"Thai" Will Always Love You (Part 4): Bangkok's Chinatown and Other Temples

- July 21, 2024, Monday.

- My Monday was a decompression day after so many things that happened to me in Bangkok since the day I arrived days prior. I had a loose agenda for the day, and it also gave me more time to do some work at the hostel.

- I started my day by visiting Wat Traimit (Hua Lamphong MRT station). Originally built in the 1800s, its current incarnation was built in the 1940s. It is a Chinese-Thai style Buddhist temple, and also regarded as a royal temple. 

Wat Traimit.

So lucky to have this nice photo since the temple was a bit crowded.

With the photo of King Vajiralongkorn (King Rama X).

Golden Buddha inside the temple. The buddha itself is historic and miraculous. It is said to have been created in the 13-14th centuries, and due to many wars and other historical events, the Buddha was placed inside a plaster casing to make it look less valuable. In 1955 when it was about to be placed inside Wat Traimit, the ropes transporting the Buddha broke, dropping the statue and chipping the plaster. It was only then they discovered the real golden Buddha inside. It is also said that this is the largest golden Buddha statue in the world. 

- Across Wait Traimit is the Chinatown arch. I just took photos of it before riding a tuktuk to Wat Mangkon (Wat Mangkon MRT). It is a Chinese temple built in the 1870s, Not only did I appreciate the temple's historical value, but I appreciated it more because it was airconditioned and had clean toilets! (It so happened that I really really had to go potty while I was at the temple.)

Just to let you know that this is Chinatown Bangkok: the Chinese gate with some tuktuks.

Close up of the arch/gate.

Honestly, this is my first officia ltuktuk ride in Thailand - and yes, only during my third visit. I avoided tuktuks like the plague because I didn't want to get ripped off. I think I still got ripped off but it wasn't that bad if ever.

Inside Wat Mangkon. I couldn't take a photo of the temple's facade as there were renovations going on.

Temple guardians. (They were HUGE.)

- I later visited Sampeng Market, which is a narrow street market spanning several blocks in Chinatown. Honestly, I should have known about this market earlier because this is the BEST PLACE TO SHOP in Bangkok. As it is a wholesale market, its prices are a lot cheaper even compared to neighboring Phahurat standards. (Sellers actually come to Sampeng Market to look for things to sell in their own stores.) I did get a few things, but had I known about this market, I would have bought all my necklaces and bracelets here HAHA. However, Thai costumes are still a bit hard to find here, and most of them are in Phahurat (which, again, it just within the area).

Sampeng Market.

- I spent the rest of the morning back at the hostel trying to do some work and fixing some of my things. That afternoon, I finally decided to visit Wat Saket (Golden Mount). In previous trips to Bangkok, I passed on Wat Saket in favor of other "more interesting" places in Bangkok. I think it had its revenge on me because now that I decided to visit it, the main tower was being renovated. (So, maybe, I'll just return next time, if I could.) Wat Saket was a lot more interesting than I thought. The artificial hill was built in the early 1800s during King Rama III's reign (King Nangklao), while the main temple that stands was built decades later by King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn). Today, the temple grounds not only has the temple on the hill, but also some museums. But because the main temple was under renovation, I didn't explore too much since I'd rather pay my entrance ticket when everything's nice and renovated. I had lunch at a food stall in the temple grounds and left not long after.

Giant peacock.

I lost all willpower to explore the area when I saw the renovations. I still looks nice, but it'd be nicer without the scaffolding.

It does look majestic! (I want to see its full glory!)

- Near the Golden Mount is the giant swing, built in the 1700s for a Brahmin ceremony. They halted these ceremonies since the giant swing had signs of use and many fatal accidents happened as well.

Giant Swing with tuktuk.

Giant Swing without tuktuk.

- I later passed by the Dev Mandir Hindu Temple, close to the Giant Swing. The Dev Mandir is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Bangkok (though not the oldest,) as it was inaugurated in 1969. Its roots go decades prior, spearheaded by Pandit Raghunath Sharma, a Sanskrit specialist. The trip to the temple was a nice surprise because it wasn't part of my plan, but I was happy to see at least one contemporary Hindu temple in Bangkok. I was also happy to know that the temple is also supporting a school called "Bharat Vidhalaya", a basic education school located within the temple grounds.

