P.70 HOW TO PRAY AT ERAWAN SHRINE IN BANGKOK, THAILAND

Guide to Praying to the Four-Faced Buddha at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Talk to the four-faced Buddha with your heart.

How to Pray at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand

When things are not working out and it’s time to enlist the gods’ help in navigating the elements and a complex world, praying at Erawan Shrine can help realign your universe.

Praying at the Erawan Shrine is a specific and culturally significant experience. This Hindu Shrine, located in the heart of Bangkok, is a place of devotion, spirituality, and wishes.

Here’s How to Pray at Erawan

1. Buy your flowers, joss sticks, and candles.

There is a counter on the right side of the Shrine and lots outside. These offerings symbolize purity and devotion.

2. Approach with respect.

Start from the first and front face of the four faces of Buddha, which faces the entrance of the Shrine. Approach the Shrine, bow three times, and clasp your hands together in a prayer position. Close your eyes and offer your prayers or wishes silently or verbally. Each face of the four faces of Buddha signifies a different meaning, such as

1. Front face: Career
2. Left face: Romance
3. Back face: Money
4. Right face: Health

Pray sincerity in a clockwise direction

1. Put 1 candle, 1 bunch of flowers, and 3 joss sticks at each of the four faces of Buddha. Light the incense sticks and place them in the designated holders. The fragrant smoke is believed to carry your prayers to the heavens.
2. Make a wish.
3. Donations can be made at the Shrine to support its maintenance and charitable activities.
4. Ring the Bells: Some visitors ring the bells around the Shrine to announce their presence and make their prayers known to the deities.
5. Finish your visit by washing your face, hands, and legs in the golden urn just beside it.

Exit Respectfully: When leaving, bow three times again as a gesture of thanks and respect.

Praying at the Erawan Shrine is a beautiful way to immerse yourself in Thai culture, seek blessings, or simply find a moment of inner peace amidst the bustling city life.

When Your Prayers Come True

If your prayers are answered and come true, you should come back to Erawan Shrine to repay the four-faced Buddha. You can buy coconuts, wooden elephants, etc., at the same counter and place them on the table in front of the Four-Face Buddha.

For bigger requests, you should pay the dancers in the Shrine to dance for you while you pray your thanks. There is a price list indicating the price for how many dancers you would like to hire.

For Thais, life’s victories aren’t solely attributed to blessings from the gods. Irrespective of how much influence the supernatural has over life’s circumstances, these prayers are a way of showing gratitude to the gods for the good things that happen.

How do I get to Erawan Shrine?

Location

Address: 494 Ratchadamri Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Getting there: Take the BTS Sky Train to Chit Lom station and exit from Exit 8. Walk to the shrine, about 100 meters away.

Opening Hours: 6 am to 10 pm daily

Cost: Admission to the shrine is free