Bangkok - Erawan Shrine

The Erawan Shrine is a Hindu shrine in Bangkok that houses a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu creation god Brahma. A popular tourist 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.

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 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.  In 1987, the hotel was demolished and the site used for the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.

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 himself 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.

Witnesses said Thanakorn stood on the base of the statue with a large hammer in his hands, and smashed the 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 1:00 am.

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.

The new Brahma statue was completed and placed in the shrine on 21 May 2006 at 11:39 am, 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.


Location
The shrine is located by the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, at the Ratchaprasong intersection of Ratchadamri Road in Pathum Wan district, Bangkok, Thailand. 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.

Address: Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Opening hours:  The temple is open from 8.00am - 5.00pm.


Recommendation *****

An unique cab I took when I head to the shrine

Different prices of offering, you can get simple offerings or the large ones

Upon entering the gate, pray in clockwise position.  Pray to first side
for Peace and Health, second for Good Fortune, third for
Metta (Good Relation) and the last side for Protection against Evil

You can hire 2, 4, 6 or 8 traditional dancers while you pray

Feb 2017