doi: 10.14456/jms.2017.23 That Phanom Stupa: Spiritual Space and Invented Traditions in Present-Day Northeastern Thailand1 Pathom Hongsuwan Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mahasarakham University Mahasarakham 44150, Thailand Email: [email protected] Abstract This article examines the role of Phrathat Phanom in the creation of traditions related to the way of life of people in modern Isan society, using the invention of traditions and creative folklore as conceptual frameworks. The study found that Phrathat Phanom, a prominent and significant stupa in the mid-Mekong basin region, has long influenced the local way of life and culture. However, several new practices regarding Phrathat Phanom have been implemented in recent years: these include Phrathat Sacha worship in Loei province; Phrathat Phanom devotional dance, praying for luck by worshipping the phrathat corresponding to one’s birth date, Naga worship, and worship of Shin Upagutta, a Buddhist saint revered in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, (all in Nakhon Phanom province); the ceremony of welcoming university freshmen by worshipping Phrathat Phanom (Khon Kaen province), and the ritual of sukhwan (calling the soul of the stupa) across the Mekong River (Nakhon Phanom province). The invention of tradition is a social practice in which traditions or cultural features from the historic past are borrowed and used as tools to create new meaning. They are reinterpreted, extended, and modified to serve society under current circumstances. There are four conditions that influence and transform religious traditions into social traditions: localism, modernism, internationalism, and tourism. This study illustrates the influence of social changes which have dynamically influenced cultural inventions regarding Phrathat Phanom in present-day northeastern Thailand. Keywords: That Phanom Stupa, spiritual space, invented tradition, Northeastern Thailand 1 This article is a part of the research project entitled, “Invented Tradition of Northeastern Communities along the Mekong River” under the TRF Senior Research Scholar project series, “Creative Folklore”: Dynamics and Application in Contemporary Thai Society.” Prof. Dr. Siraporn Nathalang is the director of the project series, granted by the Thailand Research Fund (TRF). Journal of Mekong Societies Vol.13 No.3 September-December 2017 pp. 19-39 That Phanom Stupa: Spiritual Space and Invented Traditions 20 Journal of Mekong Societies in Present-Day Northeastern Thailand 21 บทคัดย่อ and culture of people in northeast Thailand and Laos throughout the บทความนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาบทบาทของพระธาตุพนมที่มีความส�าคัญต่อการ centuries (Munnithi Saranukrom Watthanatham Thai, 1999B: 1888). สร้างสรรค์ประเพณีในวิถีชีวิตของผู้คนในสังคมไทยปัจจุบันโดยใช้กรอบแนวคิดเรื่อง Phrathat Phanom is located within Wat Phrathat Phanom Woramahawiharn, That Phanom district, Nakhon Phanom province, ประเพณีประดิษฐ์และคติชนสร้างสรรค์มาเป็นเครื่องมือในการค้นคว้าวิจัย ผลการศึกษา along the Mekong River across from Sikhottabong district of the Lao พบว่า พระธาตุพนมเป็นศูนย์กลางของความเชื่อทางพุทธศาสนาในชุมชนลุ่มแม่น�้าโขงใน People’s Democratic Republic. Although the river demarcates the ภาคอีสานที่มีความส�าคัญต่อการสร้างสรรค์ประเพณีใหม่โดยการหยิบยืมความคิด ความเชื่อ Thai-Lao border, people along the two banks share beliefs in Phrathat ที่เกี่ยวโยงกับพระธาตุพนมในอดีตไปประดิษฐ์สร้างขึ้นมา ทั้งนี้ประเพณีประดิษฐ์ที่เกี่ยวข้อง Phanom that have remained unchanged to the present time. In addition, กับพระธาตุพนมในสังคมอีสานปัจจุบัน ได้แก่ ประเพณีบูชาพระธาตุสัจจะ (จังหวัดเลย) the significance of Phrathat Phanom has meant that it has become an ประเพณีฟ้อนบูชาพระธาตุพนม (จังหวัดนครพนม) ประเพณีบูชาพระธาตุประจ�าวันเกิด inspiration and a reference for creating new traditions in contemporary (จังหวัดนครพนม) ประเพณีบวงสรวงพญานาคา (จังหวัดนครพนม) ประเพณีแห่พระอุปคุต northeastern Thai society. The new traditions and cultural activities inspired by faith and (จังหวัดนครพนม) ประเพณีรับน้องใหม่ไหว้พระธาตุพนม (จังหวัดขอนแก่น) ประเพณีสู่ขวัญ belief in Phrathat Phanom include relic worship dancing by various พระธาตุข้ามแม่น�้าโขง (จังหวัดนครพนม) และประเพณีสืบชะตาแม่น�้าโขง (จังหวัดนครพนม) ethnic groups, including Phu Tai, Isan/Lao, Tai Nyaw, Tai Yuan/ พบว่าประเพณีเหล่านี้เป็นประเพณีที่เกิดขึ้นใหม่ ซึ่งต่างได้เลือกใช้รูปแบบการอ้างอิง Lanna, and people from Luang Prabang. The dancing is held on the “พระธาตุพนม” โดยวิธีการสืบทอด ดัดแปลง ประยุกต์ทั้งด้านภาษา แนวคิด พิธีกรรม occasion of the annual worshipping of the stupa in February, and on และการเฉลิมฉลองเพื่อให้เข้ากับบริบทของสังคมในยุคสมัยใหม่ ส�าหรับเหตุปัจจัยที่มี that of welcoming Khon Kaen University freshmen and wishing them อิทธิพลต่อการประดิษฐ์สร้างรูปแบบและแนวคิดของประเพณีที่เกี่ยวเนื่องกับพระธาตุพนม success in their studies. The image