Sahn Chao Pho Doi Thong (ศาลเจ้าพ่อดอยทอง)

Thai. Name of a Thai-Chinese shrine located on a hill overlooking the city of Chiang Rai. The shrine, originally located elsewhere and dedicated to another deity introduced from China, is today dedicated to the protective deities Chao Pho Chao Mae (เจ้าพ่อเจ้าแม่), literally ‘Godfather-Godmother’. Whereas the main shrine is on the mountain's slope, at the pinnacle it shares a platform with the Buddhist temple, Wat Phrathat Doi Chom Thong (fig.). Here, are also statues of Kuan Yin (fig.), the Chinese goddess of mercy; Mi Le Fo (fig.), the Chinese god of happiness and wealth, who is also referred to as ‘Happy Buddha’ or ‘Laughing Buddha’;  the Hindu god Ganesha (fig.); as well as statues of the Thai child deity Ai Khai (fig.), also known as Tah Khai, a young boy believed to protect the property of the land and a disciple of the highly venerated monk Luang Poo Thuad (fig.). Akin to Kumaanthong (fig.), the ‘Golden Prince’, Ai Khai is typically offered bottles of red Fanta, as since its bright red colour is associated with blood, which signifies sacrifice, whereas in China the colour red is in addition also a symbol for good fortune. Around the roof of the red metal edifice that protects Mi Le Fo is a lattice of red swastika, a Sanskrit word that means ‘well-being’ and which is symbolized as a hooked cross (卐 or 卍). As a religious symbol it occurs in both Buddhism and Hinduism, and even more frequently in Jainism, where it represents the Tirthankara Suparsva (सुपार्श्व), the seventh jina. In Buddhism, it is interpreted as a symbol of the dhammachakka, the Wheel of Law (fig.), and stands for universal harmony and the balance of opposites. In Buddhism, especially in Mahayana Buddhism, it often appears on the chest or soles, and sometimes in the palm of the hand of certain Buddha images, especially those from China or in Chinese style. In Hinduism, when in clockwise direction, the swastika represents the cosmic dance around a fixed centre, i.e. the evolution of the universe and as such guards against evil, but in counterclockwise direction, it represents the involution thereof and is thus considered evil. It is also seen as a symbol of the four points of the compass and of the sun, thus signifying stability and representing the sun god Surya (fig.), in Thai known as Suriya. The swastika is considered auspicious by all Hindus and is therefore often found as a decorative symbol or as a mark to convey good luck. The word swastika first appeared in the epic of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In Chinese, it is known by the name wan (卐 or 卍), which means ‘all’ or ‘eternality’. WATCH VIDEO. 回