Monks should know better

It is appalling that a building containing pillars with valuable stucco works created by a national artist was demolished over the weekend at Wat Mahathat Worawihan in Phetchaburi province.
The decorations were created in 1993 by the late Thongruang Em-oat, a Phetchaburi native who was recognised as a master artist by the Phetchaburi art school.
He was the pride of Phetchaburi province and the country as a whole.
According to local news reports, the temple dismantled the old building, which served as a museum, to pave the way for a cafe, less than a year after his death.
In a bid to calm public anger, the temple designated the project as a “mixed-use building”.
However, construction has been suspended pending an investigation that is due to be launched by the Phetchaburi governor.
The temple’s abbot initially defended the new building, saying a development opportunity is like an ice cream that “will melt if not eaten”, which intensified public anger.
A number of locals reportedly stepped up calls for the abbot to be removed and transferred elsewhere.
Later, the monk apologised, saying the stucco works’ demolition was a mistake. In a bid to make peace with the public, he vowed to have the works remade.
The abbot represents a group of monks craving new construction projects, and most of the time, this harms what should be preserved. It is not unusual that they treat temples like their personal belongings.
It is also not the first time that monks have destroyed artworks or time-honoured buildings under the guise of development.
A prime example more than a decade ago was Wat Kalayanamitr in Bangkok. Not only did the temple’s abbot destroy the old buildings, he also evicted a local community who resisted his “development plans”.
The Fine Arts Department stepped in, but it was too late by then.
Monks’ lack of conservation awareness results in the loss of art and cultural heritage, as in the cases of Wat Mahathat and Wat Kalayanamitr.
Some destruction even occurred out of good faith, like at Wat Lai in Lop Buri, when the abbot there applied gold paint to the building’s outer surface — which was not only an eyesore but also harmful — while repairing the ubosot main hall years ago.
While cases of destruction abound, only a few appear in the media.
The loss of Khru Thongruang’s stucco works is a costly example, and the state needs to put measures in place to prevent this in the future.
To begin, the Culture Ministry must do more to provide intensive art education to those in saffron robes so they will stop such destructive behaviour.
They must appreciate cultural heritage and curb their lust for material development.
Regardless of personnel shortages, there needs to be strong surveillance systems at temples.
The ministry, through the Fine Arts Department and related agencies, must also offer support to local communities, equipping them with the knowledge they need to safeguard cultural heritage.
Back to Wat Mahathat in Phetchaburi, those responsible for the probe must get to the bottom of the issue and find out what really happened and who must be responsible.
This will be a crucial lesson for temples in other parts of the country.