Erawan

Just off the skywalk running between the Skytrain stations Siam and Chitlom sits the Grand Erawan Hotel. Next to the hotel, just off the street, is the hotel's spirit house. But it's not like most others!

Erawan Shrine

Pretty much every building in Thailand has a spirit house. Some are bigger than others. Most are pretty small. The spirit house is for the spirits who are supposed to take care of the land and the building.

The shrine at the Erawan though, is much bigger! It's a full-sized shrine dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma.

the shrine dedicated to Brahma

Hindu? But isn't Thailand a Buddhist country?

Yes, it sure is. But Thai Buddhism is influenced heavily by both Hinduism and Chinese Taoism. Depending on the temple and which group of people in Thai society built it, it's not unusual to find shrines dedicated to the Hindu gods or the Taoist gods alongside the Buddha.

And, after all, the Buddha himself was Hindu in much the same way that Jesus was Jewish.

golden elephants

The shrine was one of the very first places I ever visited in Bangkok, and back then it felt so exotic and otherworldly. I remember going there with my co-workers on one of our first days in the city... Bagel Day! That seems like a long time ago now. Like I wrote last week, I don't want to take living in Bangkok for granted. I want to revisit some of the amazing places that made such an impression on my in my first year, but which I've slowly started to overlook. I don't want living in the city to make me blind to the amazing sights that I can find around every corner! I'm trying to have a new outlook to see Bangkok with fresh eyes once again!

beautiful shrine

As prayer bells ring and the temple musicians play the droning songs of prayer music to the slow and somber beat of drums, dancers perform ritual prayers in song for those who make a donation to the shrine. The Erawan Shrine is always alive with bright colors, the scent of flower garlands mingling with heavy incense, and the sounds of prayers and music. It's a colorful, beautiful, chaotic place!

dancers performing a prayer