AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



THE CITY PILLAR SHRINE





The Lak Mueang, or City Pillar, is situated on the city island in the Historical Park, opposite Wat Ket and the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace. It stands north of San Phra Kan, a shrine dedicated to one of the city's tutelary spirits, the black lord of holy victory (Phra Kan Chai Sri). [1]


The Lak Mueang shrine here is a post-Ayutthaya-era construction built in connection with the Rattanakosin Celebration of 1982 CE. The city pillar is believed to be the abode of the Phra Lak Mueang, one of the guardian spirits of the city. However, it also served political ends, housing the spirits of the city deities. The ruling class initially used these wooden structures for political purposes, and over time, their roles have evolved in line with changes in society. [2]





(The City Pillar shrine - Picture taken March 2012 CE)



Following Oliver Raendchen, the Thai term "Lak Mueang" is inadequately translated as "city pillar" it is only one sort of Lak, the other being the Lak Baan (Lak belonging to the village). He summarises the authors who wrote about the Lak Mueang. Barend Terwiel stated that a Lak Mueang was erected in the name of the highest political authority, and the religious practices connected with the guardian spirit of the Lak were reminiscent of attitudes towards a seat of political power. (1)

Others wrote that the cult of Phi Mueang (2) remains primarily agricultural in orientation (Davis) and has a unifying character, serving as a strong symbol of civic administration (Udom) or even as the defender of the laws, ensuring a just judicial process (Naichanth). All these descriptions encompass several aspects of social and political life. From the statements above, Raendchen deduced that the Lak is a social institution of special importance, with its own ritual and fulfilling an important socio-political function. The Lak is thus a central cultural element in Tai societies. [3]




(City pillar top-end at top floor - Picture taken March 2012 CE)



The earliest documented erection (3) of a Lak Mueang dates from the reign of King Rama I. The king had a pillar erected in Bangkok in 1782, just 15 days after his coronation, before anything else was built. Kerdphol states that there is no reliable evidence of the practice before the Rattanakosin period. Records from the Ayutthaya period make no mention of a city pillar or Phra Lak Mueang. They refer only to Phra Sua Mueang, Phra Song Mueang and Phra Kan as the guardian deities of the former capital (4). The lack of evidence from earlier periods, however, does not mean that King Rama I's city pillar was the first of its kind. It is only in the Rattanakosin period that the name Phra Lak Mueang began to appear alongside other city guardian spirits in royal ceremony incantations. (Kerdphol)


In the epic poem of the Ayutthaya era "Khun Chang Khun Phaen", we find, though, an indication of the existence of a city pillar in Ayutthaya: "Also the guardian spirits of the royal umbrella who sustain the religion, the powerful guardian spirits of the city, the city pillar of mighty Ayutthaya, come to receive the offerings of food." [4]





(City pillar at ground floor - Picture taken March 2012 CE)



At the foundation of a city, rituals were conducted to strengthen the place’s atthap, the city’s aura (5). These rituals may have included human and animal sacrifices. Most cities had shrines where rituals were regularly held to sustain the atthap. These shrines often housed an obelisk known as the city pillar, or a tutelary deity. These spirits provided the city’s protection. (Baker, 2012)


As symbols of Bangkok's power and demarcations of the Siamese empire, city pillars were erected in several strategic towns - such as Songkhla (which oversaw vassal states in the Malay peninsula) during the reign of King Rama I Nakhon Khuen Khan (present-day Phra Pradaeng) and Samut Prakan during the reign of King Rama II and Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi and Battambang (in Cambodia) during the reign of King Rama III.


During the reign of Rama IV, the symbolism of the city pillar changed. Rama IV created the image of Phra Sayam Thevathirat and designated it as the kingdom's supreme deity. Phra Lak Mueang and the other guardian deities of the city lost some of their importance. The practice of building city pillars ceased as royal power was exercised through a Western-style system of government and civil service.


