|
The Kuan Yu Shrine is dedicated to the ancient
Chinese god of war, a legacy of the early Chinese
immigrants who settled in the village of Bangkok
during the Ayutthaya era.
Located on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya,
the shrine is just behind the Princess Mother
Memorial Park, near the twin Memorial and Phra Pok
Klao Bridges. From a comparison with old pictures,
it's apparent that the old shrine has been
completely renovated.
The present Kuan Yu Shrine is in an octagonal
pavilion under a pagoda roof with a praetorian
guard of dragons, the symbol of the emperor,
strength and wisdom. Dragons glide down the roof,
coil round the pillars within the shrine and the
ornamental lamppost outside.
Kuan Yu, an ancient Chinese general in the 2nd
and 3rd centuries, played a pivotal role in the
civil wars among the warring kingdoms of China.
The best-known general in Chinese history, he is
immortalized in the Chinese classic Romance of the
Three Kingdoms, an epic tale spanning 113 years
and 120 chapters!
Set in a tumultuous period in Chinese history
(168 - 280 AD), the tale covers the disintegration
of the empire, the rise and fall of dynasties,
constant wars before final reunification.
Renowned for his courage, integrity, loyalty
and righteousness, Kuan Yu was elevated to a deity
after his death and the Kuan Yu Shrine became an
institution in Chinese culture.
Owing to his military prowess, he is popularly
known in the West as the God of War or the Warrior
God. With his flowing black beard, the red-faced
Kuan Yu, brandishing a deadly kuan tao, is a
fearsome figure.
The kuan tao, a broad sword at the end of a
long shaft, is similar to the medieval halberd,
which has an axe and a pike instead.
However the Chinese worship him for his other
virtues. For his loyalty, integrity and sense of
justice for the common man, he is the God of
Righteousness. For his financial acumen, merchants
and traders worship him as the God of Commerce and
Wealth.
For the ethnic Chinese in Bangkok, Kuan Yu has
been their protector as they went about their
daily lives for generations. As one of the five
Tiger Generals in the Three Kingdoms, he is known
in Thai as Jao Pho Seua, or the Tiger Guardian
Spirit.
The little courtyard leading to the Kuan Yu
Shrine has a traditional Thai spirit house near
the entrance and a little Chinese pagoda at the
far end. A group of old men sit around a table at
the side chatting in their native Teo Chiew, a
southern Chinese dialect.
In this harmonious blend of culture, the
warrior god in the Kuan Yu Shrine stands sentinel
on the Chao Phraya River, the guardian spirit of
the common man.
The Kuan Yu Shrine is one of the numerous
Bangkok Shrines in the city.
About the Author
The Kuan Yu Shrine first appeared in
Tour
Bangkok Legacies, a historical travel site on
people, places and events that shaped the
landscape of Bangkok. The author Eric Lim, a
free-lance writer, lives in Bangkok, Thailand. |