Dev Mandir.

It reminds me of the many Sindhi-Hindu temples I visited, including the one here in Manila. 

Even the way the deities are placed and dressed appear similar.

The Hindu organization governing the temple and school.

- That evening I once again headed to Platinum to eat some nice seafood. I strolled for a bit before toiling the night away back at the hostel. It was a nice "relaxed" day despite balancing my time between sightseeing and touring, as with most days.

I loved the seasnails (middle), and the Thai coconut juice that I had almost daily because I love coconuts so much.

- My trip to Bangkok isn't over yet because I had more to see and do for my last full day in the city! There's just so many nice things to see and to in this city!

- Check out my other adventures for this Thailand trip!

Part 1 (Phahurat and Mahidol University): here

Part 2 (Nakhon Pathom): here

Part 3 (Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Kudeejeen): here

Part 5 (Ancient City, Erawan Museum, Terminal 21): here

Honoring the Elephant God: Ganesha Chaturthi in Manila's Hindu Temple

- September 6, 2016, Tuesday.

- It has been a looooooooong while since I last visited Manila's Little India, and I was starting to miss my "Indian side" for quite some time. Fortunately, the heavens seemed to have felt my "woes," and I somehow got invites from my two Indian friends Jashwin and Jasmine to attend Ganesha Chaturthi at the Manila Hindu Temple. I was initially hesitant, not because I did not want to, but mainly because I am swamped with the stresses of the world lately. Still, I was able to make some time despite my body wanting to stick itself to my bed.

A well-ornamented Ganesh for Ganesha Chaturthi.

-  Ganesh Chaturthi is a monthly celebration for the Hindu god Ganesh. The biggest of these, however, falls on the 6th month of the Hindu calendar, which is around August-September in the Gregorian calendar. Ganesha or Ganesh is recognized as being "the elephant-headed god." He is the god of knowledge and the remover of obstacles. People who pray to him especially during this auspicious event hope that Ganesh will be able to remove their obstacles in things that they are doing or about to do. Jashwin and Jasmine told me that for the big celebration, they celebrate for a week. Since I couldn't go a week straight, I was able to make at least my Tuesday night free for this event. At least, I will be able to get a taste of how this festival was celebrated; this was my first time.

- I arrived around 8pm, just a few moments before the event started. People were already lined up to pay their respects to the god, and some even took pictures with the two statues of the gods.

People paid their respects to the two Ganesh statues.

More people lined up to do just that. The symbol (upside down when this photo was taken) is the "om" symbol. 

- At around 8:15, the main event started. The prayer session had a series of bhajans (songs) and aartis (another set of songs) and some prayers/chants. Most of them were dedicated to Ganesh apart from the Lakshmi aarti that was also sung. After the prayer session, prasad was distributed to everyone. "Prasad" refers to the food offerings that are given to all the devotees after the prayer session; these are usually finger food and are usually sweet like Indian sweets of small fruits. One important sweet is the ladoo, which is a sweet yellow ball made of chickpea flour and sugar. This is an important aspect of Ganesh-related rituals, because it is said that Ganesh has a sweet tooth and so he is sometimes depicted in Indian paintings or sculptures with a bowl of ladoos or modakas (another kind of sweet) at his lower right hand. I showed the giant ladoo in my mouth and I looked like a squirrel or chipmunk.

See how many people there were?? The priests were starting to do some rituals.

Veiled women. No, they aren't Muslims.

Such color!!

The two priests doing more rituals.

People doing puja (offerings.)

Jasmine - a face among the crowd.

I simply adore Indian clothing.

A well-adorned Ganesh.

With Jashwin and Jasmine. My mouth is occupied with the giant ladoo.

- The whole prayer session ended around 9. Finally, it was everyone's favorite time - time for free Indian food!! As for me, I thought of leaving at once since I was afraid that I'd miss the last train home, and it would be difficult for me to find a safe alternative. (This is quite unthinkable - me refusing food, especially Indian food.) Jasmine, however, told me that it was a sign of respect to get some food before leaving. The Indians closely associate food with the gods, and so food is usually an important aspect when these prayer sessions are held, especially big ones. Since I was in a hurry, Jasmine's mom shared some of her food to me. I was quite embarrassed to take some of auntie's food, but as a sign of respect I did anyway. (Hurray for Indian food, and hurray for satisfying my craving for Indian food.) I ate some really awesome Indian food (chapati, daal, vegetable curry, etc.). Finally, I found Jashwin and say goodbye, then Jasmine and her cousin dropped me off at the train station. Fortunately, I was able to take the last train home.

