Thai Crematories

In the year 2000 in a small village in northern Laos a local man asked me in his limited English what we in America do with dead people. I told him we bury them in the ground. He said, “Oh. We fry them.” After I explained the difference between ‘fry’ and ‘burn’ we both laughed a lot.

A classic and very cute Thai crematory out in the country but still on the grounds of a temple - way in the far corner.

I have noticed crematories in Thailand on other trips but for some reason I never paid a great deal of attention until now. It could be that as I get older they have more meaning to me! This trip I found myself riding into the grounds of just about every crematory I saw and by doing so I think I learned a little bit, as much as I could learn without a Thai person actually teaching me.

The crematories are almost always situated outside of the towns and not even near temples. They are out in the countryside near nature. I think the reason is mostly so that the odor of the smoke is not in the town itself where everyone would have to smell it. But possibly a side benefit of being located out in rural areas is that there is a soothing peacefulness in the forest.

The crematories all consist of the same buildings. There is the most important one, a small building where the body is burned and it always has a very tall but small diameter chimney. There is a nice covered area a bit away from the crematory with seating directly on the cement floor for mourners. Always at the far left corner of this building is a large Buddha image with all the accompanying shrine accouterments such as vases for flowers, incense, candles, matches. There might even be two of these areas, one with plastic chairs that are brought in the day of the funeral. And there is always a row of toilets in a separate building behind, (a benefit for us whenever we wheeled in to photograph the complex).

We started to take some of our breaks at these crematories, most likely something a Thai person would never do. Thais are very superstitious and would no doubt think that many spirits would be dwelling in such areas, maybe bad spirits as well and spirits that are stuck there not knowing how to move on - troubled spirits. I have never felt these spirits but I can understand there are those who can. I do feel residual sadness from the mourners and I can visualize them all dressed in nice black clothes, sad but also enjoying great home cooked food. The funerals are very similar to those in the West except for the body being burned while everyone eats and communes. The food and socializing serves as a distraction from what’s going on in that building with the tall chimney.

One reason I started doing a bit of a photo study of the Thai crematories is because the architecture of them is all slightly different from one another. They are all unique and I like that. It’s obviously up to the local builders to make the crematory building in the style of their choice but at the same time there must be some rules because they all seem to have certain similarities such as the figure above the oven door. The shape of the chimneys is also quite similar.

I think what might dictate the architecture is how wealthy the community is. Embellishments are found more often on crematories located near larger cities whereas when we were in the poorest areas the buildings were more basic. We even saw a couple crematories that were simply rectangular pits in the ground lined with bricks.

One time we entered a crematory grounds to find it all set for people to arrive for a funeral. I quickly took note of what had been done. We didn’t want to be there when people arrived because it would be too weird for everyone including ourselves. There was a tub of ice with soft drinks and a long table set up for food to be placed on. The covered building had cushions on the cement all in one long row with a roll of toilet paper in front of each cushion. There were also some interesting smelling jugs of some sort of chemical, oil or gas near the furnace. It must be what is used to start the fire. It was a very unusual smell, one that I’ve never smelled before. I have no idea what the liquid was.

This one was all set up ready for the ceremony any minute so I hustled around taking photos before any mourners arrived.

This is where the family members and friends closest to the deceased will sit. There is always a Buddha statue at the far left of this building. I don't know what the wound up cloth is for but since it is in this placement it must be important. It might be for a family member to wind onto the body (head?) soak it in oil and light it.

The oven door. There are always these rails leading into the chamber because the body is placed on some sort of gurney.

This praying figure is always on the oven door.

The back end and the tray in which the ashes fall.

Around the periphery of the crematories are small pagodas/chedis where ashes have been placed. They are either of monks or rich patrons of the temple - important people’s ashes. There are never very many of these structures and all seem to be old although they are never maintained after they have been built, again due to superstition surrounding ashes/spirits of a person. The tiny pagodas fall into ruin naturally by weather and the encroaching jungle or falling limbs. This fits well with the Buddhist tenet of impermanence and eventually the entire funerary vault will have gone back to nature. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…

These all have urns inside them full of someone's ashes.

When we were exploring the crematories we did so with reverence and respect. Some were beautiful spots right on the banks of the Mekong. Never were there people at these places because the Thais go there only for funerals. They are not like our cemeteries where people go to remember loved ones. Again, impermanence and letting go is the way of Buddhism. There is only ash left of the body which is normally scattered somewhere and, apart from the very few pagoda vaults for ashes, no plaques with names and dates. You are alive but when you have died your body, name and dates are not generally kept in Buddhist countries.

lovebruce

This one is in a city which is rare and it's a pretty big city thus the height of the chimney is extra tall.

This one started with a simple pit but then the building was built but they left the pit.

Easier to leave the pit than to get rid of it. And I suppose it could come in handy in the rare case that two bodies have to burned at the same time.

This one was unique. It's nicer than a pit but still there is no chimney but it has a roof.

This was the simplest one of all and it was one of my favorites because the crops were planted right up to it.

We took a break at this one five years ago and since then there have been new shelters built and the benches are all new and nice.

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Jen RahnThis is very interesting! The little crematories seem so personal and approachable compared to the big corporate crematories I've seen here.

I just looked up cremation stats for the US and rate was up to 50% in 2016 from just 5% in the 1970's.

A friend of ours said he's choosing alkaline hydrosis for disposal of his body when he dies, which was something I'd never heard of. According to a 2017 New York Times article, it's becoming a more common choice in the US.
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4 years ago

Bruce LellmanThe alkaline hydrosis just seems too strange for me. I'd rather be composted. Give some bugs indigestion.
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4 years ago