Chao Mae Tuptim Shrine

By Munira Mutaher
Photos from Google Images

Hopping onto the Bangkok Modern Terminal (BMT) at Phloem Chit after a long evening at Khao San, we headed towards Central Chidlom and on to Nai Lert Park. As soon as we turned down Soi Somkid, we were staring at what seemed like a never-ending alleyway with no lights. This was definitely no tourist attraction or busy area; the back streets of Soi Somkid is home to the Chao Mae Tuptim shrine. 

At the entrance of the park is a sign with the following: 

The origins of Chao Mae Tuptim are obscure. It can only be recalled that a spirit house was built by Nai Lert for the Spirit who was believed to reside in the large Sai (Ficus) tree.

The secret shrine of Chao Mae Tuptim.

The Chao Mae Tumptin goddess lies inside the spirit house surrounded by offerings of white-jasmine wreaths, incense sticks and a far-less conservative gift – what seemed to be a sea of mushrooms that turned out to be a garland wrapped, ribbon-tied penises of various materials. A word not usually associated or said in religious vicinities, in  the middle of the park the phallus-shaped gifts have been collected over the years amounting to thousands.

"Garland wrapped, ribbon-tied penises".

The background and history of the shrine remains relatively vague and one account claims that Chao Mae Tuptim was a Chinese deity who lived on an island in the South China Sea. When the Hainanese and Teochew Chinese began migrating to Thailand, those who lived near bodies of water erected a shrine to commemorate her and believed that she protected the fishermen and sailors. 

To understand the overdose of phallic shaped lingams, we heard of a legend where a worshipper became pregnant after making a request with offerings of flowers and incense sticks to the goddess at the Nai Lert park. As a token of thanks for her child, the woman had left a phallic offering and soon word got around about the success of her request. Other women who faced infertility then approached the shrine but instead of only bearing gifts of flowers and incense sticks, they brought phalluses. 

A woman holds flower offerings as she prays to the deity.

The phallus lingams are fabled to have its roots in the Hindu god, Shiva and phallic-shaped amulets are sold at markets for good luck and protection while some even believe it to have a positive effect on businesses.

According to the book, Spiritual abodes in Thailand, the spirit’s powers are said to be far broader granting all kinds of wishes such as winning the lottery or profitable businesses and in return it was believed she had a special preference for phallic objects. 

From wooden carvings to large stone sculptures the shrine represents a female fertility spirit amongst many other things. This hidden shrine containing ‘obscure’ lingams is quite shocking given the polite and gentle nature of the Thai people. 

Phallic shaped lingams that have accumulated over the years. 

Despite having to jump over gates and encounter dogs in an attempt to view the shrine, it is definitely one of the must-sees when visiting Bangkok as despite the usual tourist spots, it is the small unusual attractions that make Bangkok the unique city that it is. 

After hailing a cab as soon as we could, we jumped in and headed to the nearest road-side eatery to down a giant bowl of tom yam before returning to our temporary home, the Golden Palace Hotel.

Munira Mutaher, 19, is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in International Studies and Communications and has a weakness for perfected crème brûlée.

Elephants in Thai Culture

By Shanaz Mohamed

Have you ever wondered why you keep seeing elephants everywhere in Thailand? They are in souvenir shops, statues, and other forms of decorations.

Elephant Souvenir Bags. 

“Chang” or elephant is an important part of Thai culture and beliefs. In Thai culture they symbolise the king’s divine right to rule and good luck. They are often featured in Buddhist art and architecture, a spiritual mentor for people of all walks of life. Here, people claim that elephants saved their kingdom.  Back when Thailand was still known as Siam, Thai Kings used elephants as battlewagons and tanks, in warfare against their neighbouring Burma. The flag of Siam for had a white elephant as its symbol until Rama VI removed it. To this day, white elephants are considered to be sacred and auspicious.

What further illustrates the cultural significance of elephants in Thailand is Chaang Thai. It is the National Thai Elephant Day and it’s celebrated on the 13th March. In 2002 the celebrations were hosted at the Maesa Elephant Camp, where a kantoke feast was held for the elephants, along with traditional blessing ceremonies.

