Bangkok, Thailand –
I can almost hear the conversation…
“Oh no! You dropped it!”
“I dropped it? No, you dropped it.”
“Like it matters? It’s broken. We’re both dead.”
“Wait, what’s this inside? It looks like…”
“Gold! That’s gold inside!”
“Wow, get the boss! We’re saved!”
Actually, it didn’t happen quite like that. It was dropped from a crane into the mud, and then left overnight in the rain. The workers viewed the cable snapping and the statue dropping as a bad omen, and had run off, abandoning the statue to the elements.
In the morning, a monk who had dreamed that the statue was divinely inspired came out to inspect the damage. He noticed that the plaster covering the statue was cracked, and that it was gold underneath.
The statue is the largest known solid gold statue in the world. Sometime in the 17th century, it was covered in plaster, most likely to disguise and hide it from the Burmese, who were besieging Ayutthaya, the city where it was located at the time. It was later moved to Bangkok, and forgotten. It was only while being moved in the mid-20th century that the accident happened and the true nature of the statue was revealed.
In an instant, what had been a minor temple in the midst of Bangkok that was being treated as a dumping ground for this large, ugly Buddha statue that no one felt they could destroy was now a very important temple.
Instead of a sleepy temple with just a few people visiting, we arrived to find the place buzzing with activity. A stream of tour busses spewing forth their passengers filled the area in front of the temple, each with another behind in line, waiting their turn.
The room where the statue sits is rather small. Especially when compared to others, both in Bangkok, and elsewhere in the country. It all contributes to the feeling of being in a crowded space. However, this isn’t the actual temple. That’s over in the other building.
Still, we still found the usual bowing, honoring, and burning incense that you’ll find in most temples throughout Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia. Just here, in this small space, the devotees are definitely out-numbered by the tourists, milling about and taking pictures. Most of them in a hurry to see, circle about, and then cycle back out to their tour bus, before heading on to the next site on their itinerary.
Over in the actual temple, there isn’t a solid gold Buddha, but there are other Buddha statues. Plus, there was a monk giving blessings by taking a bunch of slender rods all bundled together, and using them to fling water droplets on the blessing seeker. It was our first exposure to a ritual that we would see played out several more times in other temples during our visit.
I guess it may be the Buddhist equivalent to a Catholic Priest sprinkling you with Holy Water. Not that Catholic Priests sprinkle Holy Water on anyone other than babies, and Vampires (another story altogether).
But, I was in Thailand, and would be for a week. So, for the next week, I would be in and out of Buddhist temples. Taking off my shoes and hat before entering, and then putting them back on as I left. When in Rome…
For the next week, I would be Buddhist, if only temporarily…
For photos of the Golden Buddha, click here.
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