Showing 1 - 8 of 8
What makes Bangkok a Learning City?
Life, Published on 09/09/2024
» The heavy downpour had just ceased and with umbrella in hand, 72-year-old Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, widely known as Khru Prateep ("Teacher Prateep"), led us single file through the damp narrow alleys of Klong Toey community, frequently pausing to reciprocate cordial greetings from community members. At one point, she called our attention to what seemed like a pile of rubble.
Legends save lives
Life, Published on 26/08/2024
» One sunny morning in late 2004, the Moken people of the Surin Islands in the Andaman Sea witnessed an alarming phenomenon -- the seawaters suddenly receded even as the placid weather remained unchanged. For Moken elders, this was a harbinger of the Laboon, the furious god of the waves who is said to wreak devastation once every two generations. The entire community evacuated to higher ground.
'Faith beautifies everything'
Life, Published on 26/03/2024
» 'If a serious error was made during the incision of characters, the entire page had to be discarded," explained Em-orn Chawsuan, specialist in ancient languages at the National Library of Thailand (NLT), as she and her colleagues neatly laid out on the table before them the 10 palm-leaf manuscripts that constitute an impressive sample of the extraordinary profusion of Buddhist literary documents that preserve and propagate the Phra That Phanom Chronicle in the intricate Isan dhamma script.
Black and white reminiscences
Life, Published on 05/02/2024
» Everybody in the room held their breath.
Thailand's forgotten palace
Life, Published on 06/11/2023
» From the vantage point of the 21st century, the tumultuous and transitional Thon Buri period (1767-82) in Thailand's history seems to be eclipsed by both the lost splendour of ancient Ayutthaya and the palpable grandeur of the ensuing Rattanakosin period.
Harnessing heritage
Life, Published on 09/10/2023
» Consecrated by rich history and exalted by the faith of its local community, Wat Prayurawongsawas (known colloquially as Wat Prayoon) inspires awe with the grandeur of its towering Phra Borommathat Maha Chedi (principal stupa), whose pleasing bell-shaped proportions find glorifying aesthetic resonance in the 18 subsidiary stupas that punctuate the encircling gallery.
Guardians of heritage
Life, Published on 21/08/2023
» Overlooking the Chao Phraya River as it follows its majestic course under the iconic Rama VIII Bridge, the portico balcony of Tamnak Yai -- the principal building of Devavesm Palace in Bangkok -- provides a view that is serene and spectacular.
Preserving heritage
Life, Published on 05/07/2023
» The heart of a community encapsulates its cherished history and aspirations. And in the dynamic community of Samchuk Market in Suphan Buri, that beating heart is surely Baan Khun Jamnong Jeenarak.