National Thai Kantoke feast. (http://www.worldhum.com)

Due to various reasons the elephant population in Thailand dropped from a 100,000 to 5000. However, almost half of the elephants left are domestic. These domesticated elephants are often used in tourism. However, what the tourists aren’t aware of is, in order to domesticate them, they are put through training. The belief is to control them they must be made to feel fear and pain. So the rituals are performed at varying forms and degrees of cruelty. In northern Thailand, young elephants are tied up and put in to a tiny wooden cage, also known as a “training crush”. Nails are stabbed in to their ears and feet. Elephants that have gone through this ritual are taught to raise their feet on command so mobilising them are easier. The orders are enforced by stabbing their legs with sticks that have nails on the end. And mistakes are punished with beatings.

The crushing ritual. Taken from:http://preciousjules1985.wordpress.com

While many people feel that these traditions should be stopped in favour of more humane training strategies, there is the question of whether any other alternatives exist. Moreover, the law remains uncertain about this situation. It states that “Domestic elephants are considered livestock”, so according to Thai law, they are really not any different from cattle. Unfortunately this also means that penalties enforced for abuse is little to none.

Nevertheless, projects to preserve them have been set up in various parts of the country. For instance, there is a Thai Elephant Conservation in Lampung; the Surin elephant gathering at the “ISAN” area, the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai and the Khao Yai National Park. These places allow people to interact with elephants and view them up close.

Surprisingly, elephants are still being used for ceremonial and religious purposes. For example for festival and rituals like marriages, they are dressed in elaborate jewelled robes. Even though the younger generations find elephants less relevant to their lives than their parents and grandparents do, it would still remain important, but in the form of cultural icons.

Wedding Elephant. Taken from: Google Images

To conclude here’s some elephant related Thai legends. Thais believe that a pregnant woman who walks three times under an elephant's belly is ensured of an easy delivery. And many compare marriage to an elephant; the husband is the front legs, choosing directions, and the wife is the back legs, providing the  power!

Shanaz Mohamed, 19, is a Psychology and International Studies major, a dedicated doodler, collector of quotes, and a comic book geek, among other things.

Diary Entry - Day Four

By Esther Chung
Photos by Esther Chung and Amanda Sangeetha Thomas

A six-hour van ride to Buriram awaited.

Excitement heightened as we boarded the vans which were, according to our Buriram tour guide Judy, karaoke vans: with faux velvet cushions and a ‘bedazzled’ ceiling. 

Karaoke van.

The interior of the van was enough to keep us hyper, at least for two hours. The neon cabs lessened, vegetation on the sides of the highway increased; skyscrapers gave way to modest attap-roofed houses. We were lulled to sleep by the steady rhythm of the van on the bumpy road. 

A bright yellow sign on the side of a road greeted us after hours on the road. 

Mechai Bamboo School.

Our first stop was the Mechai Bamboo School founded by the Mechai Foundation. As its name suggests, the school was built from bamboo stilts on what used to be a mango tree swamp. Instead of paying their fees in monetary form, students of the school pay their fees by performing four hundred hours of community service and by planting four hundred trees per school year. 

Although the school is still in the process of developing and growing, its reputation has reached great heights. According to one of the school directors, Mimi, there are four applicants for every seat in the school. Student selection is based on their academic and behavioral performance. What sets the Mechai Bamboo School apart from the Thai public schools is their philosophy of building successful individuals who are willing to share their success. The syllabus emphasizes instilling good community values in their students, one of which was to share. Another factor that distinguishes the school from others is its dedication to lifelong learning, in which they also provide IT training for villagers.  

Sections of the UN Declaration of Human Rights

Besides having a holistic education syllabus, the school provides a healthy and beautiful environment for both their students and teachers. Greenery flourishes throughout the school, with scenic manmade streams for irrigation purposes.

Greenery and water.

Bamboo Walkway.

