Prasat Phra Thep Bidorn (Royal Pantheon)
This building is the most important on the upper terrace and aligns with the entrance gate surmounted by a Thai-style stucco and porcelain crown. The two giants guarding this entrance are Indrajit in green with a bamboo shoot finial to his crown and Suryapop who is red with a similar crown. Behind may be seen the top of the Sawadee Sopha Gate (which is only opened on Buddhist holy days).
Prasat Phra Thep Bidorn was constructed by King Rama IV with the intention of housing the Emerald Buddha as he considered that the Ubosot was too low. However once the building was completed it was too small for royal ceremonies and, accordingly, other relics were installed instead. Later towards the end of the Fifth Reign a fire entirely destroyed the superstructure of the building necessitating its repair. Subsequently it housed statues of the five Chakri kings from the First to the Fifth Reigns. It acquired the name of Phra Thep Bidorn, translated in English as Royal Pantheon, during the reign of King Rama VI (1910-1925).

Phra Mondop (Library)
This building is situated to the rear of Phra Thep Bidorn on the same base. King Rama I ordered its construction to the north of the Ubosot to replace the former Phra Monthien Tham which was burnt. This earlier building had been constructed in the middle of a pond to prevent attack by termites - a common practice during the late Ayutthaya and early Bangkok period. Its purpose was to house the Tripitaka (Buddhist scriptures) which he had revised at Wat Mahathat in 1788 (the previous edition having been lost in the sack of Ayutthaya in 1767).
The library was extensively restored during the reign of King Rama III to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bangkok. The cruciform building has a mondop-style roof. Originally it was on a higher base which raised it above the Ubosot. Accordingly when King Rama IV built Phra Thep Bidorn and Phra Sri Rattana Chedi, this building was seen to be too tall and was lowered.

Phra Sri Rattana Chedi
This is situated behind the Mondop on the same base. King Rama IV ordered its construction in order to house a Buddha relic. His original plan, as mentioned above, was that the Emerald Buddha would be rehoused in Prasat Phra Thep Bidorn, with the Mondop housing the Buddhist scriptures behind it and this stupa at the back, thereby echoing the classic arrangement of stupas in a straight line which had been characteristic of Buddhist architecture since the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya period.
The bell-shape of the chedi is based on the larger ones at Wat Phra Sri Sanphet in Ayutthaya. On each of the four sectors of the circular base are four protruding porches allowing access to the interior. Miniature chedis are placed on top of the porches. The chedi is covered with gold mosaic which was added by King Rama V and was originally ordered from Italy. The mosaic has recently been replaced.

The Ubosot (Chapel)
The Ubosot is located in the southern sector of the temple compound and is the principal building, being larger than all surrounding structures. To enter the Ubosot, the visitor must pass through two walls. These separate the building from the rest of the compound, thereby emphasizing its sacred nature. The wall is topped by double sema stones covered with gold leaf. Such stones traditionally designate a Buddhist building where the ordination of monks may be carried out.
The chapel was built during the reign of King Rama I in 1783 in order to house the Emerald Buddha statue which the King had taken from Vientiane in 1779. Previously it had been housed in the nearby Emerald Buddha hall on the Thonburi side of the river. Today this hall has been transformed into the chapel of Wat Arun on the opposite bank of the river. The Emerald Buddha was installed ceremonially on 22 June 1783.

The western side has three doors. The first (where you enter the temple compound) aligns with the rear of the Ubosot and is guarded by two giants whose crowns are topped by cockerel’s tails. The white giant, Chakrawat with four heads and eight arms is paired by Asakornmarsa who is dark purple and has a double tier of heads. The second aligns with the western side of Phra Sri Rattana Chedi.The white giants Sahasadeja has one thousand heads arranged in five tiers and two thousand arms. He stands with Tosakanth who is green. He has three tiers of three heads and one on top. His crown is topped with a chai. The thirds door aligns with the northern side of Phra Sri Rattana Chedi and is once again guarded by giants with cockerel tail crowns-the navy coloured Virunchambang and his companion the pale mauve Mayarap.

