One of the things that intrigued me on my recent trip was the presence of shrines to
Phra Phrom throughout
Hong Kong and
Macau. Visitors to
Thailand would be familiar with this deity, a
Thai representation of
Brahma, the creator god of
Hinduism. His presence in
Thailand is everywhere (most notably at the
Erawan Shrine, one of my favourite places in
Bangkok), and understandably given
Thailand's Hindu past and the continued presence of
Hindu spirituality there. But why are these shrines popping up in
Hong Kong and
Macau? Is there some
historical presence of this
Hindu deity in popular
Chinese religion that I have been unaware of? Have the shrines been constructed by expatriate Thai working in the enormous service sectors of those countries? Surely they don't have the political pull or social organisation to manage such a large-scale project? They are all too busy working. Have they been erected by wealthy
Thai-Chinese with business or family interests in Hong Kong?
I'd really love to know - it's a fascinating phenomenon. However they got there, the shrines seem to be well patronised by average Chinese people, though the lay-out is of a conventionally Thai fashion.
Here is a pic of one of these shrines outside Che Kung Temple in Hong Kong.
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