Family in Southern Thailand
October 15, 2003

The main chedi at Wat Phra Mahathat in Nakorn Si Thammarat was built in the 1200s. At the base of the chedi is a hallway with many old buddha images. This picture shows a Thai family paying respects to the relics in the chedi. I'm afraid this picture doesn't really capture what I felt. The air was smoky with very fragrant incense. The matriarch of the family was chanting. The Buddhas and elephants were covered in centuries of soot and gold leaf. Every now and then I visit somewhere that feels very sacred, very old. This was one of those places.