On Monday night, the world says farewell to what can only be described as an eventful 2018 and starts the countdown to what we all hope will be a better year.

So take time out with your loved ones and experience magical moments at the many colourful celebrations being held both in Thailand and neighbouring countries.

Here are some places to have fun welcoming the Year of Pig.

Iconsiam

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) joins up with Iconsiam and communities living by the river for the “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019”, featuring a stunning show of fireworks to usher in the New Year.

Taking place at the new shopping mall on the theme “The River of Prosperity”, the event is a tribute to the Chao Phraya River, regarded as national iconic landmark and one of the world’s celebrated destinations. More than 130,000 visitors are expected to join the festivities.

Iconsiam’s River Park will serve as the main event space and business operators, hotels and owners of historic properties in the area have also collaborated to organise a wide range of activities. Visitors will be enthralled by enter?tainment, live music and that magnificent firework display, which will be divided into five different themes each lasting five minutes.

Five barges will be stationed at different spots along the river to shoot the fireworks that will span 1,400 metres, making the show the largest firework display to be performed across the river. Prime locations for watching include the Peninsula, Millennium Hilton, Shangri-La Hotel, Mandarin Oriental and Royal Orchid Sheraton hotels as well as Sathorn Bridge, His Majesty the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary Park, Sathorn Pier, Marine Police Station 2, Khlong San Pier, a parking space near Sampeng, the Communication Authority of Thailand office, Bang Rak branch, the Suwan Pier, the SCB and 19th-century Chinese mansion Lhong 1919.

Also not to be missed is the masked dance khon performance of the “Phra Rama Krong Mueng” episode, which celebrates Phra Rama’s return to Ayodhaya. Celebrities booked to join the event include Ton Tanasit, Aim Sathida, Boat Siriroj from True Academy Fantasia, Ice Siphoom The Voice, Hunz The Star, Gel Sopitcha, Kangsom, Rit, Gam Witchayanee, Kan Naphat, Tong Tong, Bright, Zern and Frank from GMM Grammy.

For details, visit http://www.Tat.or.th

One Siam 

OneSiam – the collective name for Bangkok shopping malls Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery – is aglow with radiant lights and attractive art installations until January 6.

Singers Popetorn Soonthornyanakij, Jetrin Wattanasin and Burin Boonvisut will be at Parc Paragon on December 31 to lead the New Year countdown.

Inspired by the Northern Lights, the art installations across OneSiam assume marvellous crystalline shapes and glitter like an Arctic glacier, with Santa’s elves along for the ride.

Tomorrow and Monday, perform?ers from Europe will be entertaining shoppers. Theatre Tol from Belgium combines popular seasonal tales with bicycle stunts. The Romantic Carillion from Italy works magic on the piano as ballerinas dance. And Teatro Pavana from the Netherlands, its members clad in red silk, will pres?ent “Danzanti”, elegant yet rapid dance moves to upbeat music.

Each of the three malls has a Christmas tree that suits its charac?ter. At Siam Paragon is a 15-metre-tall Crystal Tree radiating colourful light to illuminate the Crystal Walk out front, with its own tunnel of lights.

The tree at Siam Center is a con?struction of triangular prisms form?ing the shape of a pyramid. It was inspired by the kinetic, futuristic installations of Pantone, whose works are currently on display at the mall. There’s also an Elf Forest and Elf Village. Siam Discovery has the Circular Living Recycled Christmas Tree to promote environmental con?scientiousness. It’s made of reused materials, including thousands of CD cases, and stands 10 metres high. Visitors are welcome to decorate it with their own recyclable materials.

Learn more at http://www.OneSiam.com.

Central World

Central Pattana and Advanced Info Service (AIS) are welcoming the Year of Pig with the Thailand & AIS Bangkok Countdown 2019 that runs from 6.30pm to 12.30am at Central World.

True to its theme “Eclipse of Time”, visitors will get a 360-degree enter?tainment experience, featuring a light-and-sound extravaganza along with spectacular fireworks that will be broadcast live on AIS channels and on the panOramix, the world’s largest digital interactive screen.

More than 200 popular artists and DJs from all over Asia will take it in turns to rock the town. The line-up includes Da Endorphine, J Jetrin and his son Jao-Nai, Joey Boy, Potato, 25 Hours, SB Five, BNK48, James Jirayu, Taew Natapohn, Peck Palitchoke, Bella Ranee, Toey Jarinpohn, and Put Puttichai.

In southern Thailand, Central Phuket is organising the International Countdown 2019 with a list of renowned international EDM DJs and popular Thai artists taking the stage.

Find out more at http://www.CentralWorld.co.th.

Ratchaprasong 

Entrepreneurs around Ratchaprasong district have joined forces to host the Ratchaprasong Lighting & Countdown 2019 that boasts amazing lights, a truly festive mood and Eat-Pray-Stay-Shop activ?ities.

Many of the high-rises are adorned with striking lighting effects to cre?ate colourful festive vibes in down?town Bangkok. Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard presents the “Beautiful Bangkok 2019 light-and-sound projection show on the elegant 60-storey building and the Symphony of Happiness event high?lights a musical performance by Rudklao Amratisha and a grand cho?rus, whose powerful voices will move both hearts and minds.