Bamboo Gazebo

As beautiful and appealing as the school is to prospective students and parents, it faces the problem of retaining good teachers. Teachers who started their training or taught in the school soon leave for schools in major cities where the pay is higher. 

We headed to our accommodation for the night – Cabbages & Condoms Resort, Nang Rong. Also an establishment founded by the Mechai Foundation, the profit generated from the resort goes to the funding of the school, just as its sister company does – Birds & Bees Resort, Pattaya. 

The resort was named thus after the concept championed by the Mechai Foundation, in which they encourage the villagers to stay and develop the rural areas instead of crowding the major cities; and also to practise birth control for a better and sustainable environment.

Dinner consisted of homegrown vegetables and poultry which was served by the side of a picturesque lake in the resort. 

View from Cabbages and Condoms restaurant.

A few of us went to a local delicacy store to hunt for desserts. An assortment of local delicacies for every palate was paraded before our eyes, making it difficult to resist forking out more money. 

P/S: Just as the writer was typing this, a short but terrible storm occurred. What made it worse was that it was dark, the wind was howling and we were stranded in the restaurant, far away from our room. However, the show must go on so the writer stayed back till a quarter past eleven to bring you this diary entry. Cheers!

Esther Chung, 21, is a Communications and Writing major student. Married to chocolate. Last seen swooning over the poems of Edgar Allan Poe.

What a Thai Person Would Tell You: Thai Superstitions

Story by Bonnie Teh

It seems that the only custom that most foreigners know of Thailand is the “Wai” gesture where both palms are pressed together to greet or to show respect. Common – but there is so much more! 

Thailand is rich in folklore and tradition, and I felt it my duty to explore them at my own peril. What I’m about to tell you is not something off the internet, so rest assured these are authentic stories and read on.

Thai superstition culture largely revolves around the big G word, so I’ll start light and move on to the intense stuff.

Like the Chinese, Thai people do not sweep the floor at night as they believe the fortune will be swept away. Actually, there are a number of things deemed inappropriate for the night. Some are out of logical concerns, some are purely superstitious. Among them include playing hide and seek, cutting fingernails, and looking behind between the legs. Your wild imaginations have a legitimate place in Thailand.

Thai people do not get their hair cut on a Wednesday because there is bad luck in the alphabet. If you eat the last bit of a dish, you may potentially get a beautiful companion. Gifts are great – but not a handkerchief or a pair of shoes. A handkerchief may indicate that your lover will cry aplenty, and shoes dictate that your lover will leave you by walking away.

You probably have already known most of the superstitions I mentioned earlier, so read on for the real deal.

This paragraph relates to food. Never flip an entire fish to eat its other side otherwise a fisherman’s boat may also flip at sea. If you should so desire to be a serpent in your next life, you may try eating while lying on your back. Snakes are known to be lazy creatures – just in case you didn’t get it. Here’s the popular one Asian parents love to say: “If you play with food, you will have none in the future.”

Refrain from wearing black when visiting a sickly person as you may be cursing their health to further decline. The barn owl is never welcome in a Thai home because it is usually an indication that death will occur in the family. I personally think the barn owl is adorable.

New property and cars should be blessed by a Buddhist monk for good luck, which can also be acquired in the manifestation of a bee hive or around the house. When a criminal is released from prison, he or she should walk backwards, so as never to enter again. A pregnant woman must always finish what she starts, otherwise she may experience a difficult birth. It is believed that if a son becomes a monk, the parents will go to heaven. 

Thais believe that the mirror connects people to the spirit dimension, so never eat an apple in front of one at midnight. Infants will not be brought to attend funerals because they may see the supernatural. When a Thai person becomes deceased, a coin will be put into their mouth so as to pay for the journey to heaven, or hell. If he or she dies away from home, coins will also be laid out on the ground to lure the spirit home.

And now you know how they make such excellent horror movies.

Bonnie Teh, 23, currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Journalism at Monash University. Has I'm-gonna-take-on-the-world days and no-mood-for-small-talks-day.