Temple of the Ghost Bride: The Mae Nak Shrine at Wat Mahabut

Way back in 2014, I posted about Thailand's most famous ghost story here on my blog for my first annual Halloween special. The tale is called Mae Nak Phra Khanong, or Lady Nak of Phra Khanong.

I'll repeat it here for you today:

During the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV) in the late 19th century, there lived a beautiful woman named Nak who lived in Phra Khanong district of Bangkok with her husband Mak, with whom she was very much in love. The young couple was delighted to learn that Nak was pregnant with their child, but their joy was short-lived. Mak was called away to war leaving his wife alone. Sadly, both Nak and the baby died during childbirth.

Mak was seriously wounded in the war and kept away from home for a long time while he was nursed back to health. When he returned to Bangkok, he was overjoyed to be reunited with his wife and daughter, unaware that they were both ghosts.

The family lived together happily for some time. One night while preparing dinner, Nak dropped a lime which rolled under the porch of their wooden house. She carelessly reached out to retrieve it, passing her noncorporeal hand directly through the floorboards. Mak noticed this and became terrified. He fled his home, pursued by the ghost of his wife.

Mak ran to Wat Mahabut temple, where the ghost, being unable to cross over holy ground, could not follow. The distressed Mak consulted the abbot of the temple, a powerful exorcist who agreed to brave Nak who in her grief had begun terrorizing the local people.

The monk trapped the ghost in a clay jar, and threw it into the Chao Phraya River. This didn't hold the angry spirit for long however. The jar was soon discovered by a pair of fishermen who unwittingly release her back into Bangkok. The venerable and wise monk Phra Somdej Toh was called to confront Nak's vengeful ghost. He captured her and bound her spirit to a holy waistband. The monk spoke to Nak and assured her that she and her beloved husband would be together for eternity in the afterlife. Upon hearing this, Nak voluntarily departed the mortal realm.

I've long known of the Mae Nak Shrine at Wat Mahabut, and this year for my blog's annual Halloween Post, I decided to make the trip out to Phra Khanong to visit it and see it for myself.

 

my trip took me to a part of Bangkok I had never been to before

I had to take the Skytrain way farther than I ever had before. After alighting, I set off on foot the rest of the way. My walk took me over a wide canal, and through a small, dark market I had never seen before.

I had to make my way through an old and dark market

It was bright and sunny, with an unseasonably blue sky - not very spooky at all (though if you want to see these places in a more spooky light, check out my recent Infrared photo gallery of some of the places I visited that day).

a sunny day in Onnut - not very spooky!

After a while, I saw the sign for Wat Mahabut, just the temple I was looking for! From the outside it looked perfectly ordinary. There was nothing at all to hint at its legendary history.

eventually, I saw the sign pointing the way towards my destination

I knew that I was in the right place when I saw the shops outside of the temple, where beautiful Rattanalkosin-era silk dresses of various qualities and prices stood on display for sale. Visitors praying for love will make offerings to Mae Nak, generally in the form of beautiful dresses from her own time period.

This isn't an uncommon practice. In fact, you might often see silk dresses hanging from large, ancient trees - gifts to the ghosts which are said to inhabit those trees.

beautiful silk dresses - gifts given as offerings to the ghost

Ghosts and ghost stories are a deeply ingrained and integral aspect of Thai culture. Thai ghosts are so important to Thai culture, that it's nearly impossible to separate the two. This is a country of magic. It's a country where legends are real, where mystic men out in the jungle transform into tigers and float, and where ghosts are very much a part of everyday life.

When I was working at the school, my students would often tell me - very earnestly, I might add - stories of their own encounters with ghosts. There was the ghost who haunted the girl's bathroom, the ghost who lived in the school's banana field...

Even my Thai family swears to have a ghost - albeit a friendly one - who watches over the house and protects the family. I've never been one to believe in ghosts... but I may or may not have had my own experience with the family ghost a time or two...

Buddha statues inside one of the temple's many shrine halls

Wat Mahabut itself is a historical, albeit fairly typical, Thai temple. Founded in 1762 five years before the Fall of Ayutthaya on the outskirts of the little-known fishing village called Bang Kok, a small temple sat along the banks of a canal which fed into the mighty Chaophraya.