Amarin Plaza teams up with Rabbit Card and Rabbit Line Pay to present amazing light decorations together with impressive light-and-sound performances. There’s also the Amarin Villa de Rabbit at Ratchaprasong with gleeful activities and hand out gifts.

Designed on the Gaysorn Christmas Courtyard theme, Gaysorn Centre sets up the Gaysorn Cocoon Dropoff zone on the first floor to ensure visitors enjoy shopping, eat?ing and taking photos, while a giant Christmas tree and decorations light up the venue and lift the spirits.

Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel organises the 11th charity Christmas tree decoration contest with proceeds from the event going to Friends in Need (of Pa) Volunteers Foundation and the Thai Red Cross.

King Power

The newly opened Mahanakhon SkyWalk –Thailand’s highest 360-degree observation deck – at King Power Mahanakhon Building is a new venue to countdown to the New Year.

The 74th floor is home to indoor observation desk, which is hosting a Sunset package from 4 to 7.30pm at Bt1,250 per person including a soft drink, DJ and live entertainment.

The Countdown package from 9 to 1am invites guests to countdown to 2019 with DJ spinning, live band, games and entertainment show. The price is Bt2,800 per person including a free flow soft drinks and one glass of Prosecco to be enjoyed with canapes and oysters.

Photo/ EPA-EFE

The building’s outdoor observation deck on the 78th floor also offers s Sunset package for Bt4,000 per person with live music and DJ entertainment. The ticket includes two glasses of champagne and canapes.

The Countdown package is set at Bt12,000 per person and guests will countdown to 2019 with glow in the dark tables, a Swan Lake ballet show on the Glass Tray, lighting show, live band, DJ entertainment and a balloon releasing celebration at midnight. The package includes two glasses of champagne, an oyster bar and canapes.

Book at http://www.KingPowerMahanakhon.co.th or call (02) 677-8721 extension 4045.

Pattaya

Pattaya and Mono 29 will turn Laem Bali Hai into a fun venue for the two-day Pattaya Countdown 2019: Universe of Entertainment event that starts from 5pm.

Tomorrow night, visitors will enjoy a free concert by Room 39, Ben Chalathit, Stamp Aphiwat, Singto Namchok, Rose Sirinthip, Lamun Band and Tao Somchai.

On Monday, the celebration kicks off with an exciting boxing match from the Mono 29 Top King World Series 2019 and follows up with a con?cert by Eh Jirakorn, Nakarin “Pang” Kingsak, Retrospect, Tony Phee and Blue Gents, while the sky will be illu?minated at midnight with a 15-minute firework display.

Find out more by calling the Pattaya Contact Centre at 1337.

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Tourism Board is planning a spectacular “pyromusical” for the New Year countdown, light?ing up the sky above Victoria Harbour.

The 10-minute show of pyrotech?nics set to stirring music will begin just as the clock strikes midnight and the landmark Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre will display the numerals “2019” and New Year blessings in various lan?guages on its facade. The celebration of light and music culminates as the “Celestial Kaleidoscope” dazzles Hong Kong with brilliant flashes of colour and morphing patterns, end?ing with 45 different patterns of fire?works in one minute. It’s the work of an Italian specialist, all choreo?graphed in synchrony with the festive soundtrack, highlighted by tradi?tional Chinese music. From 11pm, spectators can also make wish on the pyrotechnic shooting stars launched from the rooftops of high-rise build?ings around the harbour.

Find out more at http://www.DiscoverHongkong.com/countdown

Singapore

Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay will hold a countdown celebration on the theme “Bay of Hopes and Dreams” including light projections, a concert, food truck festival, and bazaar. And at midnight, Avex Group will light up the sky with multi-sensory fireworks and the light show Star Island Singapore Countdown Edition, fea?turing pyrotechnics and lasers, 3D surround sounds, and exciting per?formances. The Star Island show will be held at The Float @ Marina Bay where entry tickets can be purchased.

And until next month, Orchard Road remains illuminated with Disney’ characters on the theme “Disney Magical Moments” inviting visitors to snap a few shots with Elsa and Anna from “Frozen”, Mickey Mouse & Friends, Pixar’s Toy Story, Ariel and Cinderella.

Learn more at http://www.Stb.gov.sg or http://www.VisitSingapore.com.

Taiwan

Christmasland is back and boasts the biggest 3D projection mapping light shows until January 1.

Designed on the theme of Space and Planets, New Taipei City sees 45 high-end projectors being used to project 3D mapping light shows to a total area of about the size of 17.6 bas?ketball courts, including the Christmas trees.

Some 900 tubes of RGB pixel-con?trolled LEDs, each of which can deliv?er 256 colours, are installed at the cloister on the second floor of the New Taipei City Hall. Provided by Germany’s Madrix, the advanced pixel-controlled lighting system is utilised to create a gigantic circular screen that runs from the New Taipei City Hall to the Christmas tree.

