Those concerned about dry-season water shortage in Thailand (and who isn’t?) may find some reassurance in these images. Leif Jonsson has captured two alternative visions of Mae Thorani who is famed for her hydrological abundance. The first picture is from a temple on Tha Phae Road in Chiang Mai (Leif cannot remember which one – can any New Mandala readers help?). The second is from a rural temple in Phayao Province. Looks like the good villagers of Phayao may be overdue for a visit from Culture Ministry watchdog , Ladda Tangsupachai, hopefully accompanied by some of her newly appointed spokeswomen.
[STOP PRESS UPDATE: Not Ladda but almost as good! Today's Bangkok Post online reports that "Ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his son Panthongtae flew to Chiang Rai on Thursday morning to make merit at a temple in Payao province." Well, at least New Mandala readers know why!]
4 responses so far ↓
1 Bangkok Pundit // Apr 3, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I am disgusted. Surely, the Thaksin connection is no coincidence and I imagine some evil plot concocted in Finland many years life times ago is behind it all. I demand the new deputy spokeswomen dress up in this particular design so we can be sufficiently
titillatedappalled.2 jonfernquest // Apr 3, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Human rules regarding exposure of anatomy during water play do not apply to goddesses.
3 Thai TV // Apr 5, 2008 at 2:05 pm
That’s real religious art worth worshipping!
4 jonfernquest // Apr 6, 2008 at 8:34 pm
If the fruit maidens and their wizard creators at Wat Suvannaram, Thonburi are any indication, Mae Thorani is just like any other normal well-adjusted goddess, nothing to worry about:
http://web.mac.com/dstadtner/Site_2/Fruit-maidens.html
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