In 1944 CE, Prime Minister Pibun Songkhram had a city pillar built in Phetchabun province, which he intended to develop into the country's new capital. The relocation plan was aborted by parliament, but the city pillar idea was launched, partly as a result of the government's nationalist policy. However, such projects were now initiated by local officials rather than the central government. In 1992, the Ministry of Interior ordered the Provincial Governors to ensure that every provincial town had its city pillar. City pillars thus became a strong symbol of the Thai state. (Kerdphol)





(HM King Rama IX inaugurated the Lak Mueang of Ayutthaya on 9 August 1987 CE)



Sometimes old stories tell of pregnant women who were thrown under posts, believing that after death they would protect the whole city against misfortune (see also the story of the city pillar at Wat Si Mueang in Vientiane, Laos). This story is derived from the Dutch VOC merchant Jeremias Van Vliet, stationed in Ayutthaya, who wrote the following in his "Description of the Kingdom of Siam 1638" regarding the posts of the city gates:


"By the usurped authority of the kings and by the continuous praise of the people, the pride of the former kings had reached such a height that it looks as if the king was not there for the good of his community, but that the whole country and the people were for his pleasure alone. The kings counted their subjects so little that if palaces, towers, or resting places had to be built for them, under each post which was put into the ground a pregnant woman was thrown, and the more near this woman was to her time, the better. For this reason there was often great misery in Judia during the time that palaces or towers had to be built or repaired. For as all houses in Siam are built at a certain height above the ground and stand on wooden posts, many women have endured this suffering. Although this description seems to be fabulous, these executions have really taken place. The people, who are very superstitious, believe that these women, after dying, turn into terrible monsters or devils, who defend not only the post below which they are thrown but the whole house against misfortune. The King usually ordered a few slaves to catch without regard all the women who were in a pregnant state. But out of the houses no women were taken in the streets unless nobody could be found. These women were brought to the queen who treated them as if they were of high birth. After they had been there a few days, they were (excuse these rude words) thrown into the pit with the stomach turned upwards. After this the post was put on the stomach and driven right through it." [5]


Ayutthaya's city pillar shrine, as in many Thai cities, is situated inside a highly decorated mandapa on an elevated terrace. The square structure is open to the four cardinal directions, leaving the city pillar visible from all sides. The city pillar shrine is Shaivic and animistic, yet it appropriates Buddhist architectural forms. Every day, across the country, many worshippers visit these shrines, hoping that Phra Lak Mueang will offer them protection or help fulfil their desires.


The first ceremony to establish the city pillar shrine in Ayutthaya took place on 23 September 1982 CE at the auspicious time of 0859 Hr. Two years later, on 9 August 1984, at the auspicious time of 1700 Hr, the King of Thailand inaugurated the city pillar. On 31 October of the same year, the Crown Prince of Thailand presided over the shrine's final opening ceremony.





(HM King Rama X, the former Crown Prince, presided over the final opening ceremony of the shrine on 31 October 1984 CE - observe the ruins of Wat Ket in the background before restoration.)



Footnotes:


(1) This statement we can find back in the epic poem Khun Chang Khun Phaen, in which the king articulates his claim to authority, he points to the fact of hierarchy and the role of protective spirits: "I’m the pillar of the land. Though someone may have powers, he cannot compete with me. It’s known throughout the city that the guardian deities protect the royal lineage. How can those who are mere servants of the royal dust crave the world?” (Baker, 2012)

(2) Phi stands for ghost or spirit.

(3) The pillar has a phallic character, which may derive from Shaivism, where the lingam is associated with the depiction of Shiva (cosmic pillar - cosmological centre of the universe, as in the Khmer). On the other hand, in the animistic view, the phallus is worshipped for its sensual and fertility longings. The phallic pillar could also represent the shoot of a rice plant and may have originated from an early fertility cult.

(4) Next to these three most important spirits are Jao Jetkup and Jao Ho Klong (the spirit of the drum tower). Another tutelary spirit of the city was Jao Ho Khrueang, the spirit of the storehouse for valuables such as the royal jewels. (Baker, 2012)(5) Atthap, from the Atharveda, the fourth Veda, originally an Indian text that served as a manual of mantras. In Thai usage, atthap came to denote the spiritual force of a place, especially in relation to defence.


References:


[1] Baker, Chris & Phongpaichit, Pasuk (2012). The Tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen: Siam’s Great Folk Epic of Love and War.

[2] Kerdphol, Pornpun. The Changes in the Belief in Chiang Mai Pillars During the Rattanakosin Period, from 1782 to 1992. Thammasat University.

[3] Raendchen, Oliver (1998). The Thai lak: ritual and socio-political function. SEACOM Berlin.

[4] Baker, Chris & Phongpaichit, Pasuk (2012). The Tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen: Siam’s Great Folk Epic of Love and War.

[5] Baker, Chris Pombejra, Dhiravat na Van Der Kraan Alfons & Wyatt, David K. (2005). Van Vliet's Siam. Silkworm Books. p. 114.



Selected PICTURES



Pictures Taken March 2012 CE



When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.
(Alexis de Tocqueville)





HISTORY OF AYUTTHAYA



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