Travelling to a revered location and worshipping sacred items is catching on among the young, with Buddhist and Hindu temples popular domestic tourist attractions, a new report says.
The Economics Tourism and Sports Division (ETS), in its 2022 report, says young people cast a wish when they worship sacred items.
The historical significance of the sacred object might play a part in their desire to visit, but so does feedback from previous visitors who claim to have had their wishes fulfilled. Over 66.5% of Thai pilgrims choose to visit a holy site based on its statues or objects' sanctity and historical significance.
The tradition, popular among working-age people, goes by the name mutelu, a term derived from the 1979 Indonesian film Mutelu: Occult War, which deals with superstition, black magic and witchcraft. Today, the word's meaning has expanded beyond its original context, to include any actions taken to seek better luck or desired goals with spiritual and supernatural references.
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat or Wat Leng Noei Yi in the Yaowarat (Chinatown) area, Ganesha Temple near the Ratchada-Huai Khwang intersection and Wat Traimit Withayaram Worawihan near Hua Lamphong Railway Station are popular destinations with such visitors.
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat
The 150-year-old Mahayana Buddhist temple, located near Charoen Krung Road in Pomprap Sattruphai district, is popular with visitors from China, overseas Chinese and Thai Chinese residents who come to make wishes to Guanyin, a deity in Chinese folk religion.
Narinya Mongkoleiam, 29, a nurse, recently visited the temple to participate in a ceremony aimed at changing her bad luck. "I have been performing this annual ritual for a long time," she said.
"My mother is of Chinese heritage and she often brings me to the temple, so it becomes a routine," Ms Narinya said.
She also visits the temple on particular occasions, such as before an exam, when she asks for help in getting a good result.
Ms Narinya said her mother and other people from the older generation tend to visit the temple regularly. For working-age individuals like herself, temple visits are made only when a specific goal is to be accomplished.
"In addition to making a wish, I take pictures of the temple and surrounding buildings in Yaowarat," she said.
Another visitor, Satreerat Siripachot, a 29-year-old orthodontist, told the Bangkok Post that she drops in several times a year.
"Generally, I choose the location based on which god is worshipped there; I choose ones in which I have faith, but the ease of travel is also a factor," she said.
Ms Satreerat says she does it mostly to make herself feel better, and she recently made a wish about her work and her relationship.
Ganesha Shrine
The Ratchada-Huai Khwang intersection in Din Daeng district is where a temple specifically for Ganesha, one of the most popular Hindu gods, is located. The shrine is believed to have been built to ward off the bad luck thought to cause frequent motor accidents at the intersection.
People visit the shrine frequently in the mornings and evenings, believing that this is when the god will arrive. The pilgrims come in big numbers on Ganesh Jayanti, also known as Ganesh's birthday, which falls in January or February.
Athicha Srisangrat and her friend Suchanan Tapnoi, both 21-year-old university students, are among the visitors. "I believe in Ganesha," Ms Athicha said, with Ms Suchanan adding that word of mouth about pilgrims achieving their wishes by paying homage to the statue draws them here.
"When we feel our life has entered a bad period, turning to supernatural things makes us feel secure," they said, adding they frequently make wishes for a better academic performance, and career and family business success.
Wat Traimit
The temple is known as Wat Sam Chin for short and is located on Charoen Krung Road in Samphanthawong district. The ancient temple, whose construction date is unknown, is renowned for its beautiful architecture, attracting tourists who come to make merit and seek blessings.
Taechin Chiewchan, 22, a student, said he came here to wish for good luck in his upcoming mid-term exam, adding: "I visit the place often, as my grandmother comes here, and she often brings me with her, so my family has a bond with this place."
When faced with difficulties or challenges, he comes here to calm down and seek blessings to overcome his problems. "Coming here and making a wish makes me feel safe and confident," he said. "It is actually more about the temple's proximity to my house, which makes travel easy, rather than the sacred objects or history of the place," Mr Taechin said.
The report
According to the ETS report, pilgrims come in groups of about four people. Each pilgrim spends about 1,842 baht per trip. The spending tends to be higher for historical destination provinces like Chiang Mai, with roughly 2,755 baht, and over 1,000 baht for Ayutthaya and Nakhon Si Thammarat.
The "wish-fulfilment rate" of a temple is often spread through word of mouth, with over 90% of visitors recommending places they visit with relatives or friends, with Facebook becoming a major channel for sharing this information (92%), followed by Instagram (32%), and LINE (17%).