The Four Face Buddha Shrine at Erawan, Bangkok is a very well known Hindu Shrine that houses a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu creation God, Brahma. Famous Asian celebrities and personalities make annual pilgrimage for good fortune and thanksgiving. It is believed that all prayers will be answered and believers have to return to give thanks and offerings.
The Erawan Shrine was built in 1956 as part of the government-owned Erawan Hotel to eliminate the bad karma believed to be caused by laying the foundations on the wrong date. It is a well known shrine worldwide and now a popular tourist attraction.
The Shrine does not have four walls and a roof over it. How does one do a Feng Shui audit? Flying Star Feng Shui and Ba Zhai are redundant because it has no roof, wall or door. It violates the so-called ‘Direct and Indirect Spirit locations’ so strongly emphasized by some Feng Shui schools as the one important theory of Xuan Kong. The Shrine faces the busiest intersection of Bangkok City in the Northeast direction with the Erawan Shopping Centre and Grand Hyatt immediately in the Southwest direction. The Northeast is also known as the ‘Devil’s Gate’ by some Feng Shui school. It faces Sha Qi from every corner. Yet it is packed with local and foreign believers on a daily basis.
Bangkok is a flat delta land and according to Feng Shui requirement, it needs to be raised on a pedestal to harness good energy. The Erawan Shrine is not raised at all.
Feng Shui students should really visit this Shrine to know what good Feng Shui is about; you can safely put the spiritual aspect aside. It applies one of the most fundamental techniques in Feng Shui. The answer lies in the balance of the Yin-Yang environment.
