The Thai capital is a city of temples and small merchants trying to woo tourists with the country’s religious symbols
TEMPLES and Buddha images abound in Thailand, and in every possible corner there are little shrines dedicated either to Gautama Buddha himself, or to one of his manifestations, such as the goddess of mercy. There are even Buddha markets in several parts of Bangkok and one Sunday morning I stopped off at one of these, while my driver went around in circles, unable to park nearby.
This market stretched for about a hundred yards along the footpath, occupying further down a large number of glass fronted shops that sold mainly sculpted or moulded Buddha images, ranging from minuscule to larger than life-size.
The pavement salesmen sat placidly, with their various Buddha pendants and statues, rosaries, candles, vases, flowers and other accoutrements of worship spread out before them on cloth or plastic groundsheets, while monk and maestro, tailor and teacher browsed around thoughtfully. Many pendants seemed to have been cast in moulds from clay or other substances, while others were in the popular Thai style showing a gold Buddha in a plastic case, with a beautiful gold frame around it.
Here and there larger Buddha images appeared, calmly giving their blessings to passers-by from their humble positions on the ground, the circular line signifying enlightenment clearly visible in both of his palms.
Amongst the buyers and sellers certain characters stood out, like the old guy in the red T-shirt, armed with a watchmaker’s eyepiece and carefully picking up this or that pendant to subject it to the closest possible scrutiny.
Then there was the chap wearing five Buddhas on a single string. Now and then he would abandon his newspaper in order to evaluate his stock with the aid of a pendulum, first swinging it gently himself, then letting it gather momentum according to the pendant’s vibrations. He tested the one I’d bought from the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho in the Thai language), but since I don’t speak Thai his summation was lost on me. And after an overnight flight from New Zealand, I didn’t have the energy or sense, to write down what he said.
Meanwhile, amongst the concourse d’elegance in Bangkok, certainly the biggest, the most imposing Buddha is the gold-covered, 46.6-metre-long Reclining Buddha, enshrined in Wat hot whose temple complex in fact houses 689 Buddhas.
This Buddha lay out under the sky for many generations, till Emperor Rama III ordered a temple to be built over him. And incidentally, the people’s devotion ensures that the many, many temples of Thailand are maintained entirely by public donations. There is no going into Wat Pho, boots and all. Shoes off and into the racks provided: and on entering the temple one is immediately confronted by the enormous head of the Buddha, way up above, perfect down to the very last tight curl, with eyebrows gracefully embed over eyes fixed in the downward position of meditation, and the long ears that are a mark of a true Buddha reincarnation.
Along the great length of this Buddha one passes small altars to others, including the Emerald Buddha, the Meditating Buddha, the Peace-giving Buddha. There is also a tiny stall selling gold-Buddha-pendants. I bought one, only to see the same thing at the airport at half the price! But I didn’t care, as no doubt my money would go to the upkeep of the temple.
Moving on towards the Buddha’s feet, one marvels first at the artistry displayed in the four tiers of the platform base. Then, what would palmists say about the toes of exactly equal length? But this is not half as amazing as the backs of the feet, lovingly inlaid in mother-of-pearl with such a variety of scenes from Buddha’s life, along with dragons, snakes, lotus flowers, elephants and other symbols of spirituality.
Immersed in thought one drifts to the back of the Buddha, to clatter a token into each of the 108 buckets there, signifying the 108 beads of the Buddhist rosary. One may end this rahguzar by buying and writing one’s name upon a roof tile, which will later be used to help protect this awesome Buddha from the elements. However, awe and majesty notwithstanding, never go to Wat Pho on a Sunday, as half the world will be rushing through, denying any semblance of tranquillity to all but the Reclining Buddha himself.
The Thai capital is a city of temples and small merchants trying to woo tourists with the country’s religious symbols 
