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Information
Thailand
Thailand is a modern Asian
country with a cultural identity of its own. This is manifest in the many
buddhist traditions and a deep respect for the royal family. In the past the
king was revered as a reincarnation of Buddha. This has changed, but the king is
still a very important person. The royal family is omnipresent in ordinary life.
Many houses and shops, buildings and temples have a portrait of the king or the
royal couple. The buddhist monks dressed in orange habits are a part of
ordinary life as well. They have an orange habit, sandals, a bag and some
shaving and sewing gear. Every Thai male is expected to live as a monk for some
period - usually after finishing school and before beginning a professional
career. Some monks dedicate the rest of their life to religion.
Since the first century A.D.
several people settled in the area of modern Thailand. In the 6th century the Mon
from Birma established a
monarchy called Dvarati consisting of various cities and the capital
Nakhon Pathom. Between the 9th and 13th century the Khmer from Cambodia
conquered large parts of modern Thailand including the Dvarati kingdom.
Since the 13th century the Thai migrated in large numbers from China to
the south where they established small monarchies and intermingled with the Khmer.
They took over the royal deification from the Khmer. One of the first
Thai monarchies originated around the capital Sukhothai. The most
important king of Sukhothai was Ramkhamhaeng who introduced the Thai alphabet
which is still in use. In the 14th century Rama Thibodi founded a new royal
dynasty and moved the capital to Ayutthaya. In the same period another Thai king,
Mengrai, established his own kingdom in the north around the capital Chiang Mai.
The kingdom of Ayutthaya lasted for many centuries up until the 18th century and
prospered because of trade relations with European visitors. During the reign of
king-poet Narai the capital was transformed into a metropole with city
walls and canals. In the 18th century however the Birmese invaded the Thai
kingdom. The Thai refugees moved their capital to Bangkok where general
Chakri rose to the throne and called himself king Rama I. He is the founder of
the present Chakri dynasty who gave the name Rama to all its
monarchs.
Buddhist monasteries and temples are all over the country. The
temples are situated in a complex surrounded by a wall. Often the complex is
guarded by mythological dragons (nagas) or little green devils near
the gate. The bot, the most important and sacred building of the wat, is
in the centre of the complex. It is the main temple where the monks gather and
where the faithful pray and bring sacrifices. It is also the place where the
monks are inaugurated and religious ceremonies take place. The bot
has a small wall with eight pavilions enshrining markerstones shaped like a
standing leaf. Another building in the temple complex, the viharn, is the
prayer and meditation place for the monks. Sacred objects are kept in here.
Two other conspicuous buildings in the temple complex are the chedi
and the prang. The chedi or stupa is a circular tower with
a giant peak , enshrining a relic like a bone or some hair of Buddha. The prang
is massive and looks like a maize cob: it has a round top in stead
of a pointed top. On the temple complex there are many other decorative
religious elements like the mondop, a square pavilion with a pyramidal
roof, enshrining the Buddha statues and other sacred objects. The elephant Erawan
is depicted in many reliefs and statues. Another statue represents the kinnora,
a mythological figure being half woman and half bird. The walls are painted with
scenes from the classic Ramayana tale. Tewada are angel
figuresdepicted on the inner walls of the bot. Another symbol is the garuda,
an eagle with a human face. The bodhi tree - the tree where Buddha
held his first sermon - is also present in many temple complexes.
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Bangkok
The mixture of royalty and buddhism is clear in the old inner
city of Bangkok. In the heart of the city is the temple complex of Wat Phra Keo
and the adjacent Royal Palace omplex. Their proximity emphasizes the sacrimonial
unity of the royal family and the buddhist belief. In 1782 king Rama I, the
founder of the present Chakri dynasty, moved the capital of his kingdom to
Bangkok. There he started the construction of the royal palace and some temples.
Later his successors augmented the complex. The architecture is unmistakably
classic Thai but it also reveals a mixture of foreign influences by surrounding
and western countries.
