The recent shooting down of flying objects, identified and otherwise, over the US and Canada has spurred interest in extra-terrestrial life further afield. Here in Thailand, ufologists have taken to social media and presented evidence of sightings while describing their personal experiences as well as theories about alien lifeforms.
published : 1 May 2021 at 04:00
38
Call me blasphemous, but my first reaction to the desserts in the shape of Buddha amulets now a matter of public frenzy was: So what?
Personally, I don t like this style of dessert, called A-lua. Not that much. But I can t help but admire the craftsmanship of this local pâtissier, Madam Choops. Her creations are meticulous and each amulet-inspired item looks real, despite using more subtle colours than real ones.
I knew from the beginning that this dessert would be very controversial. I knew several people, who regard themselves as devout Buddhists, would not be happy. They would condemn the maker. Also, I suspected that the National Buddhism Office (NBO) would not tolerate it.
How Thailand’s ‘Egg Boy’ statue became a tourism phenomenon
Tens of thousands of people are flocking to a provincial southern temple, seeking hope in tough times.
Visitors to Wat Chedi, a temple in southern Thailand, have donated countless chicken figures to honor Ai Khai (or Egg Boy), a statue housing the spirit of a boy said to bring good luck.Photograph by Amanda Mustard, National Geographic
ByAustin Bush
Email
When the coronavirus pandemic closed borders, Thailand’s massive tourism industry more than 20 percent of its GDP, by some calculations ground to a halt. Within months, word spread that the spirit of an 18th-century statue in southern Thailand, known as the Egg Boy, had provided someone with winning lottery numbers. Then an influential figure publicly attributed her wealth and success to Egg Boy. Soon Wat Chedi, the provincial temple housing the statue, was inundated with Thais seeking hope and good fortune.
Photograph by Amanda Mustard, National Geographic
Yet it’s hard to imagine that Por and his fellow monks aren’t at the very least overwhelmed by the estimated 8,000 visitors the temple is thought to receive on an average weekday. The parking lot that can now accommodate as many as 6,000 cars, and the ceaseless expansion of the temple grounds leaves much of Wat Chedi feeling like a vast construction site.
Despite the boomtown feel, this isn’t the first time that Nakhon Si Thammarat has found itself in Thailand’s spiritual spotlight. Hinduism is thought to have reached the area as early as the 5th century. By the middle of the 13th century, Nakhon Si Thammarat was an important centre for the spread of Theravada Buddhism to the rest of Thailand. In 2007, another temple in the province was the epicentre of a craze revolving around amulets known as Jatukham Ramathep.