Date: January 19, 2023
Yesterday I didn’t do much sightseeing and ended up shopping.
I stepped out after doing some work and got off at Chit Lom BTS station.
Erawan Shrine is a famous spot which houses a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of Brahma — the Hindu god of creation.
Side note: Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura — an hours drive from Bangalore (India) — has carvings of Brahma from the 12th century.
As for why there are so many shrines for Hindu gods in Bangkok, it’s historical. Thailand used to be part of the Khmer empire, which was heavily influenced by Indian culture and Hinduism. See my Cambodia series and visits to Angkor Wat to know more about that.
Even though much of Thailand is now Buddhist, they follow Theravāda Buddhism, which traces its origins to India. The Thai language also contains many vocabulary words which come from Sanskrit. For example, the famous mid-April festival of Songkran, is derived from the Sanskrit word sankranti. So as Keralites like me celebrate Vishu with fire crackers, and usher in the ‘new year’ (as per the Hindu calendar), Thais celebrate Songkran by splashing water on each other.
Just 100 metres away from Erawan Shrine is Phra Indra Thao Amarintharathirat. Another shrine, but this one dedicated to the Hindu god Indra.
This Indra Shrine can be found in front of the Gaysorn Amarin shopping center.
Hint: The national animal of Thailand is the elephant.
Which is why the ‘elephants pants’ you see every tourist to Thailand walk around in is so famous. Not to mention one of Thailand’s most famous beers is named Chang — the Thai word for elephant.
And there still some more shrines honouring Hindu gods spread across Bangkok. I wanted to visit Sri Maha Mariamman Temple but it’s on the Silom side and I had other plans for today. Something to bucket list for another visit to Bangkok.
Here’s a brief video of all the above shrines I visited:
Previous posts in this series:
Thailand: Siam Square Walking Street, a good place to find K-pop stores in Bangkok
Thailand: Phayathai Food Center and Bangkok’s Gundam Base
Flying AirAsia from Manila to Bangkok
