Nakhon Nayok: Entering 'The Garden of The Gods'
Nida Tunsuttiwong
Located just one hour’s drive from Bangkok, Nakhon Nayok is best known for its attractions relating to nature and adventure, although it also hosts a number of important sites of significant religious and cultural interest, such as the temple of Wat Luang Por Pak Daeng and the Ganesha Park, which are both located en route to the province’s famous Sarika waterfalls.
But today we’re going to pay a visit to Putthasatan Jee Tek Lim, an elegant Chinese-style shrine, which benefits from a particularly peaceful setting within paddy fields in an impressive, rural locale. It’s the most important Chinese cultural attraction in the province, while being the only place where visitors can pay homage to so many gods and deities relating to Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism.
Perfectly Positioned
Based on a 255-rai (40.8-hectare) plot of land, the shrine’s design complies with the concepts relating to the Chinese art of Feng Shui. On your drive up to the entrance to the site, you will be greeted along the lengthy stretch of road by literally hundreds of statues of Guan Yin, along with other significant Chinese deities.
Jee Tek Lim is probably best known for its Cai Shen statue (known as Chai Sing Eai in Thai [see photo, right]), which is a Chinese ‘God of Prosperity’ that is highly revered in many Asian nations, including China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Tibet.
High Hopes
While most statues depicting Cai Shen feature a black tiger with a golden rod, the version found at Jee Tek Lim features a god holding a mongoose and a precious crystal. When paying homage to the statues, most visitors will hold open their purses near the mongoose’s mouth in the belief that the animal will provide them with wealth and good fortune.
In front of the main building is a large hexagonal stone platform, adorned with a centrally located Yin and Yang symbol. Most visitors stand on the symbol and pray, facing each of the four cardinal directions (north, south, west and east). Nature also plays a part since the white stones on the symbol remain cooler than the black ones as they reflect the sun’s rays.
On the building’s second floor, you’ll find many more Chinese deities, including images of Guan Yin and the Chinese-style ‘Happy Buddha’.
The hall on the third floor hosts a large Chinese-style Buddha image known as Bhaisjyaguru. Known as a 'medicine Buddha' (or 'master of healing'), this image is surrounded by 10,000 smaller Buddha images. Superstitious visitors who feel they may face the prospect of an inauspicious 2011 pay homage to the principal Buddha and pray for an upturn in fortune (for further details, please see the box at the foot of this page).
Cleansing Process
Visitors begin paying homage by lighting a pair of candles and joss sticks and praying, before rubbing their bodies from head to toe with pieces of paper containing lines of mystic Chinese text and symbols. The belief is based upon the idea that this paper can ‘sweep away’ any bad luck. On completion, the paper is burned in a large furnace located at ground level.
Another building includes 10 other important deities, among which you'll find examples of the 'Tiger God', the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (the 'Bodhisattva of Hell'), Wengchang Dijung (the 'God of Literature and Education') and Zheng He ('Admiral Zheng'), a legendary Hui-Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral who traveled throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East during the early part of the 15th century. In the Thai language, this character is known as Sam Po Kong or San Bao Kong. On the second floor of the building is another interesting statue of Guan Yin, which was carefully crafted from sandalwood.
For further information, contact Tel: +66 (0)2 457 2805, or visit Jee Tek Lim's official website at http://www.jeeteklim.com.
Signs of The Times
Twelve animal signs (boar, dog, dragon, horse, ox, monkey, rabbit, rat, rooster, sheep, snake and tiger) relate to the individual years that occur during a 12-year cycle, according to Chinese beliefs. As well as allowing people to celebrate the years relating to their sign, the symbols are also used in Chinese fortune telling. Various characteristics are thought to apply to each particular year, according to the nature of their specific natal (Chinese zodiac) animal.
For example, people born in a Year of the Rabbit are said to be gentle, sensitive and merciful. It's thought that people born in these years get along with several other signs, such as sheep and boars, while they are generally incompatible with dragons, horses, oxen, rats and roosters.
If you're living during the year of a sign which is thought to be incompatible with your own, many Chinese people believe that they may encounter some form of bad luck, so they may decide to try and make more merit by visiting the temple or a shrine in search of an improvement in fortune.
Transport Connections:
Car: From Bangkok, take Highway 305 (Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok) to Nakhon Nayok province. Once you reach the Sam Sao intersection, drive straight ahead and take Route 3076 (Nakhon Nayok-Ban Sang) for a distance of about 20 kilometers. Before you reach the downtown area of Ban Sang district, you will arrive to an intersection. Take a right turn here and drive for another 2 km before turning right again. You'll soon arrive to Jee Tek Lim, which you’ll spot on the right-hand side of the road.
Credit: TAN Network (www.tannetwork.tv)
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