There is plenty of cultures, traditions and religious observances in the land of Siam. Amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, alongside a Bangkok serviced apartment, between the traffic and shopping, while working or vending you will find the locals to be willing practitioners of their culture and religion. The tourists who flock to the country in large numbers, who stay at Citadines Sukhumvit 23 Bangkok, who meander through the country to explore more than just the beaches make some of the most wondrous discoveries.
Being a predominantly Buddhist nation, one will find many temples, shrines and statues of the Buddha in the country, hence stumbling into Wat Pariwat would not seem unusual even though it is down a narrow alleyway. There are three vivid Buddha statues within the large temple which has a massive hall. However, if you spend some time closely inspecting the ornate interior of the temple you will find the football star David Beckham staring back at you.
The statue of David Beckham isn’t a standalone tall figurine that pronounces the abs and figure of the heartthrob from the 1990s but is a carving that appears among the other garudas on the altar itself. Garudas are guardians according to local mythology and feature in most temple premises. His dull gold face is clear and is propped onto the squatting body of a garuda who is in sports shorts, spikes and long socks like a football player. The reason David Beckham features in the temple is that the sculptor had felt that football was becoming the new religion of the country and the incumbent priest had agreed to the carving. This was after the 16th version of FIFA was held in the year 1998 where the French team emerged victorious that the Thai sculptor felt he should try a hand at creating David Beckham in this venerated ground.
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.
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