Monday 23 July 2012

Ganesha at Chiang Mai



I found this place by accident when walked back to my hotel, i don't know exactly the name of this "Wat". That made ​​me interested to go inside is, i saw there, a statue like a Ganesha with Thailand style of cloth stand in front of the "Wat".



It was late afternoon, the temple is very quiet and no one there. What make me curious is, this is Buddhist monestry..?, im sure it is, but why many many Ganesha statue with different position stand beside the statue of Buddha inside...?



Even i saw Ashoka Chakra with the Lion head look like india state symbol. This temple is special i think, i already visit many buddhist temple in Thailand but i never saw many ganesha like inside here.



Ganesha is important deity for Thai people. But do not be surprised if no one knows who is Ganesha, because in Thailand, Ganesha called Phra Phikanet (พระพิฆเนศ) or Phra Phikanesuan (พระพิฆเนศวร), It's symbol of the remover of obstacles.Ganesha is called and is worshipped as the deity of fortune and success, He is associated with arts, education and trade. Ganesha appears in the emblem of the Department of Fine Arts in Thailand. Same like in Indonesia, many education insitution use Ganesha as a symbol.



Thai Buddhists frequently pay respect to Ganesha and other Brahmin deities as a result of the overlapping Buddhist/Brahmin cosmology. He is honoured with Motaka, sweets and fruit, when business is good, and he is made ridiculous by putting his picture or statue upside down, when business is down.



Based on the second verse of the Ganesha Purana version of the Ganesha Sahasranama, Buddha appears as a name of Ganesha in the positioning of this name at the beginning of the Ganesha Sahasranama indicates that the name was of importance to the authors of that scripture, who were Ganapatya Hindus.

Bhaskararaya's commentary on the Ganesha Sahasranama says that this name for Ganesha means that the Buddha was an incarnation (Avatar) of Ganesha.This interpretation is not widely known even among Ganapatya, and the Buddha is not mentioned in the lists of Ganesha's incarnations given in the main sections of the Ganesha Purana and Mudgala Purana.

Bhaskararaya also provides a more general interpretation of this name as simply meaning that Ganesha's very form is "eternal elightenment" (nityabuddaḥ), so he is named Buddha.

That why Ganesha is very close to the religious worship of buddha.



Whatever is it the story, i just want sit here, enjoyed the buddhist monks chant, in a perfect harmony between the two religious beliefs Hindusm-Buddhism.

Jay Dev Bapa Morya !

4 comments:

  1. This is just so beautiful. And very interesting too. Lord Ganesh is the remover of obstacles and provides us health.
    Wish you have a wonderful week ahead Mareta:)

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  2. I always excited to found anything about Ganesha in the other country :)

    Have wonderful day too Arti

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  3. Thanks for a wonderful post on the Hindu - Buddhist overlays. I also once wondered to find a Ganesha in a vihara of Srilanka. Elephants are revered by Buddhists and Ganesha being an Elephant God, I thought that worshipping Ganesha is logical for Buddhists. You have provided some new insights.

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  4. Yes, It's interesting to get the links between two religion, how they conect each other and make same story :)

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