Tak Batr Devo Festival
Date: October 11, 2003
Venue: Sankat Rattana Khiri Temple in Uthai Thani Province

The most magnificent scene of a "Tak Batr Devo Procession" in Thailand is at the Sangkat Rattana Khiri Temple in Uthai Thani Province. The Buddhist Thai Monks will descend in a splendid procession from the hilltop where the Sangkat Rattana Khiri Temple is located and as so imitate the return of Lord Buddha from heaven. Local plays shows and music performances are also a marvelous part of this Thailand festival.

Origins:
The Buddhist merit-making ritual of "Tak Bat Devo" originates from the Sanskrit word "Devorohana" and refers to the moment that Lord Buddha returned from Heaven to earth, as is mentioned in ancient Buddhist tales.

The significance of this Thai merit-making festival is based on the Buddhist concept of reincarnation and the belief that upon death, one will pass on to another life. It is also believed that every person's destiny is determined by the acts and good deeds performed during his current life. Depending on those good deeds and the merit a person has earned during his life, he will progress in subsequent lives to the point where he will attain spiritual enlightenment and will be able to reside in the upper tiers of heaven.

Based on this Buddhist belief, making merit by presenting offerings to monks has evolved as a the Buddhist ritual and festival known as "Tak Bat". The "Bat" being the bowl in which the alms and offerings for the monks are placed.

According to ancient Buddhist tales, prior to becoming "Lord Buddha", the "Enlightened One", the prince named Siddhartha Gautama - "The Victorious One", the son of King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, had many previous lives. Following the birth of Siddhartha, his mother died when was only seven days old. After death, she resided in the Heaven of Delight where she watched the drama of her son's life on earth unfold.

Later in life, Prince Siddhartha came to learn about human suffering and grief. Failing to find peace or happiness in human life, he denounced all his worldly possessions including his family to embark on a quest to find the noble truth. No longer a prince, Siddhartha assumed the life of a monk clad only in yellow robes wandering around the country.

Over time, Siddhartha triumphed over worldly temptations and attained the state of "Nirvana" or happiness and salvation so to become the "Enlightened One". As the "Enlightened One", Lord Buddha began preaching with the famous "First Sermon" under the trees in the deer park near Benares in India. This event is referred to by Buddhist as "Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Law" or the Dharma.

Lord Buddha continued to give sermons about Dharma and the Noble Eight-fold Path to all his disciples and followers and eventually his travels brought him back home to Kapilavastu, where he presented sermons to King Suddhodana, his father, and to his relatives.

In his seventh lent, in remembrance of his mother, Buddha ascended to the heavens to deliver a sermon to his mother. There he resided throughout the entire period of the three-months Rains Retreat, better known as the Buddhist Lent.

At the end of the Rains Retreat or Buddhist Lent, which falls on the first day of the waxing moon of the eleventh lunar month, Lord Buddha returned to earth, descending by the Celestial Stairway made out of Silver, Gold and Crystal.

Delighted by the news of Lord Buddha's return to earth, his disciples and followers prepared to receive him with offerings of food and other sacred items. "Devo" from the word "Devorohana" refers to Buddhist celebrations marking this special occasion of the return of the Lord Buddha from the Heaven to the Earth.

The "Tak Bat Devo" Festival in Uthai Thani province offers quite a spectacle as more than five hundred Buddhist monks descend 449 steps of stairs in single file from the Wat Sangkat Rattana Khiri Temple at the top of Sakaekrang Mountain to receive offerings from residents and visitors to the ceremony.

Contact Information:
Tourist Authority of Thailand
Central region office - region 7
Phone: 036 422768 to 9
Fax: 036 424089

Uthai Thaini Provincial Office
Phone : 056 520737
The Uthai Thaini Tourism Information Centre
Phone: 056 511297