The master of best sound effects shortlisted by the Golden Horse Awards is responsible for making soundtracks for the main light shows. This year’s decorations come in a rose-golden colour to create a roman?tic atmosphere and four different colours are used in the four light zones, namely the romantic Rose Golden Star Overpass, the dream-like Pink Star Overpass, the Galaxy Star Overpass in cold-white, and the Blue Light Star Overpass.

New York artist Jen Lewin is show?casing her interactive light-and-shadow art installation at The Pool. The vivid and delicate changes of light and shadow projected from more than 40,000 light bulbs in 360 degrees go up and down with the exciting music, turning the flat 3D light sculpture into stereoscopic 3D, which surrounds the audience and subverts the imagination.

Also available is the Fantasy Planet, a giant ball-like artwork made with more than 100,000 LED lights that performs a brilliant light show from 5.30 to 10pm.

Find out more at https://Christmasland.ntpc.gov.tw/en/.

 Thai consumers are increasingly communicating through online channels, especially the Line application, which now has more than 42 million Thai users. Johnson & Johnson has thus expanded its communication channel to customers across the country who are regularly using smartphones and Line so that they can keep up with new promotions and contact the brand directly. This can help the brand give out product information as well as special promotions.

Initial features that the brand will offer through the Line Official Account is a welcome new wearer program. The welcome offers include Bt400 eVoucher discount on their first purchase with a minimum of 2 boxes, follow through with a second eVoucher valued Bt500 for their next purchase with a minimum at 4 boxes of Johnson & Johnson’s premium contact lenses category.

Both eVouchers can be redeemed at 120 optical stores certified as “Acuvue Experience Center”, located in Bangkok and its vicinity, at upcountry shops in Chon Buri, Chiang Mai and Phuket.

In addition, through the Acuvue Line Official Account, customers can communicate and seek advice from Johnson & Johnson Eye Care Professionals about basic eye health care as well as get recommendations on choosing the right contact lenses and how to properly take care of the lenses through a personal chat function. Another highlight feature is the “Acuvue Experience Centre” list for consumers to receive eye care services including primary eye examination, contact lens recommendation, and free contact lens trial before purchasing at the certified optical stores.

The online store, which can be found at https://th.sennheiser.com features Sennheiser’s premium quality, German-engineered headphones, which range in price from less than Bt1,000 for an entry level set of headphones designed for smartphone use to more than Bt70,000 for a set of luxury, open back headphones created for true audiophiles.

The Sennheiser store also features special exclusive promotions and new products, including the new Momentum True Wireless earphones, launched last month in Thailand.

Martin Low, managing director at Sennheiser Electronic Asia, said the Sennheiser official online store was launched following several years of steady sales growth in Thailand.

“Sennheiser’s new online store was created to provide Thai shoppers with a convenient and cost-effective way to purchase our products, he told reporters. “We know that Thai people are tech savvy, very comfortable with e-commerce and we also see that Thais love quality products. Everything we do is focused on bringing convenience and quality to our customers. Launching this online store was a natural progression for our business in Thailand.”

Sennheiser provides a wide range of head phones for gaming, sports, travel, home use – as well as professional grade headphones for studio use and DJs.

“Customers will receive their products within one or two days after placing the order from most areas nationwide,” Low added, noting that the new online store would help to advance distribution on a nationwide level. Sennheiser is also exploring options to open a flagship store in Bangkok in 2019.

The year of the dog will soon leave us, and since we still haven’t heard any good news about our general election, let’s stay on that tone and begin with a piece of sad news.

After more than a decade of being home to cutting-edge dance and theatre performances of many different styles and with various contents, in addition to workshops and other events not just for the collective of artists who run it, Democrazy Theatre Studio in Soi Saphan Khu off Rama IV Road, has closed its doors. The collective with the same name remains intact though and is operating at full force. In one piece of good news, Democrazy’s latest production “The Retreat”, which premiered at and was co-produced by Bangkok Art and Culture Centre’s (BACC) 7th Performative Art Festival (PAF), has been invited to Tokyo Performing Arts Meeting (TPAM) in Yokohama, Asia’s largest gathering of international producers and presenters, next February.

“Gala” by Jerome Bel

I’m not the only theatre-goer who will also miss eating at the unique Beijing-style Chinese restaurant near Democrazy. I’m also not the only one whose memory of B-Floor Theatre’s “Sawan Arcade”, a solo performance by Ornanong Thaisriwong last January is still fresh.

“The Retreat” by Democrazy Theatre

The experience of entering the studio space in total darkness and not knowing what we’re stepping on is unforgettable – and it’s not a mere theatrical gimmick. It also shows how directors and designers who’ve been using this small studio make sure that they’re having fun with it and using it in the best way to fit their works. B-Floor has submitted this work for presentation at the Theatertreffen’s Stuckemarkt in Berlin next May, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed at press time.