- Despite my hopelessly tired self, I was able to feed a part of me that hasn't been "fed" lately - my "Indian self." Well I know I'm not Indian so to speak, but as people who know me would understand, I do many Indians things because of my interest in the country/culture/people. I was honestly waiting for diwali (around November) to go back to Little India, when I'm quite sure that there's some kind of activity going on because of the grandness and greater significance of the festival, but attending my first Ganesha Chaturthi was a colorful, gastronomic, and spiritual treat to my tired and weary self.  

"On a Quest": A Full-House Film Screening in Rockwell's Powerplant Mall

- April 14, 2015, Tuesday.

- Two weeks ago, I posted an entry about the Indian community's exclusive film screening of "On a Quest" here in the Philippines (click here to read.) I caught the premiere show last night at Rockwell's Power Plant Mall, and the whole theater was jam-packed!! I also realized that it was my first time to be in a theater filled with Indians outside India; it reminded me of the time our delegation group got to watch "Life of Pi" in a local theater in Mumbai in 2012 (click here).

Move poster outside the theater.

- Of course, the highlight of my night was being introduced to Swami Tejomayananda, the current head of the whole Chinmaya Mission. The Chinmaya Mission is a spiritual organization that advocates Advaita Vedanta (i.e. the identity of the Self and the universal spirit as pure consciousness.)

Plenty of people ready to go inside.

- The Chinmaya Mission Philippines brought the movie "On a Quest" to the country for two screenings, the second of which will be this Sunday. (By the way, tickets for Sunday's show are still on sale!! Ticket details below.) Swami Tejomayananda will also grace the second showing on Sunday.

With Swami Tejomayananda, the successor of Swami Chinmayananda.

The VIPs of the night.

- As mentioned in my earlier article, the English-language movie "On a Quest" was about the life of the mission's founder, Swami Chinmayananda, born as Balakrishna Menon. Balak, as he was fondly called, started out as a young freedom fighter, and later became a journalist. Balak was an atheist too, and as one of his special missions in his career, he wanted to expose the sadhus (i.e. religious Hindu holy man) as frauds. For this mission, he headed to the mountains to live in an ashram (i.e. a religious hermitage) and understand the sadhus' lives more. Instead of writing against the sadhus, he gradually shifted his life mission to becoming a holy man himself. He used the lay men's language to make the holy scriptures understandable, and he also had books as "prasad," or religious offerings distributed to the people. Through this, he was able to gain many followers around the world.

Full-house.

Swami Tejomayananda's opening remarks.

- The film was incredibly done, with a distinctly picturesque use of colors. Also, even though the film had to tackle some philosophical aspects, the film's message was expressed clearly. The scriptwriters were also able to make the plot relevant to the current age, when atheists have become more vocal and more visible in the society. The most surprising thing about the film? All the actors are members of the Chinmaya Mission, and all have acted in a film for the first time; I would not have known if it was not mentioned by the emcee before the film viewing, since the actors did a great job for first-timers. (Here's the trailer again:)

- Personally, I felt that the film was life changing, regardless of the audience members' religious affiliations. The film's main message was if one were to be lost in life, continue walking that path and one will find his way. I think this is significant especially for people like me who are still trying to discover what life has to offer, with all the existential questions that playfully bother the mind daily. I also liked how the film did not force its audience to be religious despite the themes and the premise of the story itself. Instead, it does encourage people to go on their own quests, and fulfill their "dharma" (i.e. righteous path in life) seek their own answers.

Movie poster, again.

-  I strongly recommend this film to anyone who wants to be inspired, who searches for questions and answers in life, and who thirsts for answers regarding spiritualism. Again, the movie is still showing this Sunday, at SM Megamall, Cinema 1, 6pm. Tickets cost 350php (upstairs seats) and 300php (downstairs seats). The movie is around 2 hours long. For ticket reservations, contact Sonaal Nandwani (0917-851-0070) or Nisha Advani (0927-300-6180).