Erawan Shrine, Bangkok

Address: 494 Rajdamri Road, Bangkok, Thailand.

Background Information

The Erawan Shrine is a Hindu Shrine that houses the god of creation, Brahma. It is known as San Phra Phrom among the locals. This unassuming shrine is shrouded with a history of strange incidences and mystery. The intersection where it is located used to be a place where criminals were put on public display. The Thais believe that to appease the spirits occupying the land, they have to build a shrine to house the spirit before laying the foundation stone. However, the foundation stone of the Erawan Hyatt Hotel was laid on an inauspicious date. This was followed by a series of mishaps and events that spooked the Thai workers so much that further construction was halted.

On 9 November 1956, a date carefully chosen this time, the Erawan Shrine was erected to counter and negative (supernatural?) influences on the place. Construction work continued without anymore incidences.

The shrine was however destroyed by a mentally disabled person on 26 March 2006. The destruction of the shrine was linked to the political unrest that ensued. The shrine that we can see today was constructed and 21 May 2006. Witnesses say that the sun was shining right at the shrine during its reincarnation. The political landscape in Thailand began to stabilize soon after.

The shrine is now a popular tourist attraction and thousands of tourists visit the shrine on a daily basis  and are willing to swear by its power to answer your prayers.

Getting There

The Erawan Shrine shares its premises with the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel which is located at 494 Rajdamri Road, Bangkok, Thailand. You can get off at Ratchadamri BTS (Bangkok’s Skytrain service) and take a five minute walk to the shrine. It is located at the intersection of Ratchadamri Road in Pathum Wan district.

What to Do There

You could just take pictures of the shrine and strike off your list of things to do in Bangkok or you could partake in the rituals and hope for your prayers to be answered. Testimonies from personal friends of mine and the throngs of visitors who visit the Erawan Shrine on a daily basis makes me think that there could be a higher power at work here somehow. I am still a skeptic though.

You would need to purchase a garland and some joss sticks (it comes in a set) for around 30 THB. Then you have to pay for Thai dancers who will dance and chant behind you to help you get your prayers to be answered. The more Thai dancers you hire, the higher are your chances of having your prayers answered. It will set you back around 100 THB per dancer and you can hire up to a maximum of 12 dancers.

You will then be issued a receipt with your name on it. You will then be invited to kneel in front of the shrine and pray while the dancers dance and chant behind you appealing to Brahma to answer your prayers. You will know when you are done when they tell you “finish” in heavily Thai-accented English. You will then need to light your incense sticks and place them in front of Brahma and hang your garland anywhere you can find space.

Personal Experience

I was at the crossroads of my life with a wedding and a new house looming in my future. I just prayed that I would be financially secure in the future and everything will go without a hitch. Yea, I know I am supposed to pray for something like world peace or what not, but I have been told to pray for something I would personally want to accomplish. So, I could not help being selfish. Besides, I do not really believe in a supernatural power. I believe that I am accountable for my own actions and what not. So, I just took this as a way of getting to experience the Thai culture and also as an experiment to see if what I prayed for would come true.

Well, the receipt I was given had a 4-digit number on it - 0314.  I do not gamble and play 4-D and stuff. However, I was thinking that maybe I should try playing the number the following week when I returned to Singapore. For all you know, I might have beginner’s luck.

However, when I returned back to Singapore, I had to throw myself in my work and soon forgot about my plan to buy 4-D. When I checked the results the following weekend, I realised that the number, 0314, had struck 3^rd prize. To put things into perspective, if I had bought $20 small and $20 big for the 4-D draw, I would have won $25, 000! This would have come in handy to either my wedding fund or my down payment for my new house! So, Erawan Shrine? Powerful? I don’t know. The verdict is still out.

I have done a review of this on Reviewstream.com and got paid their bulk rate of $0.83. For more information on Reviewstream.com, just click on the hyperlink.