Even without the intimidating darkness or the sounds of dogs howling, you could get goose-bumps when stepping into the Protestant Cemetery, or Susan Farang as it is called in Thai, on Charoen Krung Road. Behind the green iron fence lie hundreds of tombstones.
The Protestant Cemetery on Charoen Krung Road is where the remains of more than 1,800 foreigners were buried.
Like many other Bangkokians, I had never heard of this riverside cemetery before until I joined a cultural walking trip along Thanon Tok, a 8.8km stretch of Charoen Krung Road, a few years ago.
A newspaper, Vajirayarnwiset, from the reign of King Rama IV tells of this cemetery's history: "In the past, there were great difficulties when Western Protestants died because there was no cemetery for them, unlike the Catholics. Their bodies would be buried in Chinese graveyards if their relatives had connections. This was pitiful. Later, J. W. Butterworth, the governor of Singapore and Penang, who knew King Rama IV, petitioned the king for a cemetery.
"Finally, the king agreed to help by buying a land plot for up to 10 chang [1 chang is equal to 80 baht]. All the Protestants were very grateful to him."
The cemetery was built on a 9 rai plot granted by King Rama IV to the Protestants in Siam on July 28,1861. Nowadays, it has over 1,000 grave plots where more than 1,800 people of various nationalities and from all walks of life rest in peace.
"The Protestant Cemetery is a landscape of significant cultural value. Monuments document the diversity of foreign cultures present in Thailand from the mid-19th century until the present day," reads a Chulalongkorn University thesis, A Cultural Presentation Management Plan For The Protestant Cemetery at 72-5 Charoen Krung Road (Soi Susan Farang) Yan Nawa, Bangkok by Jahn Claire Walter Buhrman.
Despite fear, my curiosity got the better of me. I strolled, trying to find the tombs of famous persons. I saw a plump little angel sculpture standing on a headstone, several Victorian Gothic tombs, house-shaped ones, obelisks and traditional-style tombstones. Sadly, some of them are in decay due to old age and seasonal flooding. Nonetheless, visitors will learn a lot about history and culture from these structures.
The Victorian grave of British adviser to King Rama IV, Henry Alabaster, has Gothic architecture.
"The monuments and tombstones found in the cemetery are of major cultural significance. Cemetery memorials reflect the funerary ritual and formal mourning customs people practiced during the 19th century and early 20th century. They also show a diversity of cultural identities and record the social norms of the time.
"The monuments and tombstones themselves survive as examples of Victorian-era tombstone sculpture. Of great significance is the funerary symbolism reflected in these sculptures and the stories that unfold of the personalities of the people buried at the site," states the thesis.
Buried in this cemetery are the remains of several Westerners who contributed a great deal to Siam, such as American missionary Dr Dan Beach Bradley, British adviser to King Rama IV Henry Alabaster, the Siamese Royal Court's British physician and publisher Dr Malcolm Smith, British admiral in the Royal Siamese Navy Sir John Bush, and physician Dr MacFarland who gave us the Thai typewriter.
Walking around the graveyard, I approached an obelisk-shaped tombstone whose inscription reads, "Erected by followers of various creeds as a mark of respect to the memory of DANIEL BEACH BRADLEY DOCTOR OF MEDICINE AND PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY who laboured in Siam From July 1835 to 23rd June 1873 when he died Aged 69 years". This was the tomb of Dr Bradley who introduced surgery and smallpox vaccinations to Siam and published the first newspaper, Siam Recorder, in 1844.
Almost at the riverside end of the cemetery, is a small white Victorian Gothic building, still standing tall. It is the tomb of Henry Alabaster, British adviser to King Rama IV and founder of the Savetsila family. He supervised the construction of Charoen Krung and several other roads and also helped plan the postal system. He died in 1884.
I also came across the tomb of Dr Malcolm Smith, an English physician to the Royal Court. He also founded two English-language newspapers and published the country's first textbook, Jindamanee, and other significant literature.
Another headstone is inscribed, "SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF ADMIRAL SIR JOHN BUSH K.C.W.E. PHYA WISUTH SAKORADITH. BORN 4th AUGUST 1819 DIED 3rd APRIL 1905 AGED 86. HE SERVED HIS LATE MAJESTY MAHA MONGKUT AND HIS PRESENT MAJESTY CHULALONGKORN FOR A PERIOD OF OVER 40 YEARS. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. ERECTED BY H.M.THE KING OF SIAM FOR HIS LONG AND FAITHFUL SERVICES". Admiral Sir John Bush, who served the Siamese Royal Navy, improved the Siamese port to international standards. Most Thais must have heard an alley named after him, Soi Captain Bush.
Although some other grave sites like the Chinese section and the adjoining Jewish section were there to be explored, my time was up as it was getting dark. After two hours at the Protestant Cemetery, I learned more about Thai history and, more importantly, the ultimate truth of life _ death.
For more information, visit www.bangkokcemetery.org.
