Sattahip residents celebrate the end of
Buddhist Lent with a traditional Tak Bat Devo ceremony.
Patcharapol Panrak
Sattahip Buddhists marked the end of three months of Buddhist Lent with
merit making ceremonies and re-enactments of Lord Buddha’s return to
earth from heaven.
Government officials and residents participated in the traditional Tak
Bat Devo ceremony. Sattahip Temple Abbot Wibulthummabaan led 51 monks
and three novices in a parade at Sattahip Temple while other area
worshippers prepared 30,000 servings of sticky rice in banana leaves as
alms to give 50 monks who re-enacted Buddha’s return by descending from
the hill-top temple of Khao Baisri.
Using ingredients donated by the community, more than 50 people took two
days to prepare the kow tom mud, which temple-goers substituted for the
traditional, but more expensive, kow tom luk yoni, or sticky rice with
coconut leaves. Legend holds that the coconut leaves, which are heavier,
allowed followers who couldn’t get close to Buddha upon his return to
throw their offerings accurately into his bowl.
More 3,000 worshippers bought the kow tom mud, which supposedly is also
tastier than the traditional recipe, to make merit during the Oct. 13
celebration by placing the offerings of in the monks bat, or bowl.
Tak Bat Devo, derived from the Sanskrit word “Devorohana,” is celebrated
at the same time as Auk Pansaa, the end of Buddhist Lent. Almost always
centered around a temple on a hillside, monks who’ve been in their rains
retreat for three months emerged in a procession of golden gowns down
the hill depicting the path Buddha took down a celestial stairway made
of silver, gold and crystal.
According to ancient tales, Buddha returned to his home in Kapilavastu
seven years after achieving Nirvana and becoming the Enlightened One. At
the start of Lent that year, in remembrance of his mother, Buddha
ascended to the heavens to deliver a sermon to his mother. There he
resided for three months.
On the first day of the waxing moon of the eleventh lunar month - Oct.
12 this year - Buddha returned to throngs of angels, disciples and
followers who received him with offerings of food and other sacred
items. Followers repeated his return in following years during a
ceremony that has come to represent the Buddhist belief in reincarnation
as much as its historical significance.