Thai Food

Papaya salad (Som Tam)

Ingredients
1 cup coarsely grated papaya
2 tomatoes, sliced
½ cup grated carrot
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon ground dried shrimp
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon lime juice
2-3 chillies, chopped

Mix all the ingredients together. Season with garlic salt, lime juice and sugar to taste. Sprinkle with ground dried shrimps and chopped chillies. Serve with roast chicken.

Green papaya salad is the most popular dish among women in Thailand according to a survey I heard on TV there. It is a Northeastern food that is eaten with sticky rice and other Northeastern dishes such as laab, beef salad and bamboo shoot salad. The two most popular types of green papaya salad have either dried shrimp or salted crab. Green papaya salad with dried shrimp and peanuts is called som tum thai. The green papaya salad with salted crab is called som tum pbooh. The majority of the ingredients are the same. My mother likes it with both dried shrimp and salted crab.

Korat Folk Song (Phleng Korat)

Thai Korat folk, with their outstanding cultural and dialect identity, have performedPhleng Korat or Korat folk songs. This is their unique regional performance unlike anywhere else. Witty repartee between a group of men and women principals in this performance can represent the culture of local language in
combination with a unique style.The attractive performance is always touched by humour and intensified with local wisdom. Songs are about a wide range of subject matters which can be either worldly or religious. Singing these songs is anart that reveals the wit of the singers. A good singer must be intelligent as each must sing a form of extemporized verse, in which the singer must compose or improvise his or her own verse at the moment of singing in reply to bold verses sung by another singer. This is an antiphonal singing performance is really unique as it is not accompanied by music. It involves just singing and dancing. Sometimes singers may clap hands to keep rhythm. The language used is Korat dialect, which sounds similar to that of standard Central Thai but a little different in accent or tone. At the beginning, vocalists perform a short song called Korm, an Isan and also a Koratword, which means “short.”
Phleng Korat is verysimple folk entertainment. The only requirements are a group of men and women vocalists.

Professional vocalists are dresses in local costumes. A male vocalist wears a silk, panung and a short-sleeved round-necked shirt and fastens his waist with a loincloth for bathing. A female vocalist also wears a silk panung and ashort-sleeved round-necked blouse. They perform the show on a 4-columned wooden stage called “Rong Pleng” . The 3x3 metre wooden floor is 1 meter above the ground with the ground with the roof made of coconut leaves.
Traditionally the performance is from 09.00 p.m. until 06.00 a.m of the next morning. It begins with paying respect to their teachers. Then a male singer will start with verses
telling the audiences about the occasion
the host and the purpose of this performance, and also usually apologize to the audience for any mistakes during the performance. Next he will invite the female vocalist to sing. After that, a female singer will get on the stage and
defend herself for being late by stating that a woman needs time to dress up.Then the performance start with enquiring of personal information like birthplace, and occupation and followed by sarcastic verses. Then they pay respect to teachers and the Triple Gems. They then woo each other. When they are inlove, they agree to elope or enjoy the beautiful natural scenery. After praising the natural beauty, they continue with Jataka Tales like Wet Sandorn Chadok, or fables like Chanthakhorop, Phra Rot Meri,etc. Next, they test each other’s intelligence by asking about knowledge on something until nearly at daybreak, they woo, say goodbye and comfort each other since it is time to bid farewell.Finally,the last songs are for blessing the host and saying goodbye.
In the past Phleng Korat was widely popular because it was sung in avillage’s ceremony. It was the highlight of the celebrations. Many audiences could affod the time to enjoy the performance from dusk till dawn. It can be apart of auspicious occasions like merit-making, ordination, and tonsure (top knot shaving) ceremonies, and also inauspicious occasions like a funeral ceremony. Phleng Korat has also evolved with the faith and belief of Korat people. The performance in front of Lady Mo statue serves as a fulfillment of a petitioner’s vow ( a serious promise ) sine it is believed that Phleng Korat is her most preferable votive offerings. Thus, Phleng Korat will exist as long as the statue stands.
The performance is divided into two types:professional and amateur (just for pleasure not as their job). The professional costumes of Mor Phleng (a Korat song performer), and a ceremony of showing respect to teachers, whereas the amateur performance is just for fun and enjoyed by local villagers in their free time.