Wat Phra Keo is the most
important royal temple complex because of the mysterious jade Buddha statuette
inside. The peaked chedis in the complex catch the eye. They are coated with
goldcoloured gilding, black lacquer or multicoloured porcelain. Twelve yaks
or stone giants are on guard at the six entrances. They have a long stick
in front of them to keep the evil spirits away. The sound of tinkling
bells, moved by the wind, is all over the complex. The richly decorated
pavillions, the gilded wooden frontispieces, the massive prangs, the idols of
mythological deities and demons, the statues of Chinese mandarins and the
animal figures leave an overwhelming impression . The bot is surrounded by a
gallery with painted scenes from the Ramayana, an old hindu epic from India.
Nearby on a big marmoreal terrace is the royal pantheon, the library and the
golden chedi. The pantheon has high saddle roofs and a yellow prang with a crown
on top. A statue of a kinnora - half woman, half bird - stands on the
terrace in front of the pantheon. Inside the pantheon are eight huge statues of
former kings. The library next to the royal
pantheon contains the sacred buddhist scriptures. The rectangular building with
its high and decorative columns has a saddle roof with a peak, walls decorated
with mosaics and gilded wood carvings, four stairways with nagas and tinkling
bells at the edges of the roof. Next to the library rises the golden chedi,
the magnificent marking point of the complex. The bottom part of the chedi,
constructed in 1885 by king Rama V, is smooth and upwards it transforms
into ever smaller circles. The golden chedi is surrounded by four little
chedis. Near the golden chedi are some fine monuments of elephants with
parasols and garudas or nagas under baldachins.
The palace complex is next to Wat Phra Keo. Nowadays the
palace has a ceremonial function on few occasions only. The Chakri-palace
is in the middle, the Amarindra hall is on the left and the Dusit palace is on
the right. The large Chakri palace is constructed by king Rama V in a mixed Thai
and western style of architecture. The palace is in service for state banquets,
royal ceremonies and ambassador receptions. The multicoloured stacked
roofs with three gilded peaks, the gilded edges of the roof and the
frontispieces with nagas are typically Thai. The palace has a large balcony,
columns and ceremonial stairways with four black elephants in front. The Dusit
palace is built in a very nice style of classic Thai architecture which is
apparent in the coulourful roof consisting of four layers sliding over each
other and four garuda statues at the foot of the central peak. The entrance is
guarded by four mandarins and two lions. The Dusit palace is built in 1782 by
king Rama I as a crowning and reception hall. Later the palace was used for
royal cremation ceremonies and receptions. A pavillion on a terrace outside
served as a royal cloakroom. Here the king put down his hat and cloak before
entering the reception hall. The Amarindra hall was constructed by king Rama I
as a court of justice. After his death the hall was frequently used for royal
crowning and decoration ceremonies. The hall has beautiful gilded windows on the
outside. The three doorposts are made of gold and glass pieces.
The oldest and largest temple complex of Bangkok is to the
south of the royal palace and Wat Phra Keo. The Thai people call the
complex Wat Phra Chetupon, Temple of the Resting Buddha, or Wat Po. The
temple is built on top of a former 16th century sanctuary. The
construction works started under the reign of king Rama I in 1789. The
complex is surrounded by a wall. The buildings with their odd ornaments
and roof edges, the pavillions and multicoloured roofs create a special
atmosphere. Just behind the entrance is a group of grey stone statues
representing different poses of meditation, yoga and massage. On a small
courtyard rise four large chedis commemorating the first four kings of the
present dynasty. Large stone temple guards
flank the gate at the entrance of the four chedis. They are lords of the
Dutch Eastern-Indian Company (EIC). They wear a long coat, a high hat, a whig
and lean with both hands on a cane. In the large viharn is the statue of the
resting Buddha. He supports his head with the right hand. According to buddhist
statuary principles it is the pose of Buddha having reached nirvana – a state
of complete peace and tranquility. The gilded statue, 46 metres long and 15
metres high, is made of cement and plastered with thin pieces of goldleaf. The
foot soles have 108 pearl figures, all designations for the real Buddha. People
attach pieces of goldleaf to the statue, offer lotusflowers and light incense
sticks. The complex has many more Buddha statues. Many Thai attach thin pieces
of goldleaf to the statues, because this will
bring them luck. When the goldleaf is attached to the mouth, it will bring
eloquence. When it is attached to the head, it will bring intelligence. When the
goldleaf is attached to the heart, it will bring good health.
