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Published on July 14, 2007

The northeastern province of Surin pays homage to its traditional beasts of burden in celebrating the Buddhist Lent this year, with 80 elephants coming to town to take part in parades and spiritual ceremonies on July 28 and 29.

The celebrations are being held two days before the start of the Buddhist Lent on July 30 to allow visitors to head to Ubon Ratchathani for the Candle Festival.

"Eighty elephants will be joining a total of six processions," says Surin Governor, Pornsak Panuthonraphan.

"Each elephant will be dressed up and decorated in traditional costumes of colourful silk."

The parades through downtown Surin kick off in the late afternoon of July 28.

The first will be led by Plai Thongbai, the Kingdom's charismatic bull elephant, who will carry the Lord Buddha's relic.

The second will be a procession of the Nowaratchborphid Buddha - the city's most respected Buddha image - and the third is the procession of respected, senior Buddhist monks.

"Elephants and Buddhism have been associated since the time of Lord Buddha," says senior monk Thammamolee, who will joins the religious event.

"In the Buddhist script of Three Pitakas, there is a story of elephant offering water to the Lord Buddha. So there is nothing coincidental in having the elephants contribute to the Buddhist Lent ceremony."

Surin is famous for training elephants both for work and for entertainment visitors at the annual "round-up".

But for the last couple of decades, many mahouts have been forced to take their large charges out of the province to earn money in large cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

These 80 elephants, according to the governor, are part of "Elephants Come Home" project.

The fourth procession on July 28 celebrates HM the King's 80 Birthday with the pachyderms specially decorated to honour the King.

The last two processions will see the elephants carrying respected visitors into town.

"This Buddhist Lent ceremony will reinforce the connection between Buddhism and elephants," says the Governor.

"We promise that the processions will be eye-catching. Hundreds of devotees dressed completely in white follow the procession of Buddha relics."

The ceremony wraps with the traditional offering of food to the monks on July 29 but even this will have a different slant as the monks will ride into town on elephant-back to receive food from devotees.

"It will be quite an experience," says Pornsak.

"It's rare to see monk travelling by elephant. We invite everyone to come to the provincial hall on July 30 to offer good to offer hundreds of monks."

Phoowadon Duangmee

The Nation

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If you go:

Surin is about 450 kilometres from Bangkok. Public buses depart from the Northern Terminal (www.transport.co.th) and there is a regular train service from Hua Lamphong (www.railway.co.th).

Culture buffs travelling by car should visit the Khmer ruins around Surin and the neighbouring province of Buri Rum. Recommended sites include Prasat Hin Ban Phluang, Prasat Ta Muan Tot and Prasat Ta Muan Thom.

For more information, call Tourism Authority of Thailand (Nakhon Ratchasima Office) at (044) 213 030, or (044) 213 666, or e-mail tatsima@tat.or.th.