I was quite disturbed to learn this morning that the famous Erawan Shrine in Bangkok has been hammered by a mad man. The shrine is a source of hope and comfort to many devotees and this news really doesn’t bode well for the country especially during these turbulent times.
I’m affected because I have a soft spot for Thailand. In fact, my husband and I used to visit the shrine in the past for blessings. After Gavin was born, he continued to visit the shrine alone and there were even some vague plans of going back soon. Even though it has been about three years since I’ve gone back, I still remember the smell of the jasmine garlands and the sight of the dancers.
Here are excerpts of the news reports from The Nation:
A young Thai man, believed to be mentally ill, almost completely destroyed one of Bangkok’s most revered religious images, the statue of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, at Rajprasong intersection early yesterday morning, after which he was beaten to death by a group of angry bystanders.
The sight of the Erawan Shrine devoid of its much-worshiped Great Brahma statue left many visitors baffled yesterday. Others were unable to hold back their tears when they saw with their own eyes what had happened.
It was said that Erawan Shrine was built in 1956 to ward off bad luck after the deaths of several construction workers and other mishaps. Apparently the area it resides, the Ratchaprasong intersection is considered fraught with potential bad luck since it was once an area where criminals were put on public display.
According to an article in The National titled “Astrologers forsee bloodshed, badtimes“, destruction of the revered Brahma statue in central Bangkok is a bad omen, many astrologers warned yesterday. They said the incident signalled that all political parties should urgently try to negotiate a solution or else tragedies would befall the country. They also called for the renovation of the sacred statue at an auspicious time, which could help improve the country’s overall situation.
These all sound too grave. Whatever it is, I just hope they’ll restore the shrine quickly.
Oh gosh…he was mad afterall. The mob didn’t have to kill him. That’s doubly tragic…
Comment by the diva — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 @ 3:32 pm
I wonder why nobody refraned him.. but only when he had destructed the shrine that people came out and beat him up.
Yeah.. to have him beaten to death is double sand.
Thailand is one of my favourite holiday destination too..
Comment by zara's mama — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 @ 3:34 pm
I’m sure many devotees would be despondent to hear of this news and I wonder what had driven the man to smash the four-faced Buddha.
BTW, is the Buddha as ‘ling’ as what most folks claim?
Comment by Domestic Rat — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 @ 4:20 pm
Well two things came to my mind after reading this:
1. Vigilante justice should not be condoned. How can those bystanders call themselves human when they cannot even think before they take action.
2. Anytime something like this happens you get astrologers spouting gibberish and giving advice … no need to wait for something like this to happen.
Conclusion is - not enough common sense in this world.
Comment by Loong — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 @ 6:19 pm
Diva, I don’t think they knew he was mad at that point yet. But I also agree with Zara’s Mama and that it is strange that nobody refrained him while he was hammering away. From what I’ve read, the statue was almost completely ruined except for the legs!
Loong, I think when it comes to religion, it can be a bit of frenzy. Somebody actually left a message here that the guy who desecrated the shrine is of another religion.
DR, I’ve heard and one of my friend actually said it is. The thing is if you ask for something, you must give something or do something in return. Eg. give up smoking, etc. Ex-HK actress Deborah was said to have promised to dance naked if her wish came true. Apparently, it came true and she had to do the dance. I’ve never asked for anything except the normal household blessings.
Comment by sesame — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 @ 8:46 am