The ancient heart of Bangkok city is in a bend on the east
side of the Chaopraya river, with the old royal palace in the centre. Living
quarters and industrial areas are on the west side of the river. The river
is the heart of a widespread system of canals or klongs. In the past the
river and the canals were the only means of transport for men and goods. Up
until the 20th century there were few roads in the city. Houses and enterprises
were built near the river and canals because of the opportunities for trade and
traffic. Since the 20th century however many canals were transformed into roads.
A boat trip on the canals of Bangkok still reveals much of the city like it used
to be in the past. Such a trip begins at one of the piers in the old inner
city. The simple wooden houses near the river are built on poles. A wooden
stairway leads from the pier to the porch. The clean interior has pillows on the
floor around a low table, a buddha statue with incense sticks, a bedroom with
mats and a musquito net, and pictures of the royal couple on the wall.
After leaving the river the boat sails over the klongs of Thonburi district.
Houses on poles stand along the shore, large jars
of drinking water on their porches. Most boats have an engine on the outside and
a long axis for its propeller. These so called longtailboats sail the
river with high speed trying to avoid the many water
plants floating down the river. It is said that during the war these
plants were put into the water to blur the distinction from the air
between the dark coloured river and the green coloured fields around.
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Nakhon
Pathom
Nakhon Pathom to the west of Bangkok is famous for its Phra
Pathom Chedi which rises high above the city. The city is the oldest
religious centre of Thailand. It is told that buddhism originated here in the
third century B.C. in the period of the Indian emperor Ashoka when Indian monks
visited the city. Buddhists probably built the original chedi in the
beginning of the sixth century A.D. Later the chedi was destroyed several
times by foreign invaders. In 1853 king Rama IV built a new larger chedi
over the remains of the old one. It was to become the highest buddhist monument
in the world. From far away one can see the chedi rise above the city. The
main entrance is on the north side. A stairway leads to the terrace surrounded
by a gallery. The round chedi is covered with orange tiles. The peak
consists of ever smaller rings from down under to up above. The gallery
is disrupted by four viharns. The northern viharn has a standing, preaching
buddha in the centre of some smaller statues covered by pieces of goldleaf and
amongst sacrifices of candles, incense and flowers. The eastern viharn
depicts a sermon of Buddha under the bodhi tree. In the southern viharn Buddha
is protected by a divine snake from the rain. In the western viharn a lying
golden Buddha symbolizes the state of nirvana. The outer wall of the gallery has
various statues. The platform has various
pavillions and blossom trees.
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Damnoen Saduak
In the past commercial activities in and around Bangkok were
concentrated along the canals. Boats on the canals or klongs were the
main means of transportation in the city up until the Second World War. The
floating market of Damnoen Saduak to the west of
Bangkok reminds of former years. It is the most colourful floating market of
Thailand. The market begins early in the morning revealing its authentic nature.
Women in small boats sell their products to the local people just like in the
old days. Near the main market place of Damnoen Saduak are several smaller
floating markets. Damnoen Saduak is a well known market place because of the
fresh fruits delivered by boats from the nearby orchards along the canals. Other
food products, meat, fish and household articles are sold as well in the
floating market. Floating "restaurants" sell warm meals and soup. The
arc bridges over Damnoen Saduak offer an excellent view. On the shore of the
canal is a market hall with two storeys. The top
floor has a balcony with a small balustrade to prevent careless visitors from
falling down. Through the wooden bars of the balustrade salesmen sitting on high
poles try to sell their merchandise like tiger balm to passengers.
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Kanchanaburi
The provincial town of Kanchanaburi is situated in central
Thailand to the west of Nakhon Pathom. A boat trip on the river Kwai is
the best way to explore the environment of Kanchanaburi. The boat passes an
alternating landscape of pristine nature and modern culture. Mangrove
trees grow along the shore of the river with their roots into the water.
In some places the shore has a solid rock structure with bamboo and teak treesup
above at some distance from the water. Closer to the towns and villages
the jungle makes way for agriculture, horticulture and livestock-farming.
Near the larger towns the river features floating houses and shops.
The town of Kanchanaburi attracts many visitors because of the notorious
"Birma railway" and the bridge over the river Kwai.
In the Second World War, after the occupation of Thailand and
Birma, the Japanese army had many difficulties in providing its troops with
supplies. The delivery of supplies by sea through the Strait of Malacca
was difficult because of air raids by the allied armies. Therefore the Japanese
government decided to construct a railway between Thailand and Birma. Allied
prisoners of war and Asian coolies were forced to work on the railway project.