“God of Carnage” by New Theatre Society

It’s noteworthy that after the closing of B-Floor Room at the Pridi Banomyong Institute in late 2017, Thailand’s premier physical theatre collective has been homeless. However, their work-in-progress presentation of “Trance” at the Goethe-Institut auditorium and the revival of “Manoland”, the curtain raiser of Bangkok Theatre Festival (BTF) 2018 at BACC, which is soon to be seen in Tokyo, prove that they’re still a major force and that they can adjust their performance to fit different spaces. The fact that this year Teerawat Mulvilai joined his coartistic director as a Silpathorn artist is further evidence. This is notwithstanding the fact that this year we’ve seen B-Floor members on screen and in other companies’ works more frequently.

Another performance space that has closed after only a year of operation is Syrup the Space near the New Phetchaburi Road end of Soi Thonglor. And this proves that not all corners of this commercially bustling area is prime location, especially when its parking lot makes you feel like you’re in a horror movie at the end of the evening performance.

“Make Love Not War” by Circle Theatre

Meanwhile at the other end of the same soi, Thong Lor Art Space (TLAS), while less prolific this year and rumoured to have an uncertain future, has delighted audiences with the revival of veteran playwright Daraka Wongsiri’s “Crimson Rose”, featuring many commendable performances by female actors, as well as New Theatre Society’s deft tradaptation of Yasmina Reza’s “God of Carnage”, with a to-die-for acting foursome. In November, the audience also enjoyed Cocoism’s “Still Air”, whose trip here was made possible with the support from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture (MOC) and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand (TECOT). To keep a good balance in cultural exchange, a month before TLAS’s mixed media performance “Bloom/Wilt/Beauty”, Silpathorn artist and playwright Nikorn Saetang’s collaboration with Japanese florist Takashi Okito seen here in March, was at the TuaTiuTiann International Festival of Arts in the Taiwan capital. With Taiwan’s southbound policy, we can expect this twoway traffic in cultural exchanges for years to come.

Protreptic by Despina Zacharopoulou – MAI’s “A Possible Island”

Early in the year, Chang Theatre, in Thung Khru district of Thon Buri, announced a year-long programme by the Pichet Klunchun Dance Company but unfortunately that was derailed by a serious injury suffered by a member of the troupe. Otherwise, the theatre has offered several good opportunities to see not only works from the repertoire like “Pichet Klunchun and Myself” and “Black and White”, before their new work next year, but also new work like Jerome Bel’s “Gala” which questions both the meaning and purpose of dance and who can dance by working with a unique ensemble of performers and non-performers. The theatre received substantial support from the Culture Ministry’s Office of Contemporary Arts and Culture (OCAC) for some productions but not others. The free-admission shows made it quite confusing for the audience to decide which show they should watch and many are wondering why contemporary performing arts works that receive government support cannot charge for tickets. Pichet himself was constantly prolific; working with FrenchLao choreographer Ole Kamchanla in “Negotiation” in France, and later on another new work at Festival/Tokyo. Thanks to Taiwan’s MOC and TECOT, his collaboration with Taiwanese artist Chen Wu Kang on an intercultural dance dialogue titled “Behalf” can be seen next year not only in Taiwan and Thailand, but also in France and Belgium.

“Primo” by Alfredo Zinola and Felipe Gonzalez

The trend of staging performance in art galleries has gathered steam over the last year. In addition to Yelo House, near BACC, and Buffalo Bridge Gallery, near the Saphan Khwai intersection, a few others have joined the cause, although some are so far away from the main road or a BTS/MRT station that they turned off theatre-goers. And with this trend, there’s a small yet noteworthy attempt to bridge the gap between visual and performing arts, as new collective of drama graduates Circle Theatre’s “Make Love, Not War” was a small exhibition by day and an oneact play by night at BACC.

While the closing of the three-screen complex Lido was sad news for film lovers, word is that it’s being renovated as a small cultural centre, with a movie theatre, a concert hall and a blackbox theatre. That sounds like a silver lining for theatre makers, except some sceptics are already voicing concern that the last one may not bring as much income as the other two, especially in such a prime location where the landlord focuses on maximising profits.

As many have predicted, it’s relatively quiet in the large playhouses at the moment and the only notable new musical is Dreambox’s “Son” at M Theatre.

“Son”, a new musical by Dreambox

In fact, the infrastructure problem of contemporary Thai performing arts has been a major issue for years and perhaps it’s time for OCAC to step in and effectively solve this, the same way their foreign counterparts have been doing. Let’s hope that the new theatre complex behind Thailand Cultural Centre will be an answer and let’s not forget that artists also need rehearsal studios to create their works not just stages to perform on.

In terms of festivals, the second edition of the biannual Bangkok’s International Children’s Theatre Festival (BICTfest), by Arts on Location and Democrazy, was joyful, and not just for kids. With strong support from the French Embassy, Goethe Institut, Japan Foundation and BACC, audiences watched performances, while practitioners attended workshops and seminars, from many countries. This is yet more proof that when cultural organisations join forces, instead of curating their own festivals like our MOC, the impact is stronger.

“Pratthana” by Chelfitsch Theatre

In a breakup of sorts in the making, last year BTF and Bangkok’s International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM) were organised by the same team. That wasn’t the case this year, although the latter, drawing more regional producers in 2018, was scheduled in the former’s final week. Next year, BIPAM will precede BTF, making sure that international producers can stay on to watch more performances and network with more colleagues.

