Erawan Shrine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Coordinates: 134439N 1003227.5E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Erawan Shrine, formally the Thao Maha Phrom Shrine (Thai:
; RTGS: San Thao Maha Phrom; "Shrine of Lord
Brahma the Great"), is a Hindu shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, that houses
a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu god of
creation Lord Brahma. A popular worship attraction, it often features
performances by resident Thai dance troupes, who are hired by
worshippers in return for seeing their prayers at the shrine answered.
On 17 August 2015, a bomb exploded near the shrine, killing 20 and
injuring 125 more.[1]

1 Location
2 History
2.1 2006 vandalism
2.2 2015 bombing
3 Gallery
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

The Erawan Shrine (2006)

The shrine is located by the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, at the

Ratchaprasong intersection of Ratchadamri Road in Pathum Wan
district. It is near the Bangkok Skytrain's Chitlom Station, which has an
elevated walkway overlooking the shrine. The area has many shopping
malls nearby, including Gaysorn, CentralWorld and Amarin Plaza.
Five other shrines dedicated to Hindu deities are located in the area as
well: Phra Laksami (Lakshmi), Phra Trimurati (Trimurti), Phra Khanet
(Ganesha), Phra In (Indra), and Phra Narai Song Suban (Narayana on his
garuda).[2][3][4]

Closer view of the four-faced Brahma

(Phra Phrom) statue

The Erawan Shrine was built in 1956 as part of the government-owned Erawan Hotel to eliminate the bad
karma believed caused by laying the foundations on the wrong date.
The hotel's construction was delayed by a series of mishaps, including cost overruns, injuries to laborers, and

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the loss of a shipload of Italian marble intended for the building.

Furthermore, the Ratchaprasong intersection had once been used to put
criminals on public display.
An astrologer advised building the shrine to counter the negative
influences. The Brahma statue was designed and built by the Department
of Fine Arts and enshrined on 9 November 1956. The hotel's
construction thereafter proceeded without further incident.[5] In 1987,
the hotel was demolished and the site used for the Grand Hyatt Erawan
Hotel.[6]

View of the shrine from the Skytrain

2006 vandalism
In the early hours of 21 March 2006, the shrine was vandalised by a Thai man believed to be mentally ill. After
smashing the statue with a hammer, 27-year-old Thanakorn Pakdeepol was beaten to death by angry bystanders.
Two street sweepers who worked for the Pathum Wan district office were arrested and charged with the fatal
beating.[7]
Witnesses said Thanakorn stood on the base of the statue with a large hammer in his hands, and smashed the
Brahma hollow statue to pieces. The deity's four-faced head, torso, six arms and weapons were fragmented.
Only part of the lap and base of the statue were left intact. The incident occurred at about 01:00.
A white cloth was put up to conceal the absence of the statue. The shrine was closed to the public for some
time, but officials later reopened the site, displaying photographs of the statue so that worshippers could
continue to pay their respects.[7][5][8]
The new Brahma statue was completed and placed in the shrine on 21 May 2006 at 11:39, the time the sun was
shining directly above the shrine. According to officials with the Religious Affairs Department and the Maha
Brahma Foundation, it was made of plaster, mixed with a mixture of gold, bronze and other precious metals,
along with pieces of the old statue. Another statue, made wholly of metal, was cast from the same mold, and
will be kept in the national museum.[9]
During an autopsy of Thanakorn Pakdeepol, the vandal who destroyed the revered statue, doctors found Arabic
characters tattooed on his back and arms, prompting police to investigate whether the attack had a religious
motive and if Thanakorn or his family had any ties to Muslim extremists.[10]
However, the slain man's father, Sayant Pakdeepol, said his son had received treatment for psychiatric problems
in recent years and that mental illness was the cause for the attack. Sayant called the beating to death of his son
an "overreaction". "Doing something like this is not the act of people with good beliefs, of those with real faith
in Brahma," Sayant was quoted as saying by The Nation. "Murder is an immoral act and people with morality
would not have done what they did."[11]
In the days following the incident at Erawan Shrine, embattled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited
and paid his respects to the broken statue of the deity.
At an anti-Thaksin rally on 22 March, government critic Sondhi Limthongkul charged that the destruction of the
statue was a plot by a superstitious Thaksin who was seeking to maintain power through black magic. The
vandal's father dismissed that notion, and was quoted by The Nation as saying that Sondhi is "the biggest liar I
have ever seen." Thaksin, when asked to comment on Sondhi's accusations, simply replied: "That's insane."[11]

