Chapter 5
administration in Ang Thong in cooperation with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT launched the tourism campaign called “Paying Homage to Nine temples in Ang Thong”. This campaign aimed to motivate Thai tourists to travel to Ang Thong, which had not been popular or famous in the perception of Thai tourists in the past. However, the province has strength in cultural resources by having more than two-hundred interesting temples. Thus, nine temples of two- hundred temples are chosen for promotion to tourists as destinations for religious tourism. The nine temples chosen were Wat Chaiyo Worawihan, Wat Khun Inthapramoon, Wat Pamok Worawihan, Wat Tonson, Wat Mahanam, Wat Thasutthawat, Wat Siroi, Wat Khian and Wat Muang.
The reason for choosing these nine temples is because the nine temples have their own significances in cultural heritages for religious tourism. Wat Chaiyo Worawihan, Wat Muang and Wat Tonson are famous because of their large sitting Buddha images especially the Buddha image of Wat Muang, Phra Buddha Maha Nawamin Sakkayamunee Sriwiseschaicharn, is the largest sitting Buddha image in Thailand. Wat Pamok Worawihan and Wat Khun Inthapramoon are famous for their large reclining Buddha images. Wat Thasutthawat and Wat Khian are famous for their beautiful mural paintings. Last but not least, Wat Mahanam and Wat Siroi are temples which are associated with Thai history and local heroes. Considering the historic background of these nine temples, an evolution process of cultural transformation of the sites has occurred. They have developed from being simple local temples serving local communities to being developed into places of Buddhists’ pilgrimage for meeting the needs of domestic tourists who travel for religious purpose.
In fact, the nine temples’ first stage of development emerged from the connection between religion, monarchy and communities. In the early stage, the temples were well patronised by the monarchy and communities as we can see from two of nine temples having been developed as royal monasteries. The rest were supported by their communities. The two royal temples; Wat Chaiyo Worawihan and Wat Pamok Worawihan have been well-known by Thai Buddhist since the past. However, the others were common temples, designed to serve a number of religious and practical purposes in the surrounding communities without any kind of special reputation on such things that would make them famous among outsiders.
Religious Tourism is a push factor for changing a common temple to be a place for pilgrimage. To promote religious tourism in the nine temples, the temples have been needed to change from common temples into places of Buddhists’ pilgrimage by extending the temple’s area to be larger and constructing many sacred buildings and religious monuments for tourists to worship. These modern buildings are caused the problem of local art and culture destruction.
Moreover, constructing many sacred buildings and religious monuments of each temple is aimed to attract the tourists’ interest by creating different experiences that are different from common things found in the normal temples every day. In this case, what makes popularity to nine temples in Ang Thong might emanate from the province’s reputation as the land of many huge Buddha images. Furthermore, as the trend of constructing hugh religious status in the temple has begun to expand rapidly, many temples in other provinces at present also follow this trend by constructing many hugh statuses. However, constructing hugh objects and religious buildings inside temple compound is associated with ecclesiastical honorific title award to the abbot of temple also.
A cause of changing in cultural significance of nine temples in Ang Thong is ecclesiastical honorific title award or Samanasak. Samanasak represents the status of an individual monk in the Sangha hierarchy. The monks who have Samanasak titles can receive privileges of connecting with secular persons, authority, social status and wealth, which is a higher status than other monks who do not have any honorific titles. The process of giving the honorific titles has been continually developed and involved in the Sangha administration over a long period. In actual fact, Samanasak was established for representing the relationship between religion and monarchy in response to the king’s concern for the healthy condition of Buddhism.
Normally, the criteria adopted for selecting recipients for honorific titles in the past depended on monk’s competence in ecclesiastical education, knowledge of Dhamma and Buddhist scriptures, and good behavior. Moreover, the king had a direct authority to appoint monks to high offices in the Sangha hierarchy and confer Sammanasak. In the reign of King Rama V, the administrative structure of the Sangha was changed because of the need for administrative modernisation in the late Nineteenth Century, as national integration and the unification of the Sangha itself. Promulgation of the Sangha Act occurred in 1902. The Sangha Act in 1902 also saw the emergence of the Mahatherasamakom or Council of Elders. This was the highest authority in the Sangha hierarchy, acting as an administrative body and an ecclesiastical
tribunal. The Mahatherasamakom also acted as an advisory committee to the King in ecclesiastical affairs and administration. However, all decisions from Mahatherasamakom had to be approved by the King. In 1932, the evolution was a cause of the end of absolute monarchy and replaced by the institution of constitutional government.
