Hindu Gods: Mythology and Professional Patrons in Thailand
Thai cultures have been heavily influenced by India ones. While most Thais are Buddhist, the Hinduism influence is undeniable. There are shrines to Hindu gods everywhere, from the royal court where the image of god-king was adopted to emphasize the power and majesty, to commoners who prayed for good luck. They also function as divine patrons of professions.
Some people came to pray at these statues even though they were not Hindu, mainly for good luck in love, works or exam as well as for confidence in general. Frequency, a table will be placed near the statute for offerings and incense stick receptacle. There might be an annual or regular ceremony to pay respect as well. Personally, I think that it was the mythical storytelling and fascination with divinity that these gods that helped fulfilled gaps in people's mind.
Shrines of these Hindu gods dotted around the country at a surprising density and many became Pokemon landmarks. Previously, I overlooked them and started noticing only after playing Pokemon Go. Here was some of my compilation of the Hindu gods and shrines that I found as Pokemon gyms and Pokestops.
Even though these gods were adopted from India, there were some embellishment and subtle changes in the Thai versions which were presented in this blog. To remove the serious problems of transcription names, I used the original Indian names instead of the Thai version. Heading the list was the supreme divinity Trimurti - Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer - first, then they appeared by alphabetical order.
The Trimurti was the trinity of supreme divinity which was personified as a triad of deities - Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. These gods might be combined into a single avatar. In Thailand, the Trimurti was generally worshiped for success in love.
Brahma had been by far the most popular Hindu god in Thailand with probably more shrines than all the rest combined. My personal impression was that the popularly might come from the mythical stories that he so frequently granted wishes to devotees' prayers, sometimes with disastrous consequences. His shrines were found around Bangkok; the most popular Erawan shrine had been a major tourist attraction at Ratcha Prasong junction for decades.
However, he was not as popular in Thailand as the other two Trimurti gods and it was quite difficult to find his shrines. Actually, I did not think that I ever personally see one in real life! The ones I saw in Pokemon Go came with gifts' greeting cards.
Listed in the Being Thai page.
Some people came to pray at these statues even though they were not Hindu, mainly for good luck in love, works or exam as well as for confidence in general. Frequency, a table will be placed near the statute for offerings and incense stick receptacle. There might be an annual or regular ceremony to pay respect as well. Personally, I think that it was the mythical storytelling and fascination with divinity that these gods that helped fulfilled gaps in people's mind.
Shrines of these Hindu gods dotted around the country at a surprising density and many became Pokemon landmarks. Previously, I overlooked them and started noticing only after playing Pokemon Go. Here was some of my compilation of the Hindu gods and shrines that I found as Pokemon gyms and Pokestops.
Even though these gods were adopted from India, there were some embellishment and subtle changes in the Thai versions which were presented in this blog. To remove the serious problems of transcription names, I used the original Indian names instead of the Thai version. Heading the list was the supreme divinity Trimurti - Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer - first, then they appeared by alphabetical order.
Trimurti
The Trimurti was the trinity of supreme divinity which was personified as a triad of deities - Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. These gods might be combined into a single avatar. In Thailand, the Trimurti was generally worshiped for success in love.
Brahma
Brahma had been by far the most popular Hindu god in Thailand with probably more shrines than all the rest combined. My personal impression was that the popularly might come from the mythical stories that he so frequently granted wishes to devotees' prayers, sometimes with disastrous consequences. His shrines were found around Bangkok; the most popular Erawan shrine had been a major tourist attraction at Ratcha Prasong junction for decades.
Vishnu
Shiva
However, he was not as popular in Thailand as the other two Trimurti gods and it was quite difficult to find his shrines. Actually, I did not think that I ever personally see one in real life! The ones I saw in Pokemon Go came with gifts' greeting cards.
Ganesha
Indra
Rahu
Vishvakarman
Listed in the Being Thai page.
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