of the stupa is used as the emblem จาก “ประเพณีในทางศาสนา” ไปสู่ “ประเพณีในทางสังคม” มี 4 ประการ คือ อิทธิพลจาก of Khon Kaen University. The dance is also performed for worship and for blessing the people who were born in the Year of the Monkey or on กระแสท้องถิ่นนิยม อิทธิพลจากกระแสความทันสมัย อิทธิพลจากกระแสความสัมพันธ์ a Sunday because Phrathat Phanom represents the stupa corresponding ข้ามชาติ และอิทธิพลจากกระแสการท่องเที่ยว ซึ่งท�าให้การประดิษฐ์สร้างประเพณีมี to this year and day. This belief which is part of a Lan Na tradition พลวัตและการปรับเปลี่ยนจนส่งผลท�าให้ความหมายของพระธาตุพนมในเชิงสัญลักษณ์ linking certain pilgrimage sites to a twelve-year animal cycle known in มีลักษณะโดดเด่นและน่าสนใจ Thai as the naksat pi, the year in which one is born (Keyes, 1975). Nine of the sites in this system are located in northern Thailand, along with ค�ำส�ำคัญ: พระธาตุพนม พื้นที่จิตวิญญาณ ประเพณีประดิษฐ์ ภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือ one in Bodh Gaya, India; the Shwedagon in Myanmar; and Phrathat ประเทศไทย Phanom in Isan. The sites are said to have been visited by the Buddha Gotama, or to have his relics enshrined. Phrathat Phanom is said to also contain relics of the three Buddhas prior to Gautama Buddha (Keyes, Introduction 1975: 78). While most of these twelve pilgrimage sites are located in Phrathat Phanom (That Phanom Stupa) is one of the most important northern Thailand, Phrathat Phanom is also included because of the Buddhist reliquaries for communities in the mid-Mekong River Basin. sense of kinship between the northern Thai and the Lao Buddhist It is an archaeological site that has been significant for the way of life traditions. Vol.13 No.3 September-December 2017 Vol.13 No.3 September-December 2017 That Phanom Stupa: Spiritual Space and Invented Traditions 22 Journal of Mekong Societies in Present-Day Northeastern Thailand 23 It is believed that by worshipping the stupa one not only makes The conceptual framework for analysis in this study is based merit but also acquires auspiciousness in life. These examples on Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1983: 1) ideas regarding the invention of demonstrate that Phrathat Phanom serves not only as a Buddhist tradition. They argue that the invention of tradition is a set of practices monastery, but also as a sacred resting place for the Buddha’s relics, based on both overtly and tacitly accepted rules with a ritual or symbolic and therefore as a spiritual space. Moreover, it has come to play the nature. The invention functions as a medium in passing on certain values invented role of a social space (Durkheim, 1969) which has enhanced and norms of behavior and reproduced traditional practices. The and influenced the way of life and culture of contemporary northeastern reproduction signifies the continuity between the past and the present. Thai society. Invented traditions are initiated as demanded by emerging circumstances, but they may still maintain some aspects in reference to the former circumstances or may construct a suitable historic past. This concept corresponds to the ideas of Vallibhotama (2000), who proposes that the survival of a tradition depends on how long the people in its community have valued and treasured it as a symbol of being in unity. If such a sense of belonging is shared among them, the tradition exists - if not, it may be changed or terminated. As a consequence, a more meaningful tradition is invented as a replacement. This article focuses on new traditions related to Phrathat Phanom in present-day Thai society, and the conditions that have influenced the invention of these new traditions. In addition to Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1983) framework, the concept of “creative folklore” is applied. This concept refers to folklore that is created or reproduced by being passed on in a new context. It also includes applied folklore, extended folklore, reinterpretation and redefinition of the existing folklore, application of Figure 1 Phrathat Phanom is an important Buddhist reliquary for the communities folklore for the purpose of “establishing its added value” (Na Thalang, living in the mid-Mekong River Basin. 2015: 368) and constructing local identities or ethnic identities in the present-day Thai social context. This article examines the role and the significance of Phrathat Invention of tradition, thus, is a social practice by which Phanom as a source of inspiration for the invention of new traditions in traditions or cultures from the historic past are borrowed and used as the context of contemporary Thai-Isan society. The study also focuses tools to create new meaning. They are reinterpreted, extended, and on how the new traditions are processed and how the existing customs modified (Hongsuwan, 2013: 176). The goal is to serve society under and traditions