Moral Entertainment – The Buddhist Hell Parks of Thailand
Moral Entertainment – The Buddhist Hell Parks of Thailand
Author(s): Roman HusarskiSubject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Non-European Philosophy, Social Philosophy, Political Sciences, Sociology, Theology and Religion, East Asian Philosophy, Sociology of Culture
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Hell parks; Buddhist hell; Buddhist art; Thai Buddhism; political science of religion; morality and religion
Summary/Abstract: Visiting Hell parks is a popular pastime in contemporary Thailand. Situated near Buddhist temples, these gruesome sculpture gardens depict the Buddhist vision of Hell. These grotesque and violent sculptures are usually seen as an oddity and a form of low art. Perhaps for this reason, they are rarely studied by scholars. This article focuses on the parks as modern entertainment. Usually found in rural areas, these spots try to answer the challenges of the commercialisation and globalisation of Thai society. A detailed analysis of four Hell parks, Wang Saen Suk, Wat Pa Lak Roi, Wat Pa Non Sawan and Wat Pa Thewapithak, shows that these religious amusement parks serve not only as means of entertainment but are also places of Buddhist morality.
Journal: Studia Religiologica. Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
- Issue Year: 54/2021
- Issue No: 3
- Page Range: 5-216
- Page Count: 22
- Language: English