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2015 bombing
On 17 August 2015, at 18:55 local time, an explosive device detonated near Erawan Shrine, killing 27 people
and injuring at least 120.[12][13][14][15][16][17] Bomb disposal units checked two suspicious objects but found no
other bombs.[18] As of 26 August, no one has claimed responsibility for the act and the investigation is ongoing.
The bomb was placed in the shrine grounds next to a metal railing. The statue was slightly damaged.[19] Within
two days all repairs had been completed and the shrine reopened. Rather than being commended for the swift
reopening of the shrine, the government's actions have been subject to criticism.[20][21]The government's
perceived lack of progress in the investigation has stimulated critics to propose a number of theories as to who
is responsible for the bombing, including elements of the government itself.[22]

The Thai dance troupe

performs.

Flowers and incense

around the shrine.

Statues of elephants

Herostratus

1. "Bangkok bomb horror: At least 20 die, 125 hurt in Erawan shrine blast". Bangkok Post. 18 August 2015. Retrieved
19 August 2015.
2. Lim, Eric. "Lakshmi Shrine guardian angel of Ratchaprasong". Tour Bangkok Legacies. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
3. "Thailand's World: Hindu Shrines at Ratchaprasong". thailandsworld.com. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
4. Shirls (16 November 2007). "Life's Indulgences". lifes-indulgences.blogspot.ch. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
5. McGirk, Jan (22 March 2006). "Attack on Thai statue seen as bad omen for beleaguered Thaksin". The Independent.
Retrieved 4 January 2007.
6. "A visit to the old Erawan Hotel". 2Bangkok.com. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
7. "Much-revered Phra Prom statue destroyed". The Nation. 21 March 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
8. Poo, Monthathip (22 March 2006). "Man beaten to death after desecrating the Erawan Shrine". The Nation. Retrieved
19 August 2015.
9. Kaewmorakot, Chatrarat (22 May 2006). "Erawan Shrine statue restored". The Nation. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
10. Wannabovorn, Sutin (22 March 2006). "Police probing whether attacker of sacred shrine in Thailand was Muslim
extremist". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
11. "Vandal's dad distraught". The Nation. 23 March 2006. p. 4A.

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12. Holmes, Oliver (17 August 2015). "Bangkok explosion: fatal blast at Erawan shrine". The Guardian. Retrieved
19 August 2015.
13. Akkoc, Raziye (19 August 2015). "Bangkok bomb: Suspect 'didn't do it alone' and 'may not be in Thailand' ". The
Telegraph. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
14. Forgan, Duncan; Bacon, John (17 August 2015). "Death toll rises in Bangkok bomb blast". USA Today. Retrieved
19 August 2015.
15. Beech, Hannah (17 August 2015). "Bangkok Bombing: At Least 20 Dead at Erawan Shrine". TIME. Retrieved
19 August 2015.
16. McLaughlin, Eliott C.; Olarn, Kocha (17 August 2015). "Bangkok shrine explosion kills 22, including tourists".
CNN. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
17. "Bangkok bomb: Deadly blast rocks Thailand capital". BBC News. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
18. "Bangkok bomb: What do we know?". BBC.
19. "Bangkok bomb-hit Erawan shrine reopens". BBC. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
20. "Thailand's investigation of deadly Bangkok bombing dogged by unsavory police legacy". Fox News. Associated
Press. 2015-08-25. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
21. Ngarmboonanant, Geng (2015-08-27). "The Thai Government Is Whitewashing the Bangkok Bombing to Reassure
Tourists". The New Republic. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
22. Ruiz, Todd (2015-08-28). "Floundering Bomb Investigation Deepens Doubts About Competency". Khaosod English.
Retrieved 28 August 2015.

Media related to Erawan Shrine at Wikimedia Commons

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration | Erawan Shrine (http://www.bma.go.th/bmaeng/pathumwan
/erawan.html)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erawan_Shrine&oldid=693972565"
Categories: Places of worship in Bangkok Chinese folk religion Hindu temples in Thailand
Brahma temples Tourist attractions in Bangkok Religious buildings completed in 1956
Pathum Wan District
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