From Baan Taad to Wat Pa Baan Taad
in the year 1988
The Development of Wat Pa Baan Taad over the years
approaching the gate of the monastery
the main saala (hall)
the forest island is the monastery about 66 acre
the concrete wall surounding the monastery
the area of the monastery
entrance to the monastery 1988
air view of the monastery in 2001
white: old area of the monastery yellow: newly added land to the monastery
Some of the land was donated, other parts were bought around 2001
now in feb 2011part of the monastery preparing for
for the cremation. Now white shows the border of the monastery
this shows the whole area that will be used for the cremation ceremony in feb 2011
here to the right of the streets starts 435 acre of parking and accomodation space
that will be all used for the ceremony pictures taken on 4th of march 2011
huge ponds for the water supply...
the monastery and main area for the cremation
Building the cremation site from scratch
starting on 30th of January
finishing on 1st of March 2011
building 3 levels
Level 1 = sila (5 precepts)
Level 2 = Samadhi (concentration)
Level 3 = Panna (wisdom)
The furnace for cremation
Build to easily keep ashes and bone fragments
after the cremation
Traffic regulation and parking
Thearea for parking and accomodation is around 435 acre
About 600 toilets/bathrooms have been built
Free transport within the monastery ground
tram like buses connecting various points of the site
one can catch a ride about every 15 min
Also free rides to and from the city of Udorn Thani
are offered
Discussion with authorities how to best
regulate the traffic to the monastery
non permanent roads are built to access
the monastery from all directions
24 years ago Luangta Maha Bua told that at his
cremation all the roads to the monastery will
have traffic jams from distant citys in all directions
He told it at a time, where not more than 3 cars
per day came to the monastery
Nothing was allowed to be sold within the monastery
Everything was given away for free
In the beginning 100 foodstalls opened
Preparation and distribution of food all day long
However, in the beginning of march there were 1,400
foodstalls preparing food
Spicy leafs and roots, that are allowable for monks
to eat after noon, were also prepared
Cold and hot drinks were served at special places
where monks could sit and rest from the work
People started preparing food at 2 am
some even at midnight
I use 200kg of vegetables per day
Almsround started out with 300 monks
towards the end, in March, for more than 5,000 monks
Vegetables, fruit and meat came from near and far
offered for free from the producers or resellers
Wood to build sitting platforms etc.
was cut and prepared
Wood for the funeral pyre was gathered
and prepared, including wooden sticks
instead of strawflowers for people to pay
their last respects to Luangta Maha Bua
Building the klod (umbrella) to be hanged over
the funeral pyre
It was built in a nearby monastery (about 20km away)
The umbrella is an important utensil for
a wandering monk
Its diameter was about 8 m
The klod was ornamented with flowers
on the 28th of February 2011
It was hung up over the cremation site
that same night
People coming to pay their last respects to the
remains of Luangta Maha Bua in the early morning
later on, after the meal the crowd waited
patiently to pay their respects to
Luangta Maha Bua
More than 1,000 people came each day
to go up the sala to pay their last respects
to the remains of Luangta Maha Bua
Monks going on almsround at 7 am.
Some of them eat here in the big sala, others
in the small sala, or at various other places
Painting banners...
or making amulets
2 group of monks, in the morning and evening
were cleaning and collecting the garbage
the 60 safes for donations, that were located
throughout the monastery were emptied twice per day
The office and information centre at the
front of the inner sala
People and donors waiting for the evening chanting
sitting downstairs and watching per TV
or participating live upstairs
The evening chanting with following
talk on Dhamma was held each evening
after that robes were offered to the monks
Sleeping, resting
Tents were set up everywhere,
wherever there was space
People working or helping brought their own tents
Some did not even bring a tent,
they just brought a bag, and slept under the open sky
"I don't have a tent, I just brought my bag"
Ordination "in front of the cremation fire"
For the cremation of Than Acharn Maha Bua
247 laypeople ordained to become monks
They vowed to be ordained at least for
one rainy season
some of them were ordained here
others at other temples
The monkfather, who ordains them,
gives them some advice
on how to pracitice
The day before the cremation
fresh banana stems were brought,
that served as material
to carve and cut out the ornamentation
to decorate the funeral pyre
and also decorate the cremation site
The work started late morning and
was finished in the late evening
Ornamentation design for the funeral pyre
Early morning of 4th of March 2011
It's the time for the almsround
Today will be a big day
After the meal the cascet with the remains
of Luangta Maha Bua will be moved from
the inner sala to the cremation site
This big green tent will give people the opportunity
to watch events live via big TV screens
for tomorrow not everybody will be able to go
to the cremation site, for there will be too many people
The new "city" of Wat Pa Baan Taad
Inhabitants tonight, about 100,000
People arrived yesterday to avoid traffic jams
and to be able to attend the cremation
Ceremony for moving the cascet with the
remains of Luangta Maha Bua
Luangta's siter Mae Chantree
In the evening, there was the evening chanting
with more than 100,000 people, who chanted in
unison the Buddhist evening chant
and then listened to a talk of Luangta Maha Bua
that was played from tape
Finally the day of the cremation has come
the 5th of March 2011
More than one million people attented
All the major roads coming from all directions
were jamed and people had to walk between
2 to 5 km to be able to attend the ceremony
The ceremony officially will start at 17 hours
but the place was packed already at 11 hours
This is a view from a helicopter flying over
the cremation grounds at 11 hours
After noon no flying objects were allowed in
in the sky out of security reasons
People here in the big tent can watch the
cremation ceremony at a big screen
The main entrance of the monastery
its so packed, that people hardly can move
The most senior monk Lungphu Udom Nanamoli
he is 99 years of age, 2 years older
than Luangta Maha Bua
In honor of Luangta Maha Bua, he gives a talk
The finished ornamenataion of the cremation ground
Special sitting arrangements were made and reserved
for revered and senior monks
Paying our last respects by placing
wooden sticks for the funeral pyre
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit opens the ceremony
HRH Princess Chulaporn will light the fire
The daughter of HRH princess Chulaporn attends as well
Just within 5 weeks from a small
forest monastery of Baan Taad
this grand ceremony with more than
1 million people attending was made possible
through the help of tens of thousands of people
through labour or donations
with the help of the royal court
police and soldiers
and many government officials.