A major surprise was “A Possible Island?” consisting of eight eight-hour durational performances by the Marina Abramovic Institute (MAI), as part of the inaugural Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) at BACC, which saw audience numbers break records for both MAI and BACC, and even sparked a rumour that the Serbian master herself will return to perform here. It’s evident that Thai arts audiences are more open-minded than many think and that, like in many countries, galleries and museums are no longer exclusively for visual arts, and that interdisciplinary collaboration is not simply a trend, but a way forward.

“Manoland” by B-Floor Theatre

There have been more significant international collaborations than before, thanks to support from, for example, the Wa project of Japan Foundation’s Asia Centre and Saison Foundation. The year’s most exciting stage work was clearly “Pratthana—A Portrait of Possession”, internationally acclaimed Japanese playwright and director Toshiki Okada’s stage adaptation of Silpathorn writer and SEA Write laureate Uthis Haemamool’s 2017 novel “Rang Khong Pratthana” (“Silhouette of Desire”). The play, with a Thai cast and a Japanese crew, premiered at Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts in August and was staged at Centre Pompidou as part of Festival d’automne a Paris. It will be in Tokyo next year.

Last but never least, our thanks go to all the artists whose limitless creativity and experimental spirit keep our stages alive throughout most of the year. We will continue to support your work and let’s work together, hopefully with government support, to not only develop the infrastructure for performing arts but also audiences.

An essential accessory for all watch lovers, Swiss Kubik’s watch winders are now available on the Thai market.

Brought to Thailand by TKI Group, the watch winders are a natฌural complement to your watch, guaranteeing its durability by ensuring that its mechanisms are never interrupted.

The Group, which also repreฌsents Patek Philippe, Montegrappa pens and Scatola del Tempo watch winders in Thailand, hosted the opening of Swiss Kubik’s flagship store at Siam Paragon. Eric Caudrelier Benac, managing partner of SwissKubik SA and coowner of Elix Holdings that owns both SwissKubik and Scatola Del Tempo, flew to Bangkok for the special event.

He personally introduced the high technology of each watch winder, a perfect 10centimetre cube integrated with ultrasophisฌticated technology as well as the stylish design of the Masterbox range.

“Thanks to a decade of watchฌmaking passion, our 100percent Swissmade watch winders are designed and manufactured by hand with the greatest care to showcase your watches and proฌtect their movement,” he told guests at the event. “They are a natural complement to your watch, guarฌanteeing its durability by ensuring that its mechanisms are never interrupted. Indeed, to ensure preฌcision and prolong its life, an autoฌmatic watch must always be in motion. Customisable to meet your needs, our watch winders are decฌorated in an innovative or classic way, always using the finest mateฌrials. With elegance and moderniฌty, they match your watch dependฌing on its shape, colour or strap material. Decorative objects in their own right, they allow you to see your watch working. They are highprecision objects that provide your watch with the care it deserves when you place it in your safe.”

Constantly improving products by collaborating with the most experienced Swiss artisans and using the best materials, Swiss Kubik is now offering the sixth genฌeration of mechanisms with techฌnical characteristics that are unique in terms of their reliability and performance. The watch winders make 1,900 revolutions per day – 950 in each direction. This frequency corresponds to the majority of automatic watches on the market. The rate can also be customised to guarantee that rewinding is perfectly adapted to each watch.

Thanks to the high performance of Swissmade mechanisms, the watch winders benefit from a threeyear international guaranฌtee.

Two simple 1.5 volt alkaline batฌteries are enough to ensure their operation. The Masterbox range can also be powered by the mains.

Available in two sizes: normal and small, the watch holders are held in place by a locking system.

“Each watch winder is assemฌbled by hand, and all our suppliers are located no further than 50 km from our factory.

It is of great importance to us that our providers are motivated by the love of a job well done and share with us the same rigour. Each of them knows that it is essential to take good care of a watch and to provide it with these formidable tools that ensure durability of our watch winders,” Caudrelier said.

Many will make offerings of flowers before it, some will have their photograph taken in front of it, others will sit in silent awe reflecting on the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha. Although this fine statue seems to be an organic and integral part of the Temple it was not originally made for it and is actually many centuries younger than it. So what is the story behind this iconic statue and how did it get to where it is today?

For several centuries after the Buddha there was no temple at Bodh Gaya, just the Bodhi tree with a railing, a type of fence, around it. Eventually, a temple of wood and brick was built around the Bodhi tree, something like the Bodhi tree shrine at Punchi Borella Junction. This shrine was enlarged and repaired many times over the next several centuries. The oldest Buddha statue ever found at Bodh Gaya, now badly damaged, dates from the year 283 CE and may have been made for this shrine, Buddha statues were just coming into vogue at about this time. Prior to this the Buddha was only depicted symbolically, as a pair of footprints, a wheel, an empty throne, etc.