Once, a wandering monk visited the temple. The local folk asked him to stay, and in turn, named the temple after him: Mahabut.

The temple itself may be relatively nondescript, but the famous holy man and abbot Luang Por Toh (there's even a statue of him along the riverfront at Wat Rakhang) put it on the map by exorcising the vengeful spirit of Mae Nak and calming her down by encouraging her to wait for her beloved in the afterlife.

from the outside, it looked like a fairly typical Thai-style temple

At first, I had trouble finding the shrine. The main temple was bustling with fairly ordinary Buddhist activity. As I walked towards the river, however, I found a little marketlike area attached to the main temple complex. There, I spotted a statue of the woman whom I immediately recognized as the Lady of Phra Khanong herself: Mae Nak. The woman was cradling her ghostly baby, and before her were set offering of red Fanta. Here in Thailand, red Fanta is often given as offerings at shrines and spirit houses. I've heard that it is a symbolic offering of blood, but I am not 100% sure if that's accurate. I'm not entirely convinced anyone even remembers why folks started giving red Fanta as an offering.

Mae Nak - Thailand's most famous ghost

Nearby, a gnarled sacred bodhi tree - the same type of tree under which the Buddha is said to have meditated to gain enlightenment - stood wrapped in dozens upon dozens of colorful silks. These were a simpler version of the offerings of silk dresses, and another typical sight in the Thai countryside.

at the Shrine of the Ghost Bride

And there was the shrine to Mae Nak.

The shrine looked like a traditional Thai teakwood house... perhaps very much like the home in which Mae Nak lived long, long ago. Above a small golden statue of Mae Nak were hung several portraits of the lady of the house, a beautiful young woman in the traditional garb of the mid-Rattanakosin era.

gifts and offerings for Mae Nak

Visitors had left offerings of flowers, fruit, incense, and silk to the spirit of the now benevolent lady. There was nothing creepy or spooky about the Mae Nak Shrine. In fact, it felt quite peaceful and quiet. 

After all, the story of Mae Nak ends well. It's the story of a woman at peace, awaiting her husband who has now long since gone to join her.

Mae Nak Shrine at Wat Mahabut

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. It's always been a big deal with my family! Growing up, my mom always made us costumes and decorated the house in the most fun sort of way. I'm trying my best to keep the tradition alive here in Bangkok! Halloween still hasn't really made its way over here to Thailand (though you'll find the occasional decoration or party), but I feel that if I want to make Halloween special, I will need to do so myself!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Witch's Potion: Halloween Coffee

It's almost Halloween! I've written my annual Halloween post, which will be out tomorrow, but for today, I'm sharing a very spooky coffee drink that I had this week!

Halloween isn't really a big deal here, but you can come across things like this in Bangkok. The Witch's Potion is a blended frappe with chocolate and berry - kind of like a black forest drink. Really nice!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Come back tomorrow for more spooky adventures in Bangkok!

Back at the Museum

After many months of hiatus due to the Thai government's COVID-19 restrictions, things are finally starting to open up again. I am especially happy that the National Museum is finally reopening! Back in January, I started the museum's training workshop to become an English-language guide. I studied every week for about three months, and even went on an excursion with the group to Uthong.

Unfortunately, everything had to be stopped in April, and the museum is only just now reopening. I was overjoyed this week to step back onto the grounds of the Front Palace this week, my first time at the venerable old museum in months.

at the gates of the National Museum

It's a little unclear when and in what format the training workshops are going to resume, but for now, they are taking us around in small groups to visit some of the galleries.

I'm proud to say that the National Museum Volunteers have asked me to help out writing and editing SALA, the museum's official magazine! This week, I attended the same tour twice - on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. On Thursday, I carried a notebook and pen to take notes during the gallery tour while Elodie, our photographer, captured photos for the upcoming article.

Welcome back!

Today, I'm going to share some of the more interesting artifacts from the South Wing, which had been closed for a massive renovation for the past three years. The building still is not open to the public, but is due to have its grand re-opening in December. This isn't the article that I'm working on for SALA, but some of the information will be similar. Here, I'd just like to share some of the artifacts that I found especially interesting.

Welcome back to the National Museum!

