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If you come from
Europe or America, you may not be familiar with
the lotus, an aquatic plant with large white or
pink flowers commonly found in shallow water in
tropical and temperate Asian countries.
The lotus plays a very important role in many
aspects of the everyday life of the Thai people
and is held sacred because of its close association
with Buddhism and Brahmanism. |
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| The lotus is
called bua in Thai. But the Thai word has
a broader meaning: it is used as the common name
for three main varieties of water-lilies: First,
bua luang or pathum (Nelumbo nucifera),
which is the equivalent of the lotus and the chief
concern of this article; secondly, bua sai
or ubon (Nymphaea lotus), another kind
of water-lily whose leaves float on the water
surface and whose stem is edible; and thirdly,
bua kradong (Victoria sp.), whose round
leaves, also floating on water but turning upwards
at the edge, are as large as a dining table and
whose flowers have a stronger fragrance than the
other two varieties. |
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The lotus occupies a very special
place in Thai life because Thailand is a Buddhist
country and the lotus is the traditional flower
of Buddhism. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha
was able to walk on his birth, and that when
he took his first seven steps in this mortal
world, lotus blooms opened up from underneath
to support the tender soles of his feet.
In murals in Buddhist temples and in other paintings
with a Buddhist theme, the Buddha is invariably
portrayed, from Birth to Nirvana, with one or
more lotus flowers beneath him, whether he is
sitting, standing, walking, or reclining. The
Buddha images, too, are usually placed on a
seat in the form of a lotus.
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Part of a mural painting on
the inside
wall of Phuttha Prathip Temple, London,
depicting the Lord Buddha
sitting on the lotus flower.
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| This tradition
has come from the spiritual symbolism the lotus
represents. In the minds of the Buddhists, the
flower stands for purity of spirit. Rooting in
mud, the plant is able to rise up above the dirty
water and yield a flower of such perfect beauty
and purity. |
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The Lord Buddha himself often
used the lotus as a simile in preaching. He
compared the striving humans to the lotus to
inspire them to make greater efforts to attain
Nirvana. As a well-known Buddhist dictum has
it: "He who is low-born may develop and
improve himself like the lotus growing out of
the mire. The followers of the Buddha shine
above others through their wisdom like the lotus."
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The lotus
is also associated with Brahmanism, which has
been influential in Thai history. Many Brahmanic
goddesses familiar to the Thais are depicted
in paintings with lotus blooms in their hands.
In the Ramakian, the Thai version of
the epic in ancient India, the Ramayana,
the lotus is the main feature in a description
of the Erawan, the celestial elephant that carries
the Brahmanical god Indra.
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Above
& this picture:
Bua-hua-sao is a decorative component of
Thai architecture using the form of
the lotus petals to decorate the pillar capitals
of
Buddhist temples and palaces. |
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According
to this account, the Erawan has as many as 79,233
lotus flowers blooming on its 33 elegant heads
and in each of the 7 petals of each flowers reside
7 goddesses, each attended by 7 heavenly maidens!
The Thai people, therefore, always use lotus blooms,
along with joss-sticks and candles in paying homage
to Buddha images and those of Brahmanical gods,
such as the four-faced god at the Ratchaprasong
Intersection in Bangkok. |
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| On
account of its strong links with religions and
its use as a symbol of feminine beauty, the lotus
has enriched the literature and other art forms
of Thailand since ancient times. Thai poets have
used the suggestive form of a lotus bud to describe
metaphorically a part of the female body and a
lotus petal of a girl's ear. The most celebrated
poet Sunthonphu once wrote of his journey to the
former capital Ayutthaya, describing how his boat
twisted across the flooded fields under the gentle
moonlight amid water-lilies in full bloom. |
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Chedis and stupas of Mahathat
Temple,
Sukhothai province, were decorated in the
"Phum Khao Bin" style which is
shaped like a lotus bud.
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word bua and its synonyms ubon and
pathum are often used to name girls, places
and Buddhist temples because of their propitious
connotations. Places so named include two provinces
-- Ubon Ratchathani (Capital of the Lotus) in
the northeast and Pathum Thani (The Lotus City)
near Bangkok and nine counties (amphoe), such
as Pathum Wan of Bangkok and Lat Bua Luang of
Ayutthaya. |
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| Apart
from its flowers which are used as offerings,
the lotus plant is useful in several other ways.
The petals, stamens and roots of certain varieties
have medicinal values. They are major ingredients
of various recipes prescribed by traditional herbalists.
Almost every part of the lotus is edible. Its
dried seeds boiled in syrup, sometimes with crushed
ice added, is a popular sweet. Its root, cut into
thin slices and boiled with pork ribs, is a delicious
soup. The crisp young leaf and the long fleshy
stem of the bua sai are also made into
different tasty dishes. Even the large leaf, which
is too tough to eat is sometimes used to wrap
rice which, when steamed, has the subtle aroma
of the leaf. |
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Last but not least, the lotus
is valued for its beauty. Its unblemished petals,
its fine shape, its slender stem, all add to
the charm of the natural surroundings. Since
the plant is so common in Thailand, it is one
of the refreshing sights that you should not
pass unnoticed while travelling in this country.
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