Exactly when the present Mahabodhi Temple was built is not certain but it was probably at the beginning of the 4th century CE. We know from inscriptions and the accounts of pilgrims that a Buddha statue of great beauty was made for the temple. It was known as the Image of the True Face because it was believed to be an actual portrait of the Buddha. For about 700 years this Buddha statue sat on the altar in the sanctum of the Mahābodhi Temple and was the most revered of all the many statue to be seen at Bodh Gayā. There is no record of when this statue disappeared, possibly at some time during the Islamic conquest of Bihar or in the subsequent decades. The last record we have of it dates from 1413 when Achariya Sariputra, the last abbot of Bodh Gaya, gave its dimensions to the Tibetans so they could make a copy of it. After this we hear no more of it. When the English surveyor Francis Buchanan visited Bodh Gaya in December 1811 there was a statue in the Mahabodhi Temple which he said was made of brick and plaster and which he described as crude and artless; it may have been made as a substitute for the original.

The statue in the sanctum of the Mahābodhi Temple which the pilgrim sees today dates from the 10th or 11th century. Carved out of black chlorite stone it is a particularly fine example of Pala period sculpture, capable of evoking admiration in the tourist and devotion in the Buddhist pilgrim. It depicts the Buddha in the earth-touching gesture and rather than the usual double-lotus throne it sits on a patterned cushion. On the plinth below this cushion are five niches divided from each other by small pillars. The two outer niches contain lions and the next two contain elephants. In the central niche Paṭhavi, the Earth Goddess, is shown rising from the ground, holding a vase of jewels and witnessing the Buddha’s victory over ignorance. All these figures and the pillars are in high relief. Directly below the niches is a partly damaged inscription in two lines providing some information about the statue. The first line is the usual the Epitome of Dependant Origination (Dhamma Pariyaya) always used in ancient India to consecrate images. The second part says that the statue was donated by one Sri Purṇabhadra, son of Samanta and grandson of Dharma of the Chhinda family. It seems he had constructed a small temple at Bodh Gaya and installed three statues in it, including the one now under discussion, with the assistance of Acharya Jayasena. The Chhindas were minor feudal lords who ruled the area around Gaya in about the 10th and 11th centuries. Jayasena is mentioned in another inscription as having donated land to the Sri Lankan monks at Bodh Gaya. There is no way of knowing exactly where at Bodh Gaya Sri Purṇabhadra built the small temple in which he enshrined this and the two other statues.

By the middle of the 19th century the Mahabodhi Temple was badly ruined and in serious need of repair and in 1880 the British Indian government decided to do just that. The well-known and experienced engineer Joseph Beglar was given the task of carrying out these repairs. After he had finished the outside to the temple his next step was to repair the inside, the inner sanctum. Having done this he realized that his task would be incomplete if the sanctum was left empty; the altar needed a statue on it. He examined the many statues lying around Bodh Gaya but most were either damaged, too small or of bodhisattvas rather than of the Buddha, but eventually he located a suitable one. The image was disfigured by whitewash and lime plaster which required a great deal of effort to scrape off. With the cleaning completed the majesty of the statue became apparent; its surface was smooth and shiny and its countenance serene. Beglar has left us no details concerning how he moved the statue into the Mahabodhi Temple but it would have required a great deal of manpower and considerable care; it is a large sculpture, over three meters high and weighs a ton or more. It was finally maneuverered into the temple, winched up above the altar, suspended exactly over the position where it was to be placed, and then slowly lowered onto it. Today Sri Purṇabhadra’s Buddha is covered with gold paint and its facial features are painted in Tibetan style. While this obscures the statue’s original character it does not detract from the powerful impression it leaves on those who come to Bodh Gaya.

CONVERTIBLE computers have soared in popularity since being pioneered by Lenovo a few years ago and now the Beijing-based tech company is satisfying the mobile generation once again with the release of the Yoga 730-131KB 2-in-1.

It’s powered by the latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and is positively skinny at just 14.1mm thin. Weighing in just 1.19 kg – 13-per-cent lighter than previous models – and boasting 11.5 hours of battery life, the Yoga 730 is the most mobile computer to date.

It looks good too with its polished and durable anodised aluminium casing in Iron Grey.

The Yoga 730 runs on Windows 10 Pro edition and its performance packs a powerful punch thanks to the processor, which runs at 1.80GHz, the fast 8 gigabytes DDR4 2,400 MHz working memory or RAM and the 512 GB PCIe SSD storage.

It uses Intel UHD Graphics 620, which shares the RAM, and boasts a 13.3-inch Full HD IPS Anti-Glare multi-touch display with 1920×1080 pixel resolution. The screen is bright too with 300 nits.

The display is great for viewing photos and watching HD video clips. During the test, I found the Yoga 730 played HD video clips smoothly and I enjoyed watching movies streamed from iflix.com.

The immersive sounds are good too, thanks to Dolby Atmos, which creates a three-dimensional audio space when you listen through headphones. It also comes with JBL speakers.

The laptop handled business applications fast and smoothly. I had no problem using Microsoft Office and browsing websites during the test.

The Yoga series is renowned for its convertible design. Like other models in the series, the Yoga 730 can be folded back on its keyboard for use as a tablet computer.

