Cultural Misstep: Indian Tourists Climb Buddha Statue for Mangoes - video

[snoop1130]

 

Photo courtesy of Naewna

 

A recent incident at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya, Thailand, has caused an uproar among the Buddhist community. It involved Indian tourists climbing a Buddha statue to pick mangoes, raising concerns about respect and behavior on sacred grounds.

 

A TikTok video, captured by user @viewyeahhh, shows an Indian woman, aged between 50 and 60, stepping on a Buddha statue's base to reach the fruit. Another woman was seen holding a bag of mangoes below. This action has led to widespread anger and highlighted the need for cultural awareness among tourists.

 

Reporters visited the site in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district and found numerous mango trees surrounding the sacred Chedi Chai Mongkhon area. The tree in the video was notably full of fruit, enticing the tourists.

 

Kanyavee, a 51-year-old visitor, expressed her disappointment, stressing the need for respect on temple grounds. She reiterated that while tourists are welcomed to take photos and participate in temple activities, they should avoid touching sacred objects.

 

 

Arunee, a 64-year-old temple staff member, speculated that the incident occurred during a busy holiday period. Although surprised when shown the video, she noted that the women were likely not part of a guided tour, as guides typically inform tourists about site etiquette.

 

The temple has signs instructing visitors on proper behavior and attire. Arunee suggested the mango-picking may have happened late in the day when fewer staff were present.

 

In response, temple officials plan to enhance monitoring to prevent similar incidents, ensuring respect and reverence are maintained on the temple grounds, reported The Thaiger.

 

 

-- 2025-03-04

 

 

[ikke1959]

Thailand and Buddhism... Thailand is not a Buddhistic country but a mix of several religions.. Netizens only use Buddhism as an excuse when it is useful for them...Real Buddhists should not kill eachother, but respect lives, have compassion.... not deport people, work on their own live to become better  instead of being greedy, jealous, gambling to get more money etc and many more... 

 

See todays headlines.... how many people have been killed already.. That is not Buddhism

[fredwiggy]

9 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Thailand and Buddhism... Thailand is not a Buddhistic country but a mix of several religions.. Netizens only use Buddhism as an excuse when it is useful for them...Real Buddhists should not kill eachother, but respect lives, have compassion.... not deport people, work on their own live to become better  instead of being greedy, jealous, gambling to get more money etc and many more... 

 

See todays headlines.... how many people have been killed already.. That is not Buddhism

True in a way, as many are hypocrites in all religions, and have killed using it as a crutch. There are quite a few here that are practicing Buddhists and respect the nature of it, and not pray for money,  gold, or winning lottery numbers. As far as the post, hey should have planted the mango trees a bit further from the statues, and people will use any means to gather fruit here.

[hotsun]

Dont indians have respect for their own religion? Maybe it only applies in their country

[roo860]

15 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Thailand and Buddhism... Thailand is not a Buddhistic country but a mix of several religions.. Netizens only use Buddhism as an excuse when it is useful for them...Real Buddhists should not kill eachother, but respect lives, have compassion.... not deport people, work on their own live to become better  instead of being greedy, jealous, gambling to get more money etc and many more... 

 

See todays headlines.... how many people have been killed already.. That is not Buddhism

Exactly, a bunch of hypocrites.

[Harrisfan]

20 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Thailand and Buddhism... Thailand is not a Buddhistic country but a mix of several religions.. Netizens only use Buddhism as an excuse when it is useful for them...Real Buddhists should not kill eachother, but respect lives, have compassion.... not deport people, work on their own live to become better  instead of being greedy, jealous, gambling to get more money etc and many more... 

 

See todays headlines.... how many people have been killed already.. That is not Buddhism

95% buddhist

That's a buddhist country

Duuh

[Young Hick]

27 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Thailand and Buddhism... Thailand is not a Buddhistic country but a mix of several religions.. Netizens only use Buddhism as an excuse when it is useful for them...Real Buddhists should not kill eachother, but respect lives, have compassion.... not deport people, work on their own live to become better  instead of being greedy, jealous, gambling to get more money etc and many more... 

 

See todays headlines.... how many people have been killed already.. That is not Buddhism

The thing is the news reports only majorly the bad ones.  I would still lean on majority good Thais following Buddhist principles.  That's why I'm settling there.   The crimes are terrible and a turn off when I saw them on TV news day after day after day.  But then all countries only report the crimes majorly.  

[Young Hick]

On the topic, that is terrible of the Indian (perhaps a Hindu) climbing a Buddhist fixture.  

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, Young Hick said:

The thing is the news reports only majorly the bad ones.  I would still lean on majority good Thais following Buddhist principles.  That's why I'm settling there.   The crimes are terrible and a turn off when I saw them on TV news day after day after day.  But then all countries only report the crimes majorly.  

Another way is to research crimes online in any country to see the real picture. Stats are there. You'd be surprised what goes on they don't show on the daily news.

[factual monk]

60 - 80 thb mango or respect... I fail to understand why people behave in such a stupid way. 

They might be from India, Sri Lankan or people of Indian origin in other country but whatever is their nativity... this kind of behavior is simply shameful. 

[soalbundy]

2 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

95% buddhist

That's a buddhist country

Duuh

Europe and America are referred to as Christian countries.....how's that for hypocrisy, it's all weddings and funerals and throat cutting in between.

[hotchilli]

Mountain and a mole hill springs to mind