WAT SUTHAT
Map
0 2224 9845; Th Bamrung Meuang; admission 20B; 8.30am-4.30pm; ordinary 12, 35 & 42; klorng boat to Tha Phan Fah
Wat Suthat’s truly remarkable Buddha image, acres of colourful murals and – during most of the year – relative tranquillity make it arguably the most appealing of all Bangkok’s Buddhist temples. The main attraction is Thailand’s biggest wí·hăhn (main chapel) and the imperious yet serene 8m-high Phra Si Sakayamuni that resides within. The image is Thailand’s largest surviving Sukhothai-period bronze, a serene-looking gilded masterpiece that was cast in the former capital in the 14th century. In 1808 it was retrieved from the ruins of Sukhothai and floated on a barge down Mae Nam Chao Phraya to be installed in this temple and serve as both the centre of Bangkok and a representation of Mt Meru, the mythical centre of the universe. Today the ashes of Rama VIII (King Ananda Mahidol; r 1935–46) are contained in the base of the image.
Colourful, if now somewhat faded, Jataka (murals depicting scenes from the Buddha’s life) cover every wall and pillar; see how many crabs (or crab claws) you can find, and not just in the murals. The deep-relief wooden doors are also impressive and were carved by artisans including Rama II himself.
Behind the wí·hăhn, and accessed via a separate entrance on Th Burapha, the ordination hall is the largest in the country. To add to its list of ‘largests’, Wat Suthat holds the rank of Rachavoramahavihan, the highest royal temple grade. It maintains a special place in the national religion because of its association with the Brahman priests who perform important ceremonies, such as the Royal Ploughing Ceremony in May. These priests also perform religious rites at two Hindu shrines near the wát – the Thewa Sathaan (Devi Mandir; Map) on Th Siri Phong, and the smaller Saan Jao Phitsanu (Vishnu Shrine; Map) on Th Tri Thong. The former shrine contains images of Shiva and Ganesha while the latter is dedicated to Vishnu.
SAO CHING-CHA
Map
Th Botphram, btwn Th Tri Thong & Th Burapha; ordinary 12, 35 & 42; klorng boat to Tha Phan Fah
It is easy to forget the powers of the Brahmans in Thai Buddhism, unless you happen upon the giant red poles of Sao Ching-Cha (the Giant Swing). During the second lunar month (usually in January), Brahman beliefs dictate that Shiva comes down to earth for a 10-day residence and should be welcomed by great ceremonies and, in the past, great degrees of daring. So each year the acrobatic and desperate braved the Great Swing. The ceremony saw these men swing in ever-higher arcs in an effort to reach a bag of gold suspended from a 15m bamboo pole. Whoever grabbed the gold could keep it. But that was no mean feat, and deaths were as common as successes.
The Brahmans enjoyed a mystical position within the royal court, primarily in the coronation rituals. But after the 1932 revolution the Brahmans’ waning power was effectively terminated and the festival, including the swinging, was discontinued during the reign of Rama VII.