This early Buddha image was found in Hadda, Afghanistan. Pre-Islamic Afghanistan had lots of Buddhist influence due to the Silk Road. Today, it's hard to imagine, but Afghanistan is home to some of the best Greco-Buddhist archaeological sites in the entire world! Sadly, one of the world's great Buddha statues, the Buddha of Bamyan (a wonderful towering statue carved directly into the face of a cliff) was destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban.

This is a fascinating piece, and one which I hope to write an article for at some point. The earliest Buddha images did not depict the Buddha as a person at all, but rather symbolic aspects of his teachings. However, when Alexander the Great's army conquered India and a local general-king converted to Buddhism, he couldn't fathom not depicting a religious figure in statue form. Thus, the very first Buddha statues had distinctly Greco-Roman (i.e. European) features! This one in particular was modeled after Apollo, the Greek god of light.

Despite what people think upon first looking at this image, this is not a figure of the Buddha! In fact, it is a representation of Mahavira, the founder of Jainism. Jainism is one of the world's oldest religions, and one of the three main religions (along with Hinduism and Buddhism) of India. You can tell that this is not an image of the Buddha, because unlike Buddha, who is always depicted in robes, the Jain image is naked.

This golden tablet depicts the 12 Acts of Buddha. It was created in India, but was discovered within the royal crypt at Wat Ratchaborana in Ayutthaya.

The reverse of the tablet is inscribed with the Ya Dhamma, a one-line essence of the core of Buddhist teachings given by a novice monk thousands of years ago. The translation is thus: "All phenomena arise from causes; these causes have been taught by the Tathagata (Buddha), and their cessation too has been proclaimed by the Great Samana (Buddha)."

This wooden statue of a Mahayana Boddhisatva is from Japan, and is carved in the Kamakura style.

Despite its ancient appearance, the image itself dates back only to the Meiji Period, a little over 100 years ago.

This wooden Buddha, inlaid in glass and gems, comes from Burma. It reflects the light and glistens as you walk around the gallery.

This is a statue of Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god of art and remover of obstacles. Students from the nearby Silpakorn and Thammasat Universities leave offerings and pray at the statue, especially before exams.

This Ganesha statue was a gift from the Dutch governor of Java (Indonesia) to King Rama V. When the king visited Indonesia, he requested a piece or two of Indonesian art to bring back to Siam. Instead, the governor sent an entire ship laden with art and artifacts as a gift for the king's private collection - now, the National Museum. It's huge, but (relatively) light at only 500 kg. This is because it is carved from a porous volcanic stone.

The Ganesha statue is unique in its unusual skull motif. You can see that the throne, jewelry, and crown of Lord Ganesha are made of skulls. Even his silk pants have a skull design. This particular statue was ordered by a Javanese king as a sort of talisman to protect his army from enemies. He would point the statue towards the enemy army as protection against black magic. This Ganesha image, therefore, is a very important piece of religious art, and is believed to give protection from evil.

These prehistoric beads are made with a really cool ancient technique. The stone they are made from is originally green. To create this type of bead, some stones are covered in beeswax, while others are left bare. The stones are then covered in honey for one month, and then burned. The stones that were uncovered, absorbed the honey, which turns to carbon when burned, turning the stone black. The stones that were covered in beeswax, turn orange. They were then etched using acid and soda ash. Beads like this are still made in parts of Nepal and Tibet.

And finally, we visited the new Dvavarti Room... but you can read more about them in a post I wrote a few months back (HERE).

High Waters

Bangkok came really close to flooding this year.

The last time it happened was ten years ago, before I arrived in Thailand. This year, the northern provinces flooded, and it really looked like the floodwaters were going to make their way to Bangkok. The streets flood a few times every year, but I've never been here for a real flood, when the Chaophraya overflows its banks and the canals spill over to drown out the city.

I think we are past the worst of the rain this year. At least, I hope so! The government has done a good job of protecting the city from floods (Bangkok is pretty much at, or even slightly below, sea level), but there's not a ton you can do against Mother Nature.

I was down in Banglamphu this week (near the Grand Palace), and noticed how sandbags had been stacked up against the riverside by the navy headquarters.

It looks like everything is just barely being held back. Now, the water is almost right up the the floodwall. It looks like everything is holding for now, but I've never seen the Chaophraya so high before.

