City Pillars

[GWR]

http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/bangkok/lakmuang11.jpg

Another thread also deals with the current restoration of the 'Lak Muang': -

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?p=12051#post12051

Other pictures of the Lak Muang: -

http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/bangkok/lakmuangindex.htm

History of City Pillar

King Rama I, the founding monarch of the Chakri Dynasty, commanded the installation of the City Pillar to be held on April 21, 1782, which was a Sunday, the 10th day of the waxing moon.

The City Pillar was placed at an auspicious location in the heart of Bangkok, then called "Krung Rattanakosin-intra-ayothaya".

The Pillar was made from a Chaiyaphruk tree and the horoscope of the city was placed in its hollow. The Pillar, lacquered and gilded, stands 274 centimetres above ground and sits 200 centimetres underground.

In 1852, King Rama IV commanded the old Pillar to be replaced with a new one. The King also tied the new city horoscope to his birth horoscope so that the country and people under royal protection would prosper forever.

In the reign of King Rama V, the monarch commanded a grand renovation of the city's landscape in which many new official places and roads were constructed. This displaced five important shrines housing the city's guardian spirits.

Statues of the spirits - Phra Sua Muang, Phra Song Muang, Phra Kanchaisri, Chao Chettakhup and Chao Hoklong - were relocated to the City Pillar Shrine.



http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/10/25/national/national_30017075.php

[Ahoerstemeier]

An even more detailed article on Lak Mueang can be found at Window to Chiang Mai (http://www.chiangmai1.com/news/city-pillars.shtml). Sadly the dissertation referred by that article is in Thai, so all for us non-Thai-speakers is that synopsis in that article.

I've already started to collect photos of the city pillars at Wikipedia (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:City_pillar_shrines), see also my article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lak_Mueang) there.

[GWR]

Ahoerstemeier's Wikipedia article says: - In 1992, the Interior Ministry issued an order that every province now should have such a shrine.

So I suppose there must be quite a few others out there. Th one below predates that order, though.

San Chaophor Lak Muang
(The house of Yala's Landmark Pole-believed to be Yala's guardian spirit)
It is situated in the middle of circle in front of Yala City Hall. This is place where Yala's landmark pole which is worshipped by the people. King Bhumipol Adulyadej ordered it to be built in 1961 and the construction was completed in 1962.
The surrounding area is a beautiful park full of trees for people to spend their leisure time.

http://south.sawadee.com/yala/images/muang03.jpg

http://south.sawadee.com/yala/attractions.htm

I believe there's some sort of City Pillar right in the middle of Hat-Yai's downtown bus station/stop, underneath the clocktower. And if I remember rightly it is a somewhat forlorn affair. Although I do seem to remember some votive offerings around it. I'll get some photos for you one day soon.

[Ahoerstemeier]

The fact that Yala's Lak Mueang was ordered to be built in 1961 doesn't contradict the order of 1992 that every province capital should have one. And at least the one in Surat Thani was built have that order - the site was at first the location of the province hall, and after that was destroyed by a terrorist bomb in 1982 it was a sports field. Also, the one from Nakhon Si Thammarat looks like it was built very recently.

However according to this rule Hat Yai shouldn't need a Lak Mueang, and Songkhla already has one rather old one in chinese style. But there are other non-capital towns which have one...