When in tablet mode, the Yoga 730 can be used with an optional Lenovo Active Pen 2, which is sold separately for Bt1,990.

The Active Pen 2 provides the natural feel of a pen-on-paper experience and comes with 4,096 levels of pen sensitivity. The stylus connects to the Yoga 730 using Bluetooth connection.

The Yoga 730 comes with a fingerprint reader that allows you to log in and make secure payments through PayPal fast via the Windows Hello function.

The laptop can be connected to fast wireless network using Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2×2) adapter. I tested it on my Linksys EA8500 Wi-Fi router and can confirm that the Yoga 730 is quick when it comes to Internet browsing.

The Yoga 730 comes with both Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Cortana voice-enabled AI assistants.

You can use Cortana on your Yoga 730 during the day to schedule meetings, get reminders, search and send emails and manage to-do lists with just your voice.

Do be aware though that some Alexa features are not available in Thailand though I had no trouble using it to dim the lights and turn up the music.

Far-field microphones make it easy for Alexa and Cortana to listen and respond even from across the room. You can now do thousands of things with just your voice as Alexa and Cortana continue to get smarter, adding more apps and skills to help you save time at work and at home.

The Yoga 730 comes with dual Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports on the left side. The ports offer swift and versatile connection to high-res display, high-performance data devices, and more.

The USB-C ports can also be used to recharge the battery at speeds. Apart from having 11.5 hours of battery life, the Yoga 730 supports Rapid Charge technology, which give you two hours of use from just 15 minutes of charging.

The laptop also provides a full-size USB 3.0 port on the right side and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left.

The Yoga 730 also comes with 720 HD webcam with dual array microphone for sharp and clear video calling.

Lenovo Yoga 730-131KB 2-in-1 has a suggested retail price of Bt45,900.

>> Processor: 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U Processor 1.80GHz

>> Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

>> Display: 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Anti-Glare |Multi-touch

>> Graphics: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620

>> Memory: 8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz (Onboard)

>> Storage: 512 GB PCIe SSD

>> Battery: Up to 11.5 hours

>> Audio: JBL speakers; Dolby Atmos with headphones

>> Camera: 720p HD with dual array microphone

>> Ports/Slots: 2 x Type-C Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, Audio jack

>> Connectivity: 802.11 AC |(2 x 2) + Bluetooth 4.1

>> Weight: 1.19 kg)

>> Dimensions (H x W x D): 306.8 x 216.3 x 14.1 (mm)

BAN PLAINERN was for more than three decades the residence of a great master of Siamese art, Prince Narisara Nuvadtivongs, the 62nd son of King Mongkut (Rama IV).

The wonderful old residential compound on a tranquil lane off the road now called Rama IV later belonged to MC Karnika Chitrabongs, youngest daughter of Prince Naris, until her death in 2015.

Another generation of the Chitrabongs family took over and ordered extensive renovations that began in March and will continue into next spring. The aim is to make the compound a hub for artists and anyone else who has a passion for classical Thai art.

The Western-style brick house contains a veritable treasure trove of Prince Naris’ art collections and personal items. 

The annual open house will return next April 28 and 29, a great chance to admire the buildings, art and artefacts. MR Kalaya Tingsabadh, Prince Naris’ granddaughter, this week hosted a press tour showing the work in progress.

It was also an opportunity to discuss the family’s problems with a development project planned next door.

“Prince Naris lived here until his last day in 1947,” Kalaya explained. “After Unesco honoured him as a Person of International Importance in 1963, the family set up the Naris Foundation to support talented art students, and the following year we renovated the house for a Prince Naris birthday celebration, a fundraiser for the foundation.”

The open house will again feature performances of traditional Thai music and dance and a feast of royal cuisine, along with a wai khru ceremony at which art students will honour their teachers and art masters of the past.

“Last year we promoted the event on the social media and got about 2,000 visitors,” Kalaya said. “The turnout was so phenomenal that we decided to turn the house into an art hub.”

The neighbourhood dispute that’s arisen involves plans to build a high-rise condominium less than 24 metres from the compound. The Chitrabongs family has a petition at Change.org that’s so far collected 9,500 signatures.

“The project is too close to this historical site,” says ML Chittawadi Chitrabongs, Prince Naris’ great-granddaughter, an architect who’s in charge of renovating the estate.

Prince Naris and family moved in 1915 from Tha Phra Palace in Rattanakosin to Ban Plainern.

“We’re afraid the construction might put these 100-year-old buildings in danger. The condo is intended to have more than 400 residents. I don’t even want to imagine what might happen if anyone tosses a cigarette butt off their balcony!”

The history of Ban Plainern can be traced in three stages, the latest beginning in 2015.

Prince Naris, suffering health problems and weary of the chaotic development then rattling Rattanakosin Island in old Bangkok, built Tamnak Thai (Thai House) – known as Ban Plainern – in Khlong Toei in 1914. Two existing houses were transported to the site, the older of which once belonged to Phraya Ratchamontri. The other previously stood behind Wat Kalayanamitr Varamahavihara.

