An altar dedicated to the landowner god was set up in a corner of Tha Tien market

Altar in Tha Tien Market — Altar at Tha Tien Market

I was wandering around Tha Tien Market in Bangkok. The stores in the market were open but deserted with not many shoppers. Instead of the hustle and bustle, it was a good opportunity to ask the shopkeepers what they were selling in their spare time. I was curious to see what they were selling, as there were some items on display that I rarely see in Japan.

In the meantime, I came across a small square. At the edge of the square, there was an altar with a golden statue inside. On the pedestal is written "Landlord deity" in Chinese characters, which means that the statue is a guardian deity of this area, like a jinushigami god in Shintoism. It was probably placed there to pray for the prosperity of the market.

The god was dimly illuminated by lights on a dimly lit altar. The market was not in a very prosperous condition, so the god must be on a break. But then again, Bangkok is strongly influenced by Chinese culture. Even though Tha Tien Market is located far from Bangkok's Chinatown, the use of Chinese characters in the market reminded me of Chinese culture.

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