Visiting Religious Places
| A number of special sections in the Thai law concern religious places. These cover not only Buddhism, the major religion of Thailand, but also the faiths represented in the Kingdom. Here are few basic tips to use when entering a religious place |
Ginger Camden |
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*Dress neatly. Don't go shirtless, in
shorts, hot pants or other unsuitable attire. *It is all right to wear shoes while walking around the compound of a Buddhist temple, but not inside the chapel where the principal Buddha image is Kept. |
*Buddhist priests are forbidden to touch or be touched by women or to accept anything from their hands. If a woman has to give anything to a monk, she hands it to a man, who then presents it. If a woman who wants to present it with her hand, the monk spreads out a piece of saffron robe or handkerchief in front of him, and the woman lays down the material on the robe. *All Buddha images, large or small, ruined or not, are regarded as sacred objects Hence, don't climb upon one to take a photograph or do anything that might show lack of respect. *In a Muslim mosque, men should wear hats and woman should be well covered with slacks or a long skirt, a long-sleeves blouse buttoned to the neck, and a scarf over the hair. Shoes should be removed before entering a mosque. |
