Seminar: Thailand's Buddhist Cultural Heritage: The Preservation Challenge

Readers in Bangkok may be interested in a seminar at the Siam Society focusing on the disappearing diversity of Buddhist temples in Thailand.

Thailand’s Buddhist Cultural Heritage: The Preservation Challenge
Date: 21 March 2012
Time: 1.00 – 4.30pm
Venue: Siam Society
Registration required, email jarunee@siam-society.org

Buddhist temples around Thailand all have certain fundamental features in common _ not only their architectural design, but also their cultural role in the community. But over the centuries, the appearance of temples and the cultural activities associated with them in different parts of the Kingdom have displayed great diversity, reflecting different local and regional cultural styles, different historical development and the tastes of different eras of Thai history.

This diversity enriches Thai culture and is part of the pride and identity of the regions of the country. In recent decades, this diversity has declined, as local styles and practices have been replaced by a homogenous Bangkok-centric national style of temple architecture and cultural practice.

Local styles and practices are less understood, less cherished and less followed, reducing the rich diversity of Thai temple architecture.

To address the problem, the Siam Society’s Siamese Heritage Protection Programme for celebrating His Majesty the King’s 84th birthday will host an academic seminar entitled “Thailand’s Buddhist Cultural Heritage: The Preservation Challenge” on March 21 from 1-4:30pm.

Full story here.