Erawan Shrine is a shrine which contains a statue of Phra Phrom, which is a Thai depiction of the Hindu god Brahma. It is located in the Pathum Wan district of Bangkok, Thailand near the location of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel on Ratchadamri Road. There is also a skywalk at a higher level on Bangkoks Sky train, accessible via the Chit Lom Station from where tourists can obtain a great view overlooking the shrine.
The Erawan Shrine also called Thao Maha Brahma was first constructed in 1956 to wade off evil forces that were presumed to inhabit around the hotel during its construction creating many delays, construction worker deaths and significant other problems for the developers. It was believed that this stroke of bad karma was as a result of commencing construction on a wrong date. Thai folklore has a belief that every piece of land is inhabited by a god. Thus, a ceremony must be held at an auspicious time which would please the deity before any construction work commences. Advised by astrologers, the hotels management and owners set about creating a shrine to the god Brahma to bring about a change in the dire situation. The project was an initiative of the Department of Fine Arts and was built by them. Subsequently all bad luck and grievous occurrences stopped happening at the site, and construction continued without any further delays. One of the reasons it is a very popular shrine among locals who come and pay homage to obtain similar favors, is the fact that construction of the shrine was very effective in solving the existing problems. Thus on any given day locals and foreigners alike, flock to the shrine in the hope for spiritual guidance for successful endeavors in their walks of life. However a mentally disturbed man destroyed the original statue with a hammer smashing it into pieces in 2006 and subsequently the man was beaten to death by onlookers. Since then the statue has been rebuilt incorporating pieces from the original statue.
Travelers looking for accommodation in a
Bangkok hotel should stay at the Grand Millennium Bangkok. This
Sukhumvit hotel, located close to city hotspots offers its guests a luxury stay with a plethora of modern amenities to choose from.
