It’s Romani Park, a nice little park where people chill and read, because outside parks there are only cars, motos, dust, Sun, too much Sun (even though I love Sun).

In Thailand, there is a tradition for young men to temporarily become monks, for example, for one or two months. It seems these are their monastic quarters, situated near the Luang Pho Klalfin temple.

Below is the Opium Box Buddha. Here is the story (the descriptions are those from the Temple of Opium Box Buddha):

Opium: A Trigger for War in the Colonial Era

During the era of Western colonial expansion, coinciding with the early Rattanakosin period in Thailand, opium became the trigger for major wars between Britain and China. This conflict arose because Britain faced a severe trade imbalance with China: they imported vast quantities of tea and other goods, while China bought almost nothing from them in return. To counter this imbalance, Britain began dumping opium produced in its colony, British India, to China, marketing it as medicine. The result was a scourge of addiction that penetrated every level of Chinese society, creating an insatiable demand for British opium. When the Chinese authorities moved to suppress the trade by confiscating and destroying opium, it ignited two Opium Wars between 1839 – 1860 (during the reigns of King Rama III and King Rama IV of Thailand). In both wars, China was defeated. Britain, with its military supremacy, blockaded the port of Guangzhou, advanced to Beijing, and ultimately razed the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan). China was forced to sign unequal treaties: legalizing the opium trade, granting extraterritorial rights, ceding Hong Kong as a British colony, and opening key ports as “concessions” to Western powers—effectively stripping China of sovereignty in those areas.

In Thailand, Britain pressed for the right to trade opium as early as the reign of King Rama III, but was resolutely refused. They responded with threats to blockade the Gulf of Thailand with warships. Upon ascending the throne, King Rama IV, discerning that Siam could not prevail by force, negotiated a compromise: Britain would be permitted to sell opium, but only to the government, thereby enabling state control over its domestic distribution. Furthermore, only Chinese immigrants were allowed to trade and consume opium, while Thai citizens were strictly prohibited from any involvement with opium.

The Royal Wisdom in Creating the Opium Box Buddha

During the major opium suppression under King Rama III in 1839, not only was a vast quantity of opium confiscated and destroyed, but a great number of metal opium boxes were also seized. His Majesty remarked about these containers: “Do not discard, for they will bring affliction to those who behold.” He then commanded that the boxes be melted down and cast into a Buddha image at the royal foundry within the Grand Palace. The completed image measured one wa, one sok, and one khuep (2.75 meters) across the lap, and was called “Luang Pho Klak Fin” (Opium Box Buddha). The remaining metal was used to repair another Buddha image, known as “Luang Pho Luea” (Residual Metal Buddha).

This transformation of opium boxes into a Buddha image was a brilliant act of royal wisdom: converting a harmful vice into a sacred symbol of virtue. It conveyed a profound moral teaching, inspiring people to abandon opium and other detrimental habits and to seek reform in their lives towards goodness, following Buddha’s expression in the Tama Sutta, “tamo jotiparāyano” – one in darkness who is headed for light. Thus, even those once ensnared in unwholesome ways may transform themselves and embark upon the wholesome path of action.

The Opium Box Buddha, cast in 1839 during the reign of King Rama III, remained within the royal foundry until 1854, during the reign of King Rama IV, who ordered its relocation to Wat Suthat Thepwararam to be enshrined as the principal Buddha in the sermon hall, which was newly completed in that year. The King also bestowed upon it the name “Phra Phuttha Setthamuni,” meaning “The Most Noble One”. Luang Pho Luea was granted the name “Phra Phuttha Rangsī Muttharaphai,” meaning “Buddha in the gesture of imparting fearlessness,” symbolizing the bestowal of safety and protection upon all devotees.

Pay attention to the mouse

The engravings on the temple doors – I really love the combination of gold and black; by the way, black and silver are also very beautiful. People were praying in the temple, so it felt uncomfortable to take photos, but those drawings are so stunning. Soon I’m going to the national museum; there, I’ll definitely take plenty of photos of incredible beauties.

Apparently, these are statues of revered monks. As a sign of respect, people affix small squares of gold leaf to them. Judging by their appearance, it is most often applied to the mouth area.

Just 10 meters away, there is another temple, which is guarded by these friendly-looking guards. How adorable they are! Their bodies look so relaxed, cartoonish. They are holding some kind of rifles, but they are smiling. Who on earth came up with something like this?

The guards at the next temple are also amazing. Or perhaps they are not guards, but greeters. They look like fantastic creatures with bushy tails.

Around the perimeter of the temple, there is an uncountable number of Buddhas. Some of them are golden, others are black because they have not yet been covered with gold. I saw one master craftsman at work, but I felt too shy to take a photo. I need to stop being shy and try to talk to people (maybe in the next life).

Actually, it seems to me like a crematorium, because between the Buddhas there are what look like doors that open, presumably for urns, and they have names written and photographs pasted on them. Probably a crematorium for revered monks.

The temple itself, Wat Suthat Thepwararam, is a large hall with a huge golden Buddha in the center, and all the walls are painted with scenes from his adventures. I would love to study it all in detail. From where I was sitting, I could see elephants walking on a crab by the riverbank and a horse swimming near ships. The stories depicted are evidently quite unconventional.