Etymology[edit] She is known by various names throughout Southeast Asia. In Khmer, she is known by her title Neang Kongheng (នាងគង្ហីង, lit. "lady princess"),[2] or as Preah Thorani' (ព្រះធរណី).[3] In Burmese, she is known as Wathondare (ဝသုန္ဓရေ) or Wathondara(ဝသုန္ဓရာ) (from Pali: vasundharā) and variously transliterated as Wathundari, Wathundaye, Vasundari, etc.[2] In Thai and other Tai languages, she is known as Thorani (from Pali: dhāraṇī, lit. 'ground, earth"')[4] in various appellations, including Nang Thorani (นางธรณี), Mae Thorani (แม่ธรณี), and Phra Mae Thorani (พระแม่ธรณี).[2] Iconography and symbology[edit] Painting in a Laotian wat. Buddha during the battle with Mara pointing towards the earth, summoning Phra Mae Thorani to come to his assistance. Wat Phnom mural: Phra Mae Thorani placing herself between the demons and Gautama Buddha. Images of Phra Mae Thorani are common in shrines and Buddhist temples of Burma, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. According to Buddhist myths, Phra Mae Thorani is personified as a young woman wringing the cool waters of...
Iconography[edit] Nang Kwak is represented as a beautiful woman wearing a red dress (not always, but more often than other colors) fashioned in the Thai style. She also wears a golden crown on her head and is in the sitting or kneeling position. Her right hand is raised in the Thai way of beckoning a customer, with the palm of the hand curved and pointing downwards. Her left hand is resting on her side or holds a bag full of gold near her lap. The present iconographic figure of Nang Kwak is an incarnation of Mae Po Sop (แม่โพสพ), the Siamese rice goddess.[1][2]However, unlike Mae Po Sop, Nang Kwak does not wear the harvested rice sheaf on her right shoulder. The iconography of Nang Kwak is...
Phraya Kruith (Garuda) The most important creatures of the Himmapan forest is probably the Garuda. Garuda is the king of birds, half-man and half-bird, the vehicle of Vishnu, a Hindu God. Descriptions of Garuda vary from legend to legend. He�fs usually represented as having the head, beak, wings, and talons of an eagle. With the torso like that of human. His face appears white, his wings red, and shiny golden body. Some texts, however, give different descriptions. Sometimes, he is described as having eight limbs, with six being human limbs, two are legs with strong eagle like claws. Another text says Garuda has either four or two limbs. ? When he�fs shown with two limbs, he will be holding a Naga in...
Birth of Luang Phor Pae: Luang Phor Pae was born on the first of January in 1905. At the age of 8 months, Luang Phor Pae’s mother died. He was then adopted by his uncle. At age 11, he studied a specialized language (Pali) to help interpret Buddhist’s text. He studied Pali under Pra Ajan Som. When Luang Phor Pae turned 14, his uncle secured a spot for him at Chanosongkram temple in the heart of Bangkok. While he was there, Pae dedicated himself to Buddhist studies. When LP Pae was 22, he officially became a monk. Later that year he became a teacher at Chanosongkram. Later, in 1931, the abbot of Wat Pikul retired from his position and requested...
Life History of Luang Pu Thuad On 24th April 1963 AD (1st day of Chinese 4th Moon), the abbot of Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram, Penang, the Venerable Phra Kru Prasit Chaiya Mongol (Phor Than Daeng) invited the learned monks from Bangkok to Penang to officiate the opening ceremony of the holy image of LP Thuad. At about 6 pm, Luang Phor Thuad suddenly revealed his presence in the body of a monk, presumely while the monk was in meditation. Impressed, many devotees asked for guidance and advice. Out of curiosity, one devotee inquired about his life history, Luang Poo Thuad kindly revealed the following details: Birth of Luang Pu Thuad : He was born in Singora, Thailand. His ancestors had migrated...