The Sangha administration was changed in conjunction with the democratic reformation of the Sangha Act in 1941. This act was aimed at separating the power of the Mahatherasamakom for the sake of balance in power by having the Sangha Sapha and the Kana Sangha Montri for issuing ecclesiastical regulations and exercising judicial power. However, this democratic administration body was not long lasting. In 1962, the new Sangha Act was created by canceling two administrative bodies as mentioned above and creating a single administrative body of Mahatherasamakom. Thus, Mahatherasamakom is mainly responsible for the administration of the whole Sangha and also issue the regulations and orders, and acts as adviser to the Supreme Patriarch. For this reason, the current Sangha Act, enacted in 1962 with the revised 2nd edition in 1992, in clause 37 determines that the abbot of each temple has the main duty in caring for and maintain each the temple, and organising the activities and possessions of the temples. So, the abbot has his own right in making his decision to develop any buildings inside his temple compound. As a result changes can and have occurred rapidly at many temples when the abbots have seen opportunities to make changes that they believe to be in the best interest of their status, attractiveness or because of personal preference. Furthermore, the abbot’s development project inside temple compound has become one more criteria adopted for selecting recipients for honorific titles as well.
The qualifications of individuals and the selection of monk for the Samanasak is attached to the perceived ability of monks to succeed in promoting development inside their temple compounds. This development process is focused on working portfolios in the construction of material things such as a new ordination hall or new preaching halls. This is the underlying reason for changes which in many instances have resulted in profound changes in the cultural heritage significance of the temples, and especially in cultural heritage values of the nine temples in Ang Thong.
Each of the abbots of the nine temples have the honorific titles. The physical manifestations of their higher status and power is reflected in the temples in the recent and rapid
development of new constructions and other material things. Wat Tonson is a compelling example of this. Wat Tonson used to be a small common temple for its surrounding community and it did not have any special reputation beyond its community that would make it famous to outsiders as a temple for Buddhist pilgrimage. But, when the former abbot of Wat Ton Son started to develop Wat Tonson in 1945, he expanded the temple’s area to be larger than in the past and he started to construct Somdet Phra Si Mueangthong, a large metal and gilded Buddha image as his development project. As a result of this renowned construction portfolio, he was later promoted to be chao kana changwat (Sangha provincial governor) and given a Samanasak as Phra Rachasuwanmolee in 1971. Thus it can be seen that such an action can turn a common temple of a small community into a large temple for Buddhist pilgrimage.
After the Nine Temples of Ang Thong promotional campaign in 2010, the growth of domestic tourism in visiting these nine temples in Ang Thong has increased rapidly. It has already reached mass tourism proportions. Furthermore, it has brought the modernisation and urbanisation to the temples and communities around the temples and communities around the temples. These modernisation and urbanisation has introduced a significant source of problems to temples and local communities. Generating local incomes to the local people and infrastructure development to the locals has positive economic impacts but it also introduces certain adverse impacts on the temples and the temple communities. Moreover, some of the nine temples are involved with local heroes in Thai history, local handicrafts and local folkdances, which are advantages to promote these local cultures to the tourists. Therefore, promoting the local culture of the host population in which local culture can be packaged to the tourists while travelling in the province can have other positive social impact on the local communities.
Promoting religious tourism into these temples can be also provided negative impacts. Inequality of income generation and seasonal character of jobs are two potentially negative economic impacts. More profoundly, commercial Buddhism introduces potentially negative social impacts that can cause many following problems especially devaluation of cultural heritage. The cultural heritage sites and natural resources within the temples precincts have all been damaged in order to attract tourists - by turning sequestering the temple sites and agricultural lands for tourist facilitaties such as tourist parking, areas for new commercial activities and modernization of culturally significant buildings to attract the tourists’ interest.
When the tourism campaign which is the collaboration between the provincial administration and Tourism Authority of Thailand are combined with the responsibility of abbot in maintaining the temple which is identified in the Sangha Act, these two factors motivated the abbots of these nine temples develop their temples to be more interesting sites for Thai Buddhists while travelling to Ang Thong. This development projects are seemed like “selling points” in marketing strategy for attracting pilgrims to visit the temples for making merits. The selling points in this case are shown in the form of constructing a large Buddha image at Somdet Phra Si Mueangthong at Wat Tonson, Phra Buddha Maha Nawamin Sakkayamunee Sriwiseschaicharn at Wat Muang and the biggest Phra Sangkachai at Wat Mahanam. The superfially successful result in promoting these selling points to the tourists can bring wealth and richness to abbots, monks and monasteries. However, as it has been observed, it can also bring negative social problems. A number of disturbing incidents have been reported, - such as monks partying and drinking in monasteries, monk watching pornographic videos and having sexual harassment with young women and men. These activities are all antithetical to Buddhist teach. In addition, local abbots and local communities often fail to recognize the outstanding cultural historic values of local Buddhist art and architecture. As a result there have been tragic losses of important artistic treasures including deleting the old mural painting inside the ordination hall at Wat Si Roi, and adding new shelter and constructing a new ordination hall which are blocked the view of ancient monuments at Wat Mahanam. These activities are caused of devaluation of ancient monument.
Even so, four temples of these nine temples have been protected from the legal instrument. This legal instrument is in the form of the Act on Ancient Monuments, Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museum. This act is enacted by the Thai Fine Arts Department.
