collecting memories --Experiencing a Wat in Suphanburi!

We drove past some very green and fertile land on our way to Suphanburi , basically an exporter of rice. The province is said to have the best roads in Thailand. That is impressive considering that roads in Thailand are generally very good! Kuhn Banharn while he was PM had surely taken care of his constituency well.

We had lunch at a restaurant after visiting samchuck. I noticed a very typical 'Thai style' message on a hoarding advertising the place; 'calories blah blah!' Soon after lunch we checked in at Khum Suphan hotel and after a brief rest we were on our way to see Wat Pa Lelai.

I was lucky to have Jimmy again as my guide. I learnt that the Buddha Idol at the wat is quite old and is 23 metres high; was initially installed in the open and the building came later. Wats in Thailand are different from our South Indian temples. This trip was timely as I was able to take some digital pictures of a typical wat.

Wat Pa Lei is a unique mixture of Thai, Indian and Chinese cultures. While there is no gopuram, we enter a covered quadrangle catering to all the activities considered essential by a devotee. While there are no shops selling coconuts, betel leaves, camphor and various colors of kumkum (Sanskrit कुङ्कुमम्), we do see an outlet where we can buy flowers, incense sticks, candles and something special to Thailand; Gold leaves which then are pasted on to the idols installed within the quadrangle. Devotees do have a routine which they perform, they light candles and incense, sound a huge bell hung in the area and drop coins in small containers as they go round the Buddha Idol and finally buy a Talisman. (Forgot taking these pictures, I suppose I have been here too long!)

While there are no Pujaris or archakas officiating, monks performing many duties are around. Some are busy selling ceramic tiles. Other monks sell 'lucky' talismans special to the place. We also hear a senior monk giving a discourse or a message for the day over the mike.

I am happy that we are left alone to pray the way we want or walk around. I had forgotten to take my cap off as I stepped into the main temple. Polite as ever no one asked me to take it off. There are no priests to invoke the gods on our behalf, it is entirely between you and the almighty.

In fact, WikiAnswers has answered the question I had about Buddhist worship: ‘Although it may look like it, Buddhists don't worship anything or anyone’… While I like this aspect of Buddhism requiring no worship, it appears to be too much of a direct responsibility for some. 'Some followers of Buddhism may worship The Buddha despite the fact that The Buddha denied that he was a god and said that he should NOT be worshipped......'

We hindus differ from the buddhists in that when we visit temples, we normally pay an officiating priest to perform an arhcana in our name, nakshatra and gothra in Sanskrit (some of them are very good and generate a very good feeling), do Aarthi, have Theertha and Prasadam. This is the minimum. We have many more rituals which could keep us, the priest and probably god busy throughout the day.

I often wonder about the need for all this. Even if one needs to pray, can it not be a direct one? Why do we feel the need for someone else to act on our behalf? I suppose it is just how we are made or brought up.

Gilding the Idols with very thin gold leaves.

Donating brown ceramic tiles for the upkeep of the wat. A smart way to maintain the roof of the wat. A devotee also signs on the tile he has paid for and thus creates a connection.

As we crossed over to the main wat. Jimmy explained to me the significance of the sculptures of a monkey and the elephant in front. He said 'The Buddha once retreated into the forest as he was tired of his junior monks having split ideas and was taken care of by a monkey and an elephant'.

A well preserved 800 year old Idol of The Buddha

This is a very important ritual in a wat. Devotees seeking answers, sit in front of the Idol holding a cup with numbered sticks in it and shake one of them out.

They then walk to the board to read what that number predicts. Hope the girl in the picture had a good prediction.

Later at an other shrine we saw this person lifting the brass elephant with his little finger. I learnt from Jimmy that a person would make a wish in front of the idol and if he was able to lift the elephant with his little finger, his wish would be fulfilled! (It is the ring finger for a woman). Jimmy asked me 'Do you want to try'! I said 'No thanks'! Like all humans I do have wishes to be fulfilled, but I am also a realist. Moreover, I was sure that I would not be able to lift the heavy metal elephant and be sorely disappointed.

The usual pavilions with murals around the wat.

This one depicts a story from a well known author from the province.

The Indian influence, I think it is Ram and Laxman depicted

A beautiful teak wood shrine on stilts

The huge vats to collect rain water, a very common in these areas

Also important are the blessings of a monk. The bucket is also a very common sight. They contain all the offerings a devotee makes to the monk


One more Indian motif around the wat complex.

Then we drove to another wat. A very colorful Thai Chinese temple.

The online guidebook says that 'The shrine houses statues of the god Vishnu carved out of green stone'. Indeed a very unique temple! Wish I had better picture!

Devotees intent on their prayers.

Bangkok post beat me to it or otherwise I would have published my blog about Dragon Museum earlier than the paper! You can read about the brand new monument in the article The elephant and the dragon.

Jimmy, Pinky and their two smart sons Anucha and Apichet in front of the dragon museum. A pity about the cars parked in front.

Yours truly. Missed Tara!