I-San Jurassic Park


Sirindhorn Museum and Phu Kum Khao Dinosaur Excavation Site is located in Sahatsakhan district of Kalasin Province. It is situated at the foothill of Phu Kum Khao in the Wat Sakkawan. The museum and the dinosaur excavation site are only accessible if you take the Kalasin - Sahatsakhan Highway for 25 kilometers. The museum is around 2 kilometers before you reach Sahatsakhan.

The Isaan Jurassic Park, as Wat Sakkawan and the museum are together known, is a treasure trove of palaeontology that looks set to become one of Asia's leading dinosaur attractions. Indeed, the temple is probably the only place in the world where visitors can play with real bones undisturbed by security guards or "don't touch" signs. Britain's famed Natural History Museum in London has nothing to compare. for an introduction to a time when dinosaurs ruled Thailand, the museum is the place to start. Built by the Department of Mineral Resources with a budget of Bt370 million, its wilderness location is announced by a giant sign atop a nearby hill. The site where the museum stands - known as Phu Khum Klao - is where the remains of seven Phuwiangosaurus Sirindhornae were found along with nearly complete skeletons of other species. Altogether, five species of dinosaur have been unearthed in Thailand, on digs in Khon Kaen's Phuwiang, Chaiyaphum, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Kalasin. The four found in Kalasin are all from the Cretaceous period - 145.5-65.5 million years ago: Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae was a giant plant-eating Sauropod 20 metres in length; Siamotyrannus isanensis was a carnivorous Theropod; Siamosaurus suteethorni was a fish-eating dinosaur of the Carnosaurian class, seven metres in length; and Psittacosaurus sattayaraki was a metre-long herbivore living about 100 million years ago.

Songkran Festival

Origins of Songkran

There was once a young man who was prodigious in learning. He understood even the language of the birds. This excited the jealousy of Kabil Maha Phrom, one of the gods of a higher heavenly realm. He came down to meet the young man and posed him three sphinx-like riddles with the wager that if the young man failed to give the right answers within seven days, he would lose his head but if he succeeded, the god himself would give his own. Like all folk tales the young man was at first at his wit's end to answer such difficult riddles and he repaired to a certain place in order to kill himself rather than face defeat.
He stopped at the foot of a tall tree at the top of which was an aerie. By chance he heard the mother eagle comforting her eaglets who cried for more food, that they would be gratified soon by feasting on the body of the young man who would fail to solve the riddles. She then related the story of the wager between the god and the young man, and in answer to her children's question the mother eagle satisfied them with the right answers to those three riddles. The young man availed himself of this information and on the appointed day he gave the god the three right answers.
The god, as was the case in such tales, lost the wager and himself cut off his own head. His head was a terrible one for if it touched the earth there would be a universal conflagration and if it fell into the sea, the sea would dry up through its intense heat. The god's head therefore was deposited in a certain cave in the heavens. Every new year that is on Songkran Day one of the god's seven daughters in turn will carry her father's head in procession with millions of other gods and goddesses circumambulating like the sun round the Meru, the Buddhist Olympian Mount. After that there are feasts among the celestial beings who enjoyed themselves with drinks made from the juice of the chamunad creeper. The god's head was taken back to the cave after the feast, to be taken out again on Songkran day the next year.

How to Celebrate Songkran

On the eve of Songkran Day, i.e. on the 12th April, the people clean their house and burn all the refuse. This is a Spring Cleaning Day done as a duty in the belief that anything bad belonging to the old year will be unlucky to the owner if left and carried on to the coming New Year. It is something like a Public Health Cleaning Day but backed by traditional belief has proved more effective to emotional people than prosaic reason. Early on the first day of Songkran, the 13th April, the people both young and old in their new clothing go to the Wat or monastery belonging to their village or district to offer food to the monks there. A long table is erected in the compound of the wat where monk's alms bowls stand in a row on either side of the table. Into the alms bowls the gathering people put boiled rice and into the covers of the alms bowls, food, fruits and sweetmeats. Such a performance can be seen at wats outside Bangkok on Songkran Day. While the monks partake of their feast, music sometimes is played to celebrate the occasion.

