Gun-toting god image recalls violence
Play
Memories of the 2010 political violence have been revived by a new religious painting inside Wat Saket in Bangkok - depicted as Phra Rahu, the Hindu god of darkness, aiming a sniper rifle at the earth.
The image of Rahu with the sniper rifle has become the talk of the town. A senior monk at the temple said tourists and others were flocking to its new pavilion to take a look and get photos of the painting.
Phra Wichit Thammaporn, assistant abbot of Wat Saket, said the pavilion was opened on September 3 to house a new Buddha statue.
The painting, called “infinite universe”, was the work of Pirapong Khunchit, a well-known artist who was among leading painters selected to take part in restoring a hall in the Grand Palace in 1980.
The Army has insisted no snipers were deployed to crack down on the red-shirt protesters, but some marksmen were deployed to protect their comrades by using assault rifles with scopes.
Phra Rahu in the painting clearly reveals a special high-precision sniper rifle.
Phra Wichit Thammaporn said the painting was not aimed at conveying any political message, but the temple simply wanted to record a key event, the time when troops were deployed to crack down on demonstrators.
The assistant abbot said the depiction was aimed at teaching a dharma concept. He said Phra Rahu was a semi-god and semi-demon. When blinded with anger and lust, he transformed from a god into a demon and in this case used the sniper rifle, firing it at the earth and causing hurt to others.
The assistant abbot said the head of Phra Rahu carried a small Buddha image – a message that had he been aware of dharma principles, he would have brought peace to the world.
