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Queen Mother of the West Altar in the Right Wing of the Bang Khun Thian Temple (โรงเจมหาโพธิสัตว์กวนอิม) (菩薩壇) Anderl, Christoph; Johansen, Kira; Thomson, Oliver; Sirothphiphat, Saly
Description
Bang Khun Thian (โรงเจมหาโพธิสัตว์กวนอิม) (菩薩壇) is a three-winged Guanyin (觀音) temple in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple houses both Buddhist and Daoist deities, even though the main altar is dedicated to Guanyin. The following images show the perspective of the Queen Mother of the West (瑶[瑤]池金母) altar on the right wing of the Bang Khun Thian temple from the inside of the main altar room. Image 01 shows an overview of the entrance to the right wing relative to the right side of the room. Image 02 shows an overview of the altar room. In front of the main altar table there is a smaller altar table, with an embroidered cloth wrapped around it depicting mirrored dragons and lotus flowers. Below this table is a prayer mat. On the right side are painted depictions of ships (Image 03), and on the left side, scenes of mountains, blossoming trees, and flying cranes (Image 04). On either side there are electric lanterns and cloth lanterns that read, 姥姆元君, 天后聖母, and 金母娘娘 on the smaller inscriptions and 南無阿弥陀佛 "devotion to Amitābha Buddha" on the banners on the inside of these lanterns. 姥姆元君 may be a reference either to Queen Mother of the West or "Mother of the Big Dipper": 斗姥元君, although it is likely a reference to Queen Mother of the West, based on other inscriptions in the room. Image 05 shows a close-up of the altar box, and Image 06 and Image 07 shows a close-up of the items atop the front altar table. This includes two lights, and two vases featuring phoenixes with bamboo inside, a large golden censer with a red bow, and Chinese golden flower (金花) offerings placed inside. Image 08 shows a close-up of the censer in the middle, and the character on the Golden Flowers reads, 旺, meaning "prosperity." Image 09 and Image 10 show a close-ups of the right most altar box. The inscription on top reads, 梨山老母, "Lishan Laomu" and 天后聖母, "Queen Mother of the West." Lishan Laomu is a Daoist Goddess of Mount Li. Here, she is on the right sitting atop a lotus flower and she is carrying a fly whisk (拂塵). Queen Mother of the West is often associated with Daoism, although mention of her in historical records predates Daoism. The right reads, 香焚金爐長煥彩, and on the left reads, 燭明寶殿永呈祥. The white plaques below this read in Thai, เขี่ยงโฮ้วเซีย้บ้อ on the top plaque and ฮั้วซัเทส่าบ้อ on the bottom. These likely are just transliterations of the deities' names into Thai (Image 11). Image 12 shows a close-up of the Golden Boy (金童) on the right, and Image 13 shows a close-up of the Jade Girl (玉女) on the left. They are often depicted together, as a pair. Image 14 and Image 15 show right perspectives of the main altar box, dedicated to the Queen Mother of the West. The figure outside the box on the right is holding an inscription which reads, 金玉滿堂, which means "Gold and jade shall fill the hall." Image 16 and Image 17 show head-on perspectives of the main altar box and figure. The characters are in simplified Chinese. The top inscription reads, 瑶[瑤]池金母. The right inscription starts with, 瑶池善, although the rest of the characters are covered up by the figures placed in front. The left bottom characters are also covered on the bottom, but the inscription begins with, 金母商. The Thai plaque in front of the middle deity reads, เอี่ยวตี้กิมบ้อ, identifying the name of the deity. Image 18 shows the left altar box. The inscription on the top reads, 池母元君, referring to the Queen Mother of the West. Although commonly called "西王母," she can also be called "金母元君" or "瑤池金母." which is likely where this inscription comes from. The inscription on the right reads,香滿玉堂臻百福. The inscription on the left reads, 燭光金殿千祥. Image 19 shows a close-up of the altar figure, the Queen Mother of the West or Houtu (后土神), holding a Ru Yi (如意), or scepter. The plaque in Thai below the figure reads, ตี่บ่อเนีย้. There are two smaller figures at the base of the larger figure, which may be the Golden Boy and Jade Girl (金童玉女) but one has been knocked over. Metadata created and compiled by: Kira Johansen.
