The cremation of the abbot of a famous Wat here in Chiang Mai took place last week. He has been dead about 2 years, the more honoured one is the longer it takes to arrange the funeral. The event is amazing and the organisation unbelieveable. It goes on for about a week at the wat and thousands of people arrive and many dignitaries including the Royal Princess. Hundreds of flowers are freshly planted. The police direct traffic in all the streets around, huge tents are erected, food is chopped, peeled and cooked in enormous amounts and varieties and handed out free at dozens of stands all around the temple grounds. Huge Woks are placed on at least six to ten burners, cooks toil away in the hot sun offering food with big smiles, there's every variety of Thai food, drinks, ice cream, coconut desserts. Buddist nuns fill huge pots with fresh prepared ingredients, gas bottles are hauled in, restaurants donate food and it all goes on day and night for a week. A traditional orchestra plays music and monks chants fill the air. Everyone is smiling and good humoured and it is a festive occasion. People are dressed either in all white or black. Most Thais give donations and offer flowers, incense and new robes to monks to make merit on the auspicious occasion and they bow and prostrate before a picture and effigy of the dead abbot whose remains are suspended in a magnificent creation that has taken days to build. I am told that the name of this mythical creature is a Hatsodiling and it is a combination of a Naga, a bird and an elephant. It is constructed only for important abbots in the north of Thailand when they are going on their journey via the Himabat forest to their destination at Myru Mountain which is known as the centre of the universe. What a sendoff. It seemed such a shame to have this wonderful creature go up in flames. All the drapes on the sides were plaited and woven with real flowers, it's trunk could go up and down, it's wings could flap and it's elephant ears moved back and forth.
Just before the conflagration fireworks lit up the sky and fire travelled along the ropes towards the casket/urn high up on the creature. The abbot's previous robe suspended high in the air caught fire and the public eagerly ran to catch any small pieces that fell to the ground to keep as honoured relics. Thousands watched the fire that was kept controlled by fire men who had hoses of water trained on all sides. It was so close to the Chedi and Wat as well as to all the people but somehow it was managed and took hours to smolder down. Still the chanting went on. The next day everything had been cleared away and the area looked as clean and peaceful as ever. What a way to go.
If anyone is interested below is a link to a full photo album of the pictures.