In the afternoon of the same day there is bathing ceremony of the Buddha images and also of the abbot of the wat. After this begins the well-known "water throwing feast". The bathing of images is done as ritualistic ceremony, but it is no other than a New Year's purification. Younger people will also on this day or the succeeding days go to pay their respect to and ask blessings from their elders and respected persons. They will pour scented water into the palms of the old people and present them with a towel and other bathing requisites. In the old days it was an actual bathing where the young people helped the old people to take a bath and to change their old clothing and put on the new clothes which the young people presented them as an act of respect to the aged on the occasion of the New Year.

Another duty to be done during the Songkran Festival is a religious service called Bangsakun performed in sacred memory to the dead. When a person died and was cremated, the ashes and charred bones of common people were buried at the root of a sacred fig-tree in a wat. Such trees are to be found in the grounds of almost every wat. It is a symbol of the Lord Buddha's enlightenment for under such a tree did Buddha sit in meditation and receive his enlightenment. If a person is able to erect a Pra Chedi or pagoda in the wat the ashes and bones are then deposited in it. In later times a portion of the bones was sometimes kept in the house in a receptacle. On Songkran Day a religious service in sacred memory to the dead may be officiated by a monk or monks at the place where the ashes and the bones have been deposited, or as in some localities the people bring their dead bones to a village wat in company with others where a joint memorial service is performed. In some parts of the country the guardian spirits of the village and town receive also their annual offerings on Songkran Days. Obviously there are reminiscences or traces of ancestor and animistic worship in by-gone days.

Bathing Ceremony

During the three days of Songkran people flock to the wat in their best clothes. They bring with them candles, joss sticks, flowers and small bottles of Thai scented water called "nam ob" or water saturated with perfumes. At the wat shrine each devotee lights a candle and three joss sticks and places them together with a single flower or a bouquet in a receptacle in front of Buddha's altar.
The worshippers then make obeisance to the Buddha by partly prostrating themselves thrice before His image in a prescribed form. Each worshipper kneels with his hands placed palm to palm raising them to the forehead in a worshipful attitude and then prostrates himself on the floor with the hands now separated to allow the forehead to touch the floor between the palms. Such salutation is called "benchangapradit" from the Sanskrit "panchangapratishtha" (fivefold body worship, i.e.. with the forehead, two palms and two knees resting on the floor). Such salutation among the Thai is the highest form of respect. Salutation by full prostration on the ground and "kissing the earth with the forehead" is unknown

After worshipping in this manner, a little quantity of the scented water is poured on the hands of the Buddha image. Such a ritualistic act is called in Thai "Song Nam Phra Putha Rup" (bathing the Buddha image.)
Not only do the Buddha images in Thailand receive the ceremonial bath, but elders of the family and elder monks may receive it too. Here is an account of the bathing of family elders. In Bangkok, especially among the upper class, people are want to make a traditional call on their elders to pay their respects during Songkran. This they do by pouring scented water into the palms of the elder who will then duly rub it lightly on his head and face. The elder, in the old days, would then be presented by the visitors with a "phanung" (loin cloth) and a "pha khao ma" for a male or a "pha hom" for a female, both of which constituted everyday wear in those days.
Nowadays the elder is presented with a towel, a box of handkerchiefs, a box of soap or other such articles and sometimes with a bottle of scented water. After the presentation the elder will bestow his blessing and best wishes upon the relatives for the New Year.
A gift of a bottle of scented water is specially appreciated by the older generation who are want to smear themselves during the hot season with a preparation of soft chalk powder called "din saw phong" mixed with scented water which is refreshing to the skin. Sometimes the powder is ready-mixed with attar of roses and may be applied lightly with a towel or handkerchief. Such toilet preparation is called "paeng sod" or fresh toilet powder.
In the old days, the ceremonial bath was the regular family thing. The elder would seat himself on a broad bench. The children would assist him in the bathing by pouring the scented water on him. They also would furnish him with a new set of clothing to be worn after the bath. Further they would present him with the traditional candles, joss sticks and flowers emblems denoting the highest respect among the Thai.

