From: ssg9328@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Samart Srijumnong)
Subject: Re: How about a change of subject, i.e., a few questions about ..
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 10:43:26 GMT

pantages@bmerh463.bnr.ca (Paul Pantages) writes:

>....... stuffs deleted

>things and took many photos.  I have many questions about what I saw
>there- mostly about the Wats, Buddhism, and Buddhists.  If you can help
>me with any of the following, please email:  pantages@bnr.ca

>Q1- Wat Anayo, Phayao.  I saw an image of a man with the head of an
>    elephant.  I was told that this was called "Plaplom".  People treated
>    this image in the same manner as a Buddha image, e.g., 
>    lighting candles, incense and offering prayers. 

>    Question: what is the significance "Plaplom" and how does he/it/she
>              relate to Buddhism?

Such imaginative being is, in fact, Ganesa, not Phra"Phrom as you were told.
Ganesa, an elephant-headed god, is a son of Shiva. His other characteristics
are, besides having elephant head, potted belly, four hands each of which 
carries a shell, a discus, a club, and a water-lily. He has a rat as his 
carrier.

He had come to have elephant head as the result of a dispute he had with
Shiva. At one time, his mother, goddess Parvati went to bath and asked her
son, Ganesa, to guard the door. Ganesa took her word and guarded against 
everyone even Shiva. Ironically, the mother was upset by such inflexible
action of her son. Shiva, in an attempt to pacify her anger, replaced the
son's head with elephant one, the first that came to his hands (See more
details in Arthur Cotterell, A DICTIONARY OF WORLD MYTHOLOGY, Melbourn:
Oxford University Press, 1990, pp. 73-74)


>Q2- Wat Anayo, Phayao. I saw several images of the Buddha seated with five
>    serpents (snakes, nagas? ) rearing up from behind. 

>    Question: what do the serpents represent? 

He is a naga whose name is Muchalinda. He is a serpent-liked water god. There
is Buddhist legend describing the period in which the Lord Buddha was going
to be enlighted. There was a seven-day storm which threatened the achievement
of the Lord Buddha. Muchalinda, in an attempt to protect the Lord Buddha,
encircled himself in coil on which the Lord Buddha sat, and spreading his
broad hood of the seven heads (sometimes five) above him as an umbrella.
(ibid, pp.80-81)

>Q3- Wat Anayo, Phayao. A statue of a "Garuda". This one was holding a huge
>    vase over his head, in the typical Garuda style. Crawling around the vase 
>    were what appeared to be young garuda creatures. 

>    Question: What exactly is a Garuda, anyway, and were the little ones
>              really child-garuda? 

Garuda is a bird with human body. He is the carrier of a greater god. He 
himself lived in a level of heaven. As I mentioned earlier about the
Shiva Ling, the Sumeru, which was surrounded by seven "oceans". Only this
kind of bird, Garuda, that could fly from the human realm to that of the
god across these gigantic oceans. What you said to be a "huge vase" is,
I think, the top part of his crown. I can not picture what you explained
as young garuda. Could it be possible that such figures were added into
the garuda by the particular artist who created such form? 

A king (sorry to not remember his name) who had a beautiful wife by the name
Kaki, at one time, invited a friend who was a human form of Garuda to
play saka with him in his palace. Garuda had a chance to see Kaki and
fell in love. He later came to steal her and flew away to his heaven. 
The King had assigned one of his personnel by the name KhonThan to search
for her. KhonThan transformed himself into a tiny flea and attached himself
to the body of Garuda. When Garuda came out of the palace and returned to
his bird form, KhonThan then could fly along. He finally had chance to meet
Kaki. They both fell in love. However sad it may be, he had to hand her back
to the King. What a sad ending! :( :( :(

>Enough for now. I have many more questions, but will wait to see if I get
>any responses to these before cluttering up the newsgroup with more. 

Go ahead asking more. I believe some others are also ready to provide you with
some kinds of answers like what I am now doing.

>Thanks, in advance, Paul Pantages

No problem. Mai"Pen-Rai-Khrab...

Regards,
Samart