In San Kamphaeng (สันกำแพง),
a district located just to the east of the northern Thai city of
Chiang Mai (เชียงใหม่), is the village of Bo Sang (บ่อสร้าง), whose
name translates the ‘Pond of Creation’. This village in the
subdistrict of Ton Pao (ต้นเปา) is famous for the production of
hand-made bamboo umbrellas and parasols, a long-standing tradition
of this community proud of its heritage. The area's slogan is Bo
Sang Kahng Jong (บ่อสร้างกางจ้อง), which is northern dialect for Bo
Sang Kahng Rom (บ่อสร้างกางร่ม) in common Thai language, and
translates ‘Bo Sang Opens/Raises [the] Umbrella(s)’. Most if not all
shops and houses that line the main street in this village are
decorated with open umbrellas in a variety of colors and designs,
showing off its heritage. Besides the umbrellas and parasols, the
villagers also produce long Lan Na (ล้านนา)-style ceremonial banners
made of cloth and known as tung (ตุง), and northern-style paper
lanterns called kohm kwaen (โคมแขวน), both of which are also found
abundantly raised on the houses as decoration alongside the
umbrellas and parasols. In the Orient, umbrellas are believed to
have originated in ancient China, probably as long ago as 2,500
years, and were initially designed to be mounted on carts and
chariots. In Chinese, umbrellas and parasols are both known as san
(伞), though the parasol can be specified by referring to it as
yangsan (阳伞), which could be translated as ‘sun umbrella’, i.e. a
‘parasol’. In Thai, the word rom (ร่ม) is used, which also means
‘shade’, i.e. a sunshade or parasol, yet special umbrellas and
parasols for royalty and priests are referred to as klot (กลด),
whereas multi-layered umbrellas held over honorary figures are
called chat (ฉัตร), from the Sanskrit chattra (छत्त्र). In northern
Thailand rom thong (ร่มทอง), i.e. ‘golden parasols’, are very
popular, used both as decorative items and as symbols in Lan
Na-style festivals. Though also cotton is becoming increasingly
popular, in Thailand and Myanmar parasols are traditionally produced
on a skeleton made of bamboo and wood, and with a screen made from
either kradaat sah (กระดาษสา), i.e. paper made from bark of the
paper mulberry tree, or from silk. Traditionally, they are usually
painted, frequently with elaborate designs, especially when made in
Bo Sang. In Buddhism, the parasol is one of the Ashtamangala (अष्टमंगल),
i.e. the eight auspicious symbols, as well as one of the eight
borikaan (บริขาร), i.e. the permitted possessions of Buddhist monks.
In Thailand, the Burmese monk Shin Thiwali (ရှင်သီဝလ) is referred to
as Phra Siwalih (พระสิวลี) and is typically depicted carrying a
closed klot, a monk's umbrella, over his shoulder, whilst U Shwe Yo
(ဦးရွှေရိုး), a Burmese comical character, is usually depicted
holding a small hand-painted parasol called Pathein (ပုသိမ်ထီး).
Besides this, certain Buddhist offerings in Myanmar and northern
Thailand use miniature paper parasols called hti (ထီး), and in both
Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, the ferocious goddess Ushnisha
Sitatapatra (उष्णीष सितातपत्र/सितातपतत्रा) has a white umbrella,
known in Sanskrit as Sitatapatra (सितातपत्र/सितातपतत्रा), as her
attribute. Bo Sang allegedly owes its umbrella making heritage to a
local monk identified only as Phra Inthaa (พระอินถา), who according
to an inscription on his statue in the garden of the Umbrella Making
Centre in Bo Sang, lived ‘hundreds of years ago’. According to
folklore, this monk went on a thudong (ธุดงค์), i.e. a special
journey by Buddhist clergymen that may include a kind of walking
meditation, to Burma. There, he was given a hand-made paper umbrella
to protect him from the sun. When he consequently visited the
village where the umbrella was made, he realized that Bo Sang had
access to the bamboo and other materials required to make such
umbrellas and he soon realized that this could provide a way for
farmers in his home village to supplement their income. Hence, he
carefully educated himself about the techniques and skills required
to make such umbrellas and upon his return passed this knowledge on
to the local people.
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