Spirit Houses in Thailand

Spirit houses are found in many countries in Asia. Some spirit houses are meant for the appeasement of spirits who dwell in the land and others are for the veneration of Phra Brahma, the Lord Creator in the Hindu religion. Sometimes a spirit house becomes a shrine when worshippers believe that their prayers were answered after making an offering at a particular spirit house.

The image of the four-faced Brahma dwells in this open-sided spirit house. Each of Brahma's faces is symbolic of kindness, mercy, sympathy and fairness. Offerings of flowers, fruits, rice, bottled water and red Fanta fill the dais of the altar. Why red Fanta? The answer could be, according to some sources, the color red is the symbol of blood and red Fanta replaces sacrificial blood. It is also sweet and the spirits like it.

Glittering glass and mirror mosaics adorn this spirit house with Brahma surrounded by figurines of people and animals.

This wooden spirit house resembles a Thai house and stands behind a glittering spirit house. It is not unusual to find two spirit houses together. This spirit house is dedicated to land spirits who roam the land and are represented here by the figurines of an old man and woman.

Here is an example of two spirit houses standing side by side. The lower house is for the land spirits shown here with the figurine of an old man and woman inside the house, the more elaborate and elevated one is for Brahma and/or other Hindu deities.

This spirit house resembles a hall or pavilion found in the temples of Wat Pho or Wat Arun. It is exquisitely detailed. Businesses often have spirit houses installed in an auspicious location on office property to ensure prosperity.

Here is a spirit house at a private home. I saw this while cruising along the khlong on our way to the floating market in Damnoen Saduak.

This gilded spirit house is at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Detail of the airport's spirit house shows images of the Buddha above the figures of the guards.

There are rituals to follow to install a spirit house on one's property as there are rituals to remove them.

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Images by TravelswithCharie

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