In various places primitive camps were
established for the labourers. They had to construct the railway under
inhuman circumstances. The construction works started at 16 september 1942. The
Japanese had planned to finish the project in five years, but already after
fifteen months the railway was ready for use. Many people died in the
construction of the railway, most of them because of hunger, exhaustion,
tropical disease and air raids. For 20 months the Japanese military made use of
the railway until it was destroyed by allied bombardments. After the war
the British dismantled a large part of the railway near the Birmese border. The
rest was sold to the Thai railway company.
The original bridge over the river Kwai was made of bamboo.
The bridge was temporary and in the course of the war it was replaced by a steel
bridge. For this project the Japanese army dismantled a steel bridge in Java and
transported it in parts to Kanchanaburi where allied prisoners of war
reassembled the bridge. The original steel bridge had semicircular arches, but
in 1945, at the end of the war, three arches (the fourth, fifth and sixth in the
middle) were destroyed by British bombers from Ceylon. The Thai railway company
replaced them by two rectangular steel arches with a curious inscription
"Made in Japan". The rectangular arches came from a steel
factory in Tokio and were meant as recovery payments for the war damages. Near
the bridge is a railway museum with original parts of the railway and a
locomotive which was used at the time of the construction for the transport of
men and materials. A walk over the bridge is hazardous because of loose girders
and shelfs with large slits showing the river below. Some times each day a train
slowly and carefully crosses the bridge. On its way to Kanachanaburi the train
passes the Wang Po viaduct, a high wooden bridge
built against a giant rock wall and for a large part still consisting of the
original construction materials.
The Sai Yok National Park is in the environment of
Kanchanaburi. The park has various waterfalls in a forest landscape with bamboo
and teak trees. The waterfalls are concentrated
on five altitudes. Each waterfall ends up in a little pond fit for recreation.
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Chiang
Mai
Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand. It is
incomparable to Bangkok which has forty times as many inhabitants. The city is
one of the oldest in Thailand. According to legend the city was established in
the thirteenth century by king Mengrai at the foot of the mountain Doi Suthep. Near
Chiang Mai is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep or "Temple on the mountain".
The road to the temple passes a beautiful forest and leads upwards to the temple
built on a 1050 metres high precipice of Doi Suthep. The golden chedi and
the red roofs of the temple rise up above the forest trees. The wat was
built to enshrine a relic of Buddha brought from Sri Lanka to Chiang Mai. The
location for the temple was determined in a traditional way. King Ku Na released
in 1383 a white elephant at the city gate. The elephant went into the
hills, stopped halfway, and then went on to the top. According to legend on his
arrrival the elephant trumpeted three times, turned around three times and knelt
down. The relic was buried on the spot where the elephant had knelt down. It
also marked the spot where the chedi of the temple was constructed. On
both sides of the platform at the beginning of the stairway is a Thorani statue
with streaming water. The stairway, leading upwards to the temple in the shade
of trees, has rails of green and yellow nagas. On top of the stairway two
colourful guards in a pavillion watch the entrance to the temple terrace. On the
terrace, near the stairway, is a statue of the white elephant released by king
Ku Na, with a small chedi on its back. Pavillions near the temple have long rows
of bells. Six entrances lead from the terrace to the temple. The 32 metres high
gilded chedi rises in the centre of the courtyard
up above the Buddha relic and has a quintuple parasol on top. The gallery has
several golden buddha statues. The courtyard has little buddha statuettes
covered with goldleaf. Each statuette has a different pose and represents a
specific day in the week. The terrace offers a great view over the surrounding
environment.
Amongst high teak trees in a forest area of the Mae Sa valley
to the north of Chiang Mai is an elephant training centre. In the past the
centre prepared the elephants for some hard labour in the woods. But because of
the restraint on chopping wood there is no work anymore for the animals. The
training centre has become a tourist attraction. A demonstration in the river
shows how the elephants bathe with a rider or mahout on their backs. A demonstration
in the woods shows how the elephants drag and pile tree trunks. After
these demonstrations tourists can make a tour in
the jungle on the back of an elephant.
