Legend of the Erawan Shrine - a legacy of faith

The Erawan Shrine stands majestically in glittering gold at the busy junction of Ploenchit and Rajadamri Roads in the heart of downtown Bangkok. Every day, thousands of devotees both Thai and foreigners pray at the shrine to seek blessings, fulfillment of dreams, success in personal lives and careers.

What was the origin of the Erawan Shrine and its legend?

Thais believe that there’s a deity or god residing on every plot of land. Before construction of any structure on the land, a ceremony must be held on an auspicious date to lay the foundation so as to appease the deity.

When the project is completed a permanent shrine consisting of a spirit house, housing the chosen deity, is erected at an auspicious location on the plot of land. This accounts for the spirit houses in the gardens of many Thai houses.

In 1953, work commenced to construct the Erawan Hotel some 50 metres behind the present location of the shrine. The required ceremony of appeasing the land deity was duly conducted.

However, the project was dogged by delays and mishaps that spooked the rural Thai construction workers to the point of halting their work completely.

The hapless contractor turned in desperation to the advice of a well-respected astrologer, who discovered that the foundation stone of the building was not laid on an auspicious date.

To reverse the tide of misfortune, a shrine had to be constructed to honor the god Brahma. The shrine was inaugurated at the junction on 9 November 1956, a date carefully chosen this time.

Many foreign visitors refer to the deity as the four-faced Buddha. This is a misnomer. Brahma was a four-faced Hindu god worshipped in Brahmanism, a religious system under orthodox Hinduism. The Thais call Brahma, Than Tao MahaProm or Phra Phrom.

The shrine was named Erawan after Brahma’s three-headed elephant. The construction of the hotel proceeded without any further delays and the building was soon finished.

Word of the power of the shrine spread far and wide and the legend of the Erawan Shrine was born. Thais and foreigners, particularly tourists from SE Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong flocked to the shrine to seek the blessings of Brahma.

When the international 5 star Hyatt hotel chain took over the original Erawan Hotel and rebuilt it, the Hyatt management wisely retained the Erawan Shrine and adopted the name
Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.

It doesn’t pay to tamper with matters that can’t be completely explained by the laws of logic.

In late 2004, a new boutique mall opened up just behind the shrine and yes, it adopted the name Erawan Bangkok.

On the morning of 21 March 2006, tragedy struck . A mentally ill man smashed and destroyed the revered image of Brahma at the Erawan Shrine. He was beaten to death on the spot by two workers who have been charged for the offence.

The brutal killing of a mentally ill man for grossly vandalizing a revered Hindu deity in a predominantly Buddhist society is a cause for some soul searching.

The Department of Fine Arts is replacing the origin gold plated plaster statue with a metal one made of an alloy, nawaloha, consisting of nine metals including gold and silver.

The new statue is expected to be ready in two months time. Meanwhile the Erawan Shrine has reopened for worshippers on 23 March. The smashed image, however, is covered with a white cloth.

Cost of the new statue is estimated at 20 m baht or almost US$ 0.5 m. The Than Tao Mahaprom Foundation that is responsible for the shrine welcomes donations from devotees. Donations can also be in the form of any metal.

In spite of this setback, the Erawan Shrine retains its aura to this day and remains a Bangkok legacy that pulls thousands of faithful worshippers, many of whom are waiting for the new statue to be ready.

For other Bangkok Shrines.