Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
deity also known as Brahma, was decided upon. A sculptor named Chit Phimkowit, who
worked for the Fine Arts Department, undertook the design of the image that was un-
veiled on 9
th
November 1956. The replacement image that was installed according to very
precise directions between 11 a.m. and 11.59 a.m. on 21
st
May 2006 is an exact replica.
The original Erawan Hotel, named after Brahma's thirty-three-headed elephant, thrived
for more than thirty years before being demolished and replaced by the present Grand
Hyatt Erawan.
A revered Hindu shrine in a Buddhist country is not so surprising given the relation-
ship between the two religions, and Brahma ceremonies are very much part of significant
occasions in Thailand. Hinduism travelled out of India via merchants, sailors and artisans
from the Coromandel Coast and settled in parts of Southeast Asia more than a thousand
years ago, rooting deeply into the Khmer empire at Angkor and on the island of Bali. Of
the Hindu gods who became entrenched in Siamese culture, Vishnu became favoured by
royalty, Brahma by the priestly class, and Shiva by women wishing for children. Over the
centuries, Hinduism in Siam evolved in a different way to the Indian beliefs. Scholars say
that the Thai beliefs are based on a more ancient form of the religion, unmodified by the
bhakti doctrine that effected such changes in India, and being far more ritualistic.
Incense sticks are lit at the Erawan Shrine as an offering to the Brahma image.
For reasons that no one seems to know, the junction at which the Erawan Shrine
stands, nowadays increasingly referred to as Ratchaprasong Square, has evolved as a con-
centration of Hindu shrines. There are six of them, including the Erawan Shrine, each de-
voted to a different deity. Brahma is the god of kindness, mercy, sympathy and impartial-
ity, each virtue represented in the four faces of the image. Visitors to the Erawan Shrine
purchase an “offering set” from one of the stalls, which will cost about fifty baht and in-
cludes twelve incense sticks, four candles, four jasmine and marigold garlands and four
pieces of gold leaf. They then walk around the shrine in a clockwise direction and of-
fer three incense sticks, one candle, one garland and a piece of gold leaf to each face of
the Brahma image. Indra, the god who takes care of humankind, the supreme ruler with