Item Metadata
| Title |
Queen Mother of the West Altar in the Right Wing of the Bang Khun Thian Temple (โรงเจมหาโพธิสัตว์กวนอิม) (菩薩壇)
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| Creator | |
| Contributor | |
| Date Issued |
2023-11-27
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| Description |
Bang Khun Thian (โรงเจมหาโพธิสัตว์กวนอิม) (菩薩壇) is a three-winged Guanyin (觀音) temple in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple houses both Buddhist and Daoist deities, even though the main altar is dedicated to Guanyin. The following images show the perspective of the Queen Mother of the West (瑶[瑤]池金母) altar on the right wing of the Bang Khun Thian temple from the inside of the main altar room. Image 01 shows an overview of the entrance to the right wing relative to the right side of the room. Image 02 shows an overview of the altar room. In front of the main altar table there is a smaller altar table, with an embroidered cloth wrapped around it depicting mirrored dragons and lotus flowers. Below this table is a prayer mat. On the right side are painted depictions of ships (Image 03), and on the left side, scenes of mountains, blossoming trees, and flying cranes (Image 04). On either side there are electric lanterns and cloth lanterns that read, 姥姆元君, 天后聖母, and 金母娘娘 on the smaller inscriptions and 南無阿弥陀佛 "devotion to Amitābha Buddha" on the banners on the inside of these lanterns. 姥姆元君 may be a reference either to Queen Mother of the West or "Mother of the Big Dipper": 斗姥元君, although it is likely a reference to Queen Mother of the West, based on other inscriptions in the room. Image 05 shows a close-up of the altar box, and Image 06 and Image 07 shows a close-up of the items atop the front altar table. This includes two lights, and two vases featuring phoenixes with bamboo inside, a large golden censer with a red bow, and Chinese golden flower (金花) offerings placed inside. Image 08 shows a close-up of the censer in the middle, and the character on the Golden Flowers reads, 旺, meaning "prosperity." Image 09 and Image 10 show a close-ups of the right most altar box. The inscription on top reads, 梨山老母, "Lishan Laomu" and 天后聖母, "Queen Mother of the West." Lishan Laomu is a Daoist Goddess of Mount Li. Here, she is on the right sitting atop a lotus flower and she is carrying a fly whisk (拂塵). Queen Mother of the West is often associated with Daoism, although mention of her in historical records predates Daoism. The right reads, 香焚金爐長煥彩, and on the left reads, 燭明寶殿永呈祥. The white plaques below this read in Thai, เขี่ยงโฮ้วเซีย้บ้อ on the top plaque and ฮั้วซัเทส่าบ้อ on the bottom. These likely are just transliterations of the deities' names into Thai (Image 11). Image 12 shows a close-up of the Golden Boy (金童) on the right, and Image 13 shows a close-up of the Jade Girl (玉女) on the left. They are often depicted together, as a pair. Image 14 and Image 15 show right perspectives of the main altar box, dedicated to the Queen Mother of the West. The figure outside the box on the right is holding an inscription which reads, 金玉滿堂, which means "Gold and jade shall fill the hall." Image 16 and Image 17 show head-on perspectives of the main altar box and figure. The characters are in simplified Chinese. The top inscription reads, 瑶[瑤]池金母. The right inscription starts with, 瑶池善, although the rest of the characters are covered up by the figures placed in front. The left bottom characters are also covered on the bottom, but the inscription begins with, 金母商. The Thai plaque in front of the middle deity reads, เอี่ยวตี้กิมบ้อ, identifying the name of the deity. Image 18 shows the left altar box. The inscription on the top reads, 池母元君, referring to the Queen Mother of the West. Although commonly called "西王母," she can also be called "金母元君" or "瑤池金母." which is likely where this inscription comes from. The inscription on the right reads,香滿玉堂臻百福. The inscription on the left reads, 燭光金殿千祥. Image 19 shows a close-up of the altar figure, the Queen Mother of the West or Houtu (后土神), holding a Ru Yi (如意), or scepter. The plaque in Thai below the figure reads, ตี่บ่อเนีย้. There are two smaller figures at the base of the larger figure, which may be the Golden Boy and Jade Girl (金童玉女) but one has been knocked over. Metadata created and compiled by: Kira Johansen.
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| Subject | |
| Geographic Location | |
| Type | |
| Language |
chi; tha
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| Notes |
Author Affiliations: Ghent University, Florida State University, Edinburgh University, Harvard University
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| Series | |
| Date Available |
2024-05-15
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| Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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| Rights |
Attribution 4.0 International
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| DOI |
10.14288/1.0443349
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| URI | |
| Affiliation | |
| Peer Review Status |
Unreviewed
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| Scholarly Level |
Faculty; Graduate; Undergraduate
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| Rights URI | |
| Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International