We now come to the ceremonial bath of a monk. It may take place on any of the three days of Songkran. The monk is usually the abbot of the monastery, who is invariably held in high esteem, usually old and, in the case of a village wat, a leading personage in the community life. People call him "Luang Phaw" (Great Father). He is not only their spiritual father but also their adviser in temporal affairs in the light of his recognised wide knowledge and experience. Sometimes he combines the versatility of doctor, astrologer and adapt in the mystical and magical arts separately or all rolled into one.
He is always an unquestioned mediator in disputes; the villagers, in most cases prefer to abide by their "Luang Phaw's" decision rather than report to the courts or other local authorities.
It is not difficult to see, therefore, that such a man would command hosts of disciples falling over each other to do him the traditional honour of a ceremonial bath. But in such cases a notice is circulated before-hand specifying the exact day and time of the ceremony which is the same as for the elder of a family. After the bath the abbot gives a sermon followed by his blessing for a happy New Year.

Building Sand Pagodas

It has been the custom in some wats to hold a festival of building "phrasai." Phrasai" is an abbreviated form of "phra chedi sai" (sand-pagodas). " Phrachedi" means pagoda and "sai" sand. This festival takes place on an open space in the wat. The sand to be used for the occasion is provided by the wat and piled up nearby. The pagoda builders, mostly women and children, will come to the wat in their best clothes. They will buy candles, joss sticks, flower and banners from the wat stalls set up in the compound. Buying these articles from the wat is regarded as "tham bun" ("merit making"). Some will bring along these requisites, but nevertheless, they will contribute money to "tham bun" as well.

The merit makers will then fetch sand in the silver bowls which they have brought along with them and carry them to the ceremonial ground and start building a sand pagoda something like a pyramid. The size of the pagoda is optional. The sand is mixed with water to make it lump together when used to build the pagoda. A coin and and a leaf of the religious fig tree will be buried inside the sand pagoda. When finished the pagoda is sprinkled with scented water and decorated with flags and banners. The base of the pagoda is then covered with a small piece of yellow or red cloth. Lighted candles and joss sticks and flowers are stuck around the sand pagoda as an offering. Some of these pagodas, usually the big ones, are beautifully decorated with miniature ceremonial latticed fences surrounding them.

Sometimes people vie with each other in building such pagodas. The ceremonial ground itself is decorated with ceremonial latticed fences called "rachawat" and banners. There is a theatrical performances in the wat on that day for the merit makers to enjoy themselves. It is a one-day festival and the wat benefits by the sand which the devotees bring. For it serves to raise the level of the ground which normally is too low during the flood season. As the open ground in the wat also serves as a meeting place for the community during the religious and festive occasions, it is ultimately the public in general who benefit by this religious custom.

The sand pagodas do not last long. Unless they are jealously guarded, mischievous children will take pleasure in prying them open and thus ruining them in order to get the coins inside. The bigger ones are usually the selected targets.

The Grand Palace

Location and History
The Grand Palace is situated on a triangular piece of land between Wat Pho and Wat Mahathat. The site was originally occupied by Chinese community, whom King Rama I (r.1782-1809) had transferred to an area outside and to the south of the city walls, the area known today as Chinatown.
Only 15 years after the disastrous second sack of Ayutthaya by the Burmese in 1767, King Rama I was determined to recreate the glory of the city that had been Thailand’s capital for over 400 years, and ordered that construction of the palace should begin on 6 May, 1782. At first temporary royal residence made of wood was surrounded by simple log palisade. Then on 10 June the king ceremonially crossed from the Thonburi side of the river to reside in his new palace as well as installing himself as the first king of the Chakri dynasty. Following these ceremonies the king began rebuilding the structures in masonry and added the forts, gates and throne halls, royal residences and, impartautly, the palace chapel, which would occupy the same position as Wat Phra Sri Sanphet in Ayutthaya and would house the Emerald Buddha. After completion of the palace, the full traditional coronation ceremony was held in 1785.