How to Make Merit in the Crystal Halls of Wat Chantharam

Wat Chantharam was only the first stop of a much bigger trip, see how it all fits together in our comprehensive 9-Day Northern Thailand Road Trip Itinerary.

“They’re going to take us to a temple,” one of them says with a mix despair and resignation.  “It’s probably on top of a really steep hill,” says another, not yet resigned to anything.  To be fair, these guys visit a lot of wats, and you can see how in the eyes of the under-eight set, a certain sameness can set in.  So, at least until these toddlers and pre-tweens learn to appreciate the finer points of Theravada Buddhist architecture, it can make sense to justify why we’re stopping at yet another temple.

Fortunately, Thailand’s wats have such range and character that it’s not hard to break through even the most jaded front the kids can put up and convince them to strap on their shoes.  Some wats are easier sells than others – almost nothing can compete with the morbid attraction of some of the gruesome temple murals depicting Buddhist hell, but the crystal-and-mirrored interiors of Wat Chantharam manages to fascinate without even a drop of gore.

Located on the Sakae Krang river ten minutes south of Uthai Thani town, Wat Chantharam (also known locally as Wat Tha Sung) houses the famous Wihan Kaew, or Crystal Mandapa: a 100-meter-long room of mirror-studded columns and crystal chandeliers.  As they recursively reflect off each other, the center and base of the columns vanish, and each seems to hang suspended from the ceiling.  It’s a dazzling effect that forces you to put the camera down and simply look.  Like so many of Thailand’s most extraordinary temples, though, the realization of Wat Tha Sung’s design is surprisingly modern.  The last crystals were laid in the late 1980s, just as Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” came out.  

Whether the Bard of Sayreville NJ ever intended it, his nod to prayer touches on why a visit to Wat Tha Sung is so compelling: it remains exceptionally active as a spiritual center.  The flow of devotees is constant, though never overwhelming.  We noticed also a more than usual number of the elderly, the chronically ill, and the wheelchair bound, all making merit (tham bun) through range of donative acts.  

This, we learned, is because the former abbot, Luang Phor Ruesi Lingdam, was widely believed to have the power to heal all manner of maladies.  His powers have reputedly not diminished since his death in 1992.  From a glass coffin where his body remains undecayed more than 30 years after his death, pilgrims say he still has the power to ease the suffering of pilgrims. 

Whatever their condition, the Thai visiting the wat were as usual unbelievably kind.  The family of an elderly woman in a wheelchair helped her pass handfuls of coins to the kids, who placed them in a series of bowls, making merit on her behalf.  Like with the mirrors passing light back and forth in the crystal sanctuary, there’s a recursiveness in this kind of generosity as well.  By creating an opportunity for Isobel, Henry, and Charlie to make merit by performing a good deed, these devotees are further rewarded by their generous encouragement of the kids’ virtuous actions. This specific practice—gaining merit by rejoicing in another’s good deed—is known as Pattānumodanā in Theravada Buddhism.  It’s quite a nice idea.

Not more than forty-five minutes later, we were on our way again.  If you find yourself on the drive between Bangkok and Sukhothai itching for a break but afraid the kids won’t leave the car, tell them that just off the main road, inside a palace of crystal so glittering that it makes a Swarovski store look like a Home Depot, lies the immortal body of a legendary monk with supernatural healing abilities.  If that doesn’t get them out of the car, you’ve got  bigger issues.  No need to worry, maybe this same legendary monk, famous for solving chronic problems, can have a go at those kids.

Join us on our next stop, where we leave behind crystal halls and instead Explore the Lost World of Hup Pa Tat.