Beautiful Thai heritage, culture come under serious threat

Beautiful Thai heritage, culture come under serious threat

A Buddhist nun is fighting back by standing her ground and embracing her family's rich history

Nun Kannikar Chomsiri, 80, recently turned down an 80-million baht offer for her home and insists she will not sell her 152-year-old teak house inherited from her grandfather to any land developers. (Photos by Pattarachai Preechapanich)
Nun Kannikar Chomsiri, 80, recently turned down an 80-million baht offer for her home and insists she will not sell her 152-year-old teak house inherited from her grandfather to any land developers. (Photos by Pattarachai Preechapanich)

Walking from Wong Wian Yai BTS station into Soi Krung Thon Buri 2, one is likely to stumble across a nineteenth century Thai-style teak house dwarfed by surrounding skyscrapers.

Wooden houses dotting a community have become increasingly rare as urbanisation has stretched out to the suburbs. Thanks to urbanisation, once-suburban areas have now become part of city centres and have attracted land developers wanting to turn plots of land into new residential skyscrapers.

Several communities and many residents are now under threat from commercial developers.

Kannikar Chomsiri, a Buddhist nun, is no exception.

Located in Klong San district, her old teak house is now under threat from surrounding residential projects. Next to her home is a 30-storey condominium; in front stands a six-storey apartment building under construction; nearby is another tall building, also being built.

But the 80-year-old, who became a nun a little over a year ago, is trying very hard to keep her family's heritage -- and increasingly rare architecture -- for future generations. She has regularly turned down offers from land developers, including a recent one worth more than 80 million baht to buy her land and property.

However, she has insisted she will not sell her house at any price.

"Our ancestors worked hard to save money in order to build this house where all of us can live safely and where love can dwell. We want to preserve this legacy we have inherited from our ancestors. The house has sentimental value for us," she said.

Occupying a total area of 167 sqm, the 152-year-old house was built during the reign of King Rama V as a traditional teak house on stilts to be lived in during the rainy season.

Nun Kannikar's grandparents were fruit and vegetable growers. They usually used boats to ship fruit from their orchards in the Klong San area to sell at floating markets near Tha Tian, Tha Wasukri and Tha Phra Chan.

A long-time resident in the Klong San community, the nun spent her childhood in the embrace of her extended family in the wooden house which she inherited from her Chinese grandfather who migrated from China to start a business in Siam.

Nun Kannikar has four children and the family have lived in the house for years.

She worked in government service for the Royal Thai Survey Department. After her retirement as a civil servant, she led a simple life, dependent on a monthly retirement allowance of around 10,000 baht.

Last year, she decided to become a nun to lead an austere life of prayer.

Patience is key to a fulfilling life, she said, although she admitted living a simple life in a modern city is a challenging task.

Even though she has faced several uphill battles, she has fought them with patience and deals with issues with uncomplaining grace and optimism to reach a compromise.

"We wish for nothing and hope for nothing but peace and solitude," she said.

When her house was affected by nearby construction work resulting in some cracks, she hired workers to provide concrete supports for her home to avoid potential dangers from the effects of construction projects nearby.

Her house is no longer well ventilated as the surrounding tall buildings prevent cool breezes passing through the building, leaving family members feeling uncomfortable, particularly on very hot days.

"Our house is not air-conditioned. We are patient. We don't want to cause trouble," she said, accepting the circumstance with good grace.

Some of her former neighbours decided to sell their properties to investors and relocated due to the constant noise of construction work, she said, adding money may matter for most people but not in her case.

"We have basic needs to survive. Money has contributed very little to our happiness and well-being," she said.

Nun Kannikar said her family wants to live fulfilled lives and as far as she and her family are concerned, a feeling of contentment rises above money and offers more happiness.

Her family has tried to be resourceful and has learned to live more by owning less, Nun Kannikar said, adding that her house only has a handful of electrical appliances.

She urged people who own traditional Thai houses in the heart of the city to do the same as her -- to preserve their homes, saying that it preserves a national and cultural heritage that embodies Thai values.

Heritage is one of the most important aspects of community life she noted, saying it can contribute to our cultural identity and to our sense of place.

"This place where we have lived tells people how we shaped our community and landscape over time. These sorts of things connect us with our Thai-Chinese roots," she said.

"Our history is certainly something to be proud of. But sometimes people may not express how proud they are of what we have until it is threatened," she added.

Nun Kannikar called on authorities to be mindful of national and cultural heritage and community-based life and come up with measures to help preserve them.

She also urged authorities to protect historical sites and traditional Thai structures which are under threat from commercial developers by shouldering a building's repair and maintenance costs, saying that maintaining old houses requires quite a sum of money.

Nun Kannikar is considering turning her home into a museum as a way to generate more income to spend on repairs.

"We think our house will be a local educational resource for people of all ages. We and the visitors can have a shared understanding of the unique cultural identity our house gives to this area," she said.

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