narok (นรก)

Thai term referring to ‘hell’, a place comparable with Christian purgatory. The place is divided in eight pits known as sanjihwa, kalasut(ra), sangkaht, rohruwon, maharohruwon, tapon, patahpon and awejih. The abyss or deepest pit where those with the most severe sins receive punishment is awejih. Hell is presided over by Yama (in Thai called Phra Yom), the Vedic god of death, who is also known as Yommaraat, the ‘king of the realm of death’. He is assisted by his envoy Yommathoot, the angel of death who has it as his task to lead the souls of the dead to judgment before Yama and his scribes Suwan and Suwaan. He is usually depicted with horns and holding a trident or some other weapon. Temples often have gardens displaying horrifying images, displaying beings called Yommabaan dealing out cruel punishments to the wicked in the underworld. One punishment for the wicked in the underworld is that they are forced to climb up the thorny trunk of a ton ngiw (fig.), naked. The images of these punishments are used by monks and novices for contemplation and meditation. The lower cave at the foot of the Marble Mountains (fig.) in Da Nang, central Vietnam, displays themes from judgment, heaven and hell. Its entrance is protected by two giants, one who is bearded and holds a large scimitar, the other beardless and holding a harp. One then has to cross the Bridge of No Return, a white marble bridge with small pillars that are topped with the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, that crosses the Lake of the Doomed, whose arms and hands surface from its depth in a bid to try reaching for help. By crossing the bridge one leaves watthasongsaan, i.e. the cycle of life, and enters into the realm of death, which in Thai Buddhism is known as Phutthaphum. However, the bridge is guarded by demons (fig.), who either allow or forbid passage. The souls of the kind and benevolent dead are allowed to pass and are guided across by Bai Wu Chang (fig.), a servant of Diyu, whereas the souls of the evil and wicked people will be cast into the water below, known as the Lake of the Doomed (fig.). In Chinese mythology, the bridge is referred to as the Bridge of Troubled Water (fig.). After this, one arrives at a long and narrow tunnel with on the one side a sculpture of Suwan and on the other side of Suwaan, i.e. the two scribes who record the good and bad deeds of mankind (fig.). The tunnel ends in the Hall of Justice, in which is a small waterfall and a staircase, lined by statues of Kwan Yin, leads to Heaven, yet deeper in the hall, passed a marble statue of Qi Ye (fig.), is a large scale in front of Yama, which is used to measure ones deeds and a befitting judgment (fig.). Opposite of the dragon throne of Yama are statues of the Ten Judicious Kings of Hell (fig.), who pass down judgment on the soul with regards to punishment and its future chaht or reincarnation. Once condemned, those who are sent to hell have to descend into the underworld, pass Gui Men Guan, deep inside the belly of the cave, where fearsome animals dwell and Yommabaan deal out punishments to the wicked (fig.). In the deepest pit of hell, as well as in the back of the large hall, one comes across Ti Tsang, the Chinese bodhisattva of hell beings, who in Vietnamese is known as Dia Tang (fig.). The name narok derives from the Sanskrit word naraka. In Pali, the hell is known as niraya, and in Chinese mythology as Diyu (fig.). In Thai also called Yommalohk and badahn. See also Nemiraja, Phra Malai (fig.), and kratha thong daeng. 回