Salvaging a Buddhist sanctuary | Bangkok Post: news

A mong the major casualties of the recent floods was the 2,500-rai Buddhamonthon ("Buddhist park") religious park in Nakhon Pathom province. Today the park scarcely resembles the former green spiritual and recreational sanctuary in the shadow of Bangkok. The meticulously landscaped lawns are now covered with a thick layer of dried brown leaves and dead branches from trees and shrubs killed or severely shocked by the floodwaters that covered the park grounds for weeks. Many big trees were uprooted and still lie where they fell.

BEREFT OF BLOOMS: Around 90% of the park’s flowering plants were lost.

Water remains pooled in some low-lying areas, but after weeks of drier and hotter weather the grounds are now mostly dry and park officials are working at full speed to restore the park before the Visakha Bucha ceremony begins on May 31. Visakha Bucha Day, June 2, marks three important events in the life of the Lord Buddha _ birth, enlightenment and nirvana. It is expected that 5,000 monks and a large number of Buddhists from all over the world will gather at the park for religious activities.