In the environment of Chiang Mai is a mountain village
of the Hmong tribe. In the past they used to be the most notorious opium growers
of all mountain peoples, but nowadays they have shifted to the cultivation of
other crops. Their village is traditionally high in the mountains where red
poppies thrive well because of the cool climate. Through the ages the Hmong
spread over a wide area. At the turn of the nineteenth century they
migrated from China to Thailand. They are divided into three subgroups
according to the colour of their traditional dress: the Black Hmong, the White
Hmong and the Blue Hmong. Their traditional dress is noticed for its
colourful embroidery. Many women still have
a traditional vest with an embroidered collar, although modern clothing like
t-shirts is on the rise. The Thai government has made large investments in the
development of the village in an attempt to put an end to its isolation.
Nowadays the village can be reached by an asphalt road. A school contributes to
the education of the children. Their parents get financial support for the
cultivation of alternative crops. The cultivation of opium is severely punished.
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Mae
Hong Son
The area to the north of Chiang Mai is the notorious Golden
Triangle – the triple border area where opium is cultivated. But the
period of opium trade and opium wars is over. At present the area is a popular
destination because of its pristine nature and the large number of mountain
tribes. Mae Hong Son or "city in the mist" is a little town in the
varied area. The town is situated in a valley surrounded by high forest hills.
Up until some decennia ago the town was isolated from the rest of Thailand and
only accessible by means of a long and weary ride on the back of an elephant.
Bacause of its isolation the town preserved its own identity and resisted the
rapid changes which occurred in other parts of Thailand.
In the mountains near Mae Hong Son live various ethnic tribes.
The Karen constitute approximately half of these mountain tribes. Most Karen
are animists dependent on the cultivation of rice. Married women wear colourful
clothes, ususally a jacket with white and pink strips. Young girls are often
dressed in white clothes and the men wear modern jeans and a t-shirt. The Lahu
have their own dresscode. Conspicuous is their jacket with large coloured strips
along the sleeves and the shoulders. The Lahu used to cultivate opium,
but because of government regulations the cultivation has diminished. The Yao
make beautiful embroidery and used to cultivate opium as well. They are
pantheists in their belief that God and the world are identical, and they
worship their ancestors. The women wear black blouses and black skirts or
trousers with colourful embroidery and coloured cloths around the waist. They
have a big black or dark blue embroidered hat or turban on their head and a kind
of red feathered boa around their neck. The Akha live on the mountain
slopes or tops and are one of the poorest minorities in Thailand. They have no
written language. They are pantheists and worship their ancestors. They
cultivate cotton and rice as well as maize, beans and other vegetables. The
women wear black blouses and skirts up to the knees and rounded breast ornaments.
The cap on their head is trimmed with ornaments and coins. The Lisu live
in clans, many are animists and worship their ancestors. The women wear
multicoloured blouses with long sleeves and a girdle over their trousers. They
have a wide black turban on their head with long strings. The men wear a black
silver decorated jacket and blue or bright green trousers.
The Longneck people live in the Golden Triangle to the north
of Mae Hong Son. They are a part of the Paduang tribe, one of many
Karen tribes. They live isolated in the mountains of northern Thailand. As
refugees they are not allowed to leave their village without permission. A bumpy
road leads to one of the villages. The village is
hid in a mountain basin. The villagers have no watertaps or sewerage nor
electricity. They wash at the village waterpump and excrete in the woods. Since
childhood the women in the village receive a part of their dowry, consisting of
silver and golden rings around the neck. These rings
push the shoulders down which makes the neck look longer. Not every girl or
woman receives these rings. Only those born on a wednesday or a full moon's day
have the "honour" of wearing the rings around their neck. Other women
in the village wear heavy ornaments in their ears stretching the earlobes. The
villagers make a living by selling handmade textiles.
A raft trip on the river Pai reveals a pristine nature of
monsoon forests consisting of leafloose trees like oak trees. Many trees have
their roots growing firmly into the ground or reaching over the rock bottom into
the water. In some places there is a house
with a
field in the middle of nowhere. The trip on the river is on a bamboo raft.
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Literature
Gropfert, Jürgen
- "A brief history of JEATH", leaflet of Wat Chaichumpol
Peterse, Leon en Joke Petri
- "Thailand", edition in a Dominicus series of travel guides
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