Merged into one residence, the building was elongated to help the breezes flow through. The living room was also the dining area and there was a brightly sunlit art studio. It had a corridor rather than an outdoor deck, and roof louvers set in place in such a way that wooden roof tiles were entwined with nails.

The conjoined structure was home to Prince Naris, his third wife MR To Ngon-rot and their six children.

Chittawadi said renovation so far has seen cement pillars replacing the original wood to strengthen the foundation and all the eaves removed to minimise humidity. “We’ve also improved the electrical and water-drainage systems,” she said.

MR To, seeking more convenience around the home, designed a two-storey Western-style brick house for Prince Naris and two of the daughters, with its own living room, dining room and bedrooms.

“Prince Naris’ bedroom was at one corner on the second floor,” Chittawadi pointed out. “Today it feels like a Prince Naris time capsule – it holds his funeral ashes, hair, fingernails, some of his sketches and all the items he used in daily life.”

The Prince conceived a mural for the ceiling of Phra Thinang Borom Phiman at the Grand Palace, depicting the Sun riding a carriage. 

During the second phase from 1947 to 2015, the property was divided into five parts and the Thai and brick houses were sealed off for conservation.

Newly added was Ruen Khun Ya, a residence designed by MC Yachai Chitrabongs that is famously remembered as the place Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn comes every week for lessons in Thai classical music.

Next to the brick house, MC Karnika Chitrabongs erected a building painted mint green where traditional dancing was taught and performed. Like a rehearsal hall for ballet, it has tall windows that overlook the garden and a pavilion where khon masked dance was taught.

“It was used as an art school where children learned classical dancing, khon and lakhon nai – the performance art of the royal court,” Kalaya said. “But the operation was terminated after His Majesty King Bhumibol passed away in 2016.”

The green house is for now a temporary gallery exhibiting Prince Naris’ art and collectibles, including his original sketches for the crematorium of King Rama VI.

The Prince’s sketch for the crematorium of King Rama VI 

You can also see a sketch of a talipot fan used at the coronation of King Rama VII, a valuable khon mask of Tossakan with a low-relief floral motif even on the back, and several personal items, among them a leather wallet, walking sticks and a daily appointment book.

“We’re making a list of the art and antiques in his bedroom,” said ML Trichak Chitrabongs. “We just discovered a mannequin that the Italian artist Corrado Feroci [later Silpa Bhirasri] made in Prince Naris’ likeness, as well as 298 art books that Prince Naris must have read.

“There’s also his sketchbook of ideas for his remarkable murals, like the Sun riding a horse-drawn carriage, which is depicted in the Grand Palace, and Lord Buddha descending from Heaven, which you can see at Wat Rachathiwat Ratchaworawihan.”

HISTORY NEVER GETS OLD

>> Ban Plainern is at 1164 Rama IV Road in Khlong Toei.

>> Learn more on the Naris Foundation page on Facebook.

XIAOMI Mi 8 Pro adds two key features to Xiaomi Mi 8 flagship smartphone – in-display fingerprint unlock and transparent back.

Like the Mi 8 I reviewed, Mi 8 Pro is a powerful smartphone with a good-quality dual rear camera system in a sleek design.

The Mi 8 Pro, like the flagship Mi 8, is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 AIE octa-core flagship processor with speeds up to 2.8GHz. It has good game performance thanks to a Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU with speeds up to 710MHz.

The Mi 8 Pro has 8 gigabytes of working memory or RAM and 128GB of UFS storage. It runs on Google’s Android 8.1.0 operating system.

I used AnTuTu Benchmark v7.1.1 to measure its performance and found that it got a high score of 284,365 points.

The Mi 8 Pro also has fast Internet connection speed. I tested it on TrueMove H’s LTE network and I found that applications were downloaded very fast and my snapshots were backed up to my Google Photos’s cloud storage in no time.

I used Ookla Speedtest app to measure the connection speed and I found that Mi 8 Pro got a download speed of 50.6Mbps and upload speed of 29.3Mbps. The location and time where and when the speed was measured could also affect the results due to the density of users of the mobile network at the moment.

The Mi 8 Pro comes with 6.21-inch AMOLED display with similar specifications to that of Mi 8 except the added in-display fingerprint reader.

The Mi 8 Pro’s display has 2248×1080-pixel resolution and it is bright with 430 nits of brightness. The display has a high contrast ratio of 60,000:1.

The display is very good for viewing photos and for enjoying HD movies, such as those played by TrueID TV and iFlix.

A fun thing that is added to the Mi 8 Pro is the futuristic pressure-sensitive in-display fingerprint unlock.

The Mi 8 Pro has a pressure-sensitive fingerprint sensor embedded on the display about two inches from the bottom where you can conveniently press your thumb to unlock the phone. The Mi 8 has a fingerprint reader at its back.

Unlike other in-display fingerprint technologies that waste energy by constantly pinging the screen to see if a finger is present, the dedicated pressure sensor only activates the unlocking process once you place your finger on the screen, which is faster and more power-efficient.

Mi 8 Pro comes in Transparent Titanium back that makes the phone look sleek. The transparent back cover allows you to see what lies