However, this act is not enacted efficiently and strictly by the Fine Arts Department. So, some temples do not follow the regulations which are identified in the Act. That is caused of the devaluation of ancient monument also. The example of this case can be seen from Wat Pamok Worawihan that the abbot has ordered to add and modify the ancient buildings on the temple compound.
In this regard, considering policies that could assist in safeguarding the cultural heritage significance of nine sacred temples and their communities to manage the tourism sustainably have to be involved five key stakeholders which are Abbots, monks, and host
community, government sector, tourist, media, and voluntary sector. In this case, Abbots, monks and host community are considered as custodians with the main responding for conserving the cultural heritage significances. The abbots and monks must have the awareness on the importance of cultural heritages which they occupy because this awareness will create a sense of belonging that helps safeguard the cultural heritage. When they want to repair the ancient buildings which are registered as national monument or are not registered, the abbots and monks should consult the Department of Fine Arts and work closely with expert architects to protect the local cultural heritages. Furthermore, abbots and monks should focus in teaching the Dharma to the local people and tourists as good members of the society more than emphasizing them in donating their money for constructing and maintaining the buildings inside the temple compound. In addition, the abbots and monks should also support educational, economic, and socio-cultural spheres in the communities for social good for managing the tourism sustainably.
The public sectors especially Mahatherasamakom and the Department of Fine Arts should collaborate preserve the heritage buildings inside the temple compound especially the temples that have registered as national historic monuments. This collaboration must be in the form of an announcement from Mahatherasamakom to the abbots of each temples about the rules on ancient monuments. The rules must identify that before ancient structures or their parts will be repaired modified, altered, demolished, added to, destroyed, removed or excavated for anything or any building within the temple compound will be constructed, the abbot of the temple or the monk who is in charge must report and present a report of construction plan to the Fine Art Department for monitoring. This announcement is the most important tool for preserving the cultural heritage. In addition, Mahatherasamakom (Council of Elders) must foresee the values of significances of cultural heritages in the temples and legislate a new policy in the Sangha Act that the abbot has duty to care for the values of significances of cultural heritages in the temple that he occupies. Furthermore, the Department of Fine Arts should develop the land-use planning policy as a a tool for achieving more sustainable tourism management in religious tourism. This land-use planning in monasteries is aimed to carry capacity of the temple compound and the temple development in terms of land-use conflicts between constructing a new building and conserving an old building. Normally, the land-use planning is in form of zoning or the allocation of specific areas for particular land uses.
The role of tourists in safeguarding the cultural heritage significances of these important places is secondary but also vitally important. Tourists should play their role as students of history and culture, educators and promotors of authenticity. The idea of educating tourists means the tourists should be wiser in making merit. Thai Buddhists should change their attitude of merit-making behavior. Ten ways of make merit in Buddhism as they are called
“Punna-Kiriya-Vatthu Ten” should be educated to the tourists. For the duty of educating Thai Buddhists, this message must be sent from the abbots and monks to educate Thai Buddhists to create sustainability in religious tourism.
Roles of the media in safeguarding the cultural heritage significances are in educating tourist, shaping tourist behavior and raising awareness of issue relating to saving the cultural heritage significances of places and sustainable tourism at those places. One good example in this case which is related with the role of media is “Watbundanjai project”, this project is raised through the social medias and its objectives are to draw upon knowledge of temple development in designing temple landscape in urbanism, giving importance to historic temples to the country, and the influence of the revival of temples in the city. The activities of this project stimulate the tourists to spend their holidays on giving benefits to the temple development such as cleaning the temple compound, planting more trees in the temple and improving the temple landscape.
Last, there is a role of voluntary sector in safeguarding the cultural heritage significances. It is to increase interest in the subject of cultural heritage conservation and awareness raising or education the abbots, monks and host communities in cultural heritage conservation. In this case, the voluntary sector includes professional bodies such as the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage, voluntary trusts such as a group of architectural conservation in Ang Thong, industry pressure groups such as UNESCO, and public pressure groups such as architectural heritage concern groups in the other province.
Ultimately, authenticity of cultural heritage significances becomes an issue of more critical concern for the public nowadays. This can be seen from the case of Wat Kalayanamitre Woramahaviharn that the abbot of Wat Kalayanamitre Woramahaviharn had revonated and destructed many historic buildings inside the temple compound. This becomes a hot issue for the public. It can be a good sign that the public now foresee the values of cultural heritage
significances. If these five key stakeholders would follow their roles intimately, the authenticity of cultural heritage significances can be well protected.
The fact that impacts of tourism are multi-faceted contributes to them being difficult to plan for and manage. There are a number of different organizations, groups and individuals that have an important role to play in tourism planning and management in safeguarding the cultural heritage significances. These key players, in the form of abbots, monks, host community members, tourists, government representatives, and to a lesser extent the media and voluntary organizations, are involved in the day to day problems of religious tourism. In most democratic countries, at least, these individuals, groups, and organizations are in a position to play an active part in tourism planning and management. Last but not least, a major reason for this desire for collaboration has been the wish to achieve more sustainable forms of tourism.