Behind Buddhist Bars : Chiang Rai 2023 |
This is the first #analogue photo I took of the window at the Wat Phra Kaew : Behind these bars once stood the Emerald Buddha I had heard about the legend that lightning had struck the temple which revealed the Emerald Buddha.
Intrigued, I wanted to learn more, and like many tangents that pop up whilst doing creative work turns out to be an epic backstory predating the 1434 lightning revealing. The Chronicle of the Emerald Buddha, is lovely little rabbit hole of mythical origins
Starting in Burma : King Anuruth sent a mission to Ceylon to ask for Buddhist scriptures and the Emerald Buddha, in order to support Buddhism in his country. These requests were granted, but the ship lost its way in a storm during the return voyage and somehow landed in #Cambodia.
The king of Angkor didn’t want to give it back so the king of Pangan, pulls up, shanks some people, the king caves and hands over the scriptures. But in his haste to leave he forgets to take the Emerald Buddha with him.
The king of #Angkor at the time had a son who had a pet fly and a buddy who had one day when they were hanging out letting their pets chill too.. the pet spider ate the fly. Furious, the king had the boy drowned. This sparked a supernatural chain reaction: a great naga unleashed a catastrophic storm and flood, killing the king and many in Angkor. Fearing for the Emerald Buddha’s safety, a monk took the image and headed north.
Cut to #ChiangRai : lightning reveals the Emerald Buddha, word get’s to Chiang Mai, they want it! So send for it be brought over by an elephant. The first elephant bolts down the road towards Lampang, then they switch elephants, thinking maybe the first one’s got some beef with #ChiangMai, But then the second one pulls the same trick, off to Lampang it goes. From there it finally made its way to Chiang Mai : 1468 to 1553 then off to Laos for 225 years and finally from 1779 it found its home in Bangkok.
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