The city is currently on flood alert until at least the end of the month. Fortunately the area I live is fairly far inland. I didn't even realize that the flooding was getting this bad until I saw the river for myself.

Wish us luck here in Bangkok!

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2200759/flood-warning-for-riverside-areas

Beer on the Steps: A New Bangkok Tradition

Since the bars are still closed in Bangkok due to the country's COVID-19 restrictions, people have taken to cracking open a beer on the steps of the local 7-Eleven instead. It's becoming more and more common to see friends meeting up after work and having a beer outside the local convenience store.

I thought I'd try out this tradition myself with the new Thai craft beer available at local 7-Eleven stores: Mahanakhon White Ale. There aren't that many craft beers, but Mahanakhon finally broke through into the convenience store market, and are encouraging people to enjoy their crisp and cool beverage during the lockdowns. There are even articles about it: https://coconuts.co/bangkok/food-drink/upgraded-beers-land-today-at-bangkoks-7-elevens/

Cheers!

Photo Gallery: Ilford Pan 400 at the Golden Mount

It's time for another edition of "What's On This Roll of Film, and When Did I Shoot It?"

Life gets busy, and sometimes it's hard to find time to run to the photo shop to develop film. I recently found this roll of film tucked away in my rarely-used big suitcase (which I only really ever take to and from the US), and with a free morning, finally decided to take a walk down to Color Image to get it developed. I had no idea when it was from or what was on it.

When I got my photos back, I was a bit surprised! I thought I had shot this roll of film sometime last year, but there was a picture of my mom in Bangkok! Turns out, I took these photos nearly four years ago when my mom and brother visited me in Thailand. These photos were shot with Ilford Pan 400 on my 1970 Fujica Compact at the Golden Mount in Bangkok.

This photo was taken inside the local photo shop near my old apartment. I think I must have picked up this roll of film as we were heading out to catch the river boat down the San Saep Canal, and snapped a picture of my mom after I loaded the film into the camera.

A claustrophobic scene inside the San Saep Canal river boat. You have to hold on tight to the plastic sheeting to make sure that you don't get splashed with dirty canal water!

Several communities live along the canal - one of the most important commercial waterways in Bangkok. Historically a slum neighborhood, now there are cool cafes, guesthouses, and shop built along the riverside.

Wat Saket, the Temple of the Golden Mount - one of my very favorite places in all of Bangkok.

The Golden Mount is timeless, especially when shot in black and white.

Wat Saket feels like a jungle, despite being located in the heart of Bangkok's Old Town.

From a vantage point partway up the winding spiral steps to the top of the temple, you can look down over the rest of the temple complex.

The towers and skyscrapers of downtown Bangkok stretch out into the far, hazy distance. Even though it's in the city, Wat Saket is quiet and peaceful. It's also one of the very few parts of the city where you can get a wonderful, cool breeze.

A statue of the Buddha deep in meditation sits inside the shrine hall atop the Temple of the Golden Mount.

The temple building atop the Golden Mount offers some of the best unobstructed views of Old Town. It's also one of the best places in the whole city to see the sunset!

Looking out across Rattanakosin (Bangkok's Old Town), one is transported back in time. Here, there are no towers for miles, and the old city is a sprawling maze of low shop houses, temples, and markets.

Sometimes, the city feels infinite. It seems to stretch out forever in the endless landscape of Rattanakosin Island.

The chedi, or stupa, at the top of the Golden Mount is a golden spire containing a holy relic from the Buddha himself.

Temple bells on the way up Wat Saket - visitors ring each one as they wind their way to the top of the Golden Mount.

Loha Prasat - the Iron Castle. This metal spires of this unique monastery were once painted all in black, but have been gilded over the past few years. At first, I wasn't sure about it. I thought that a very unique temple was losing something that made it unique. However, I can't argue against how stylish the new golden spires look.

I climbed up the Loha Prasat and looked at one of the golden spires out of an arched window.

Looking out across a temple roof. Bangkok looks good in black and white. There's a sort of timeless feel to the city, especially in the older parts. But I've been shooting in a lot of black and white recently, and maybe it's time to do more with color. After all, Bangkok is quite a colorful city as well. I'm on a bit of a photography kick lately, so I imagine I'll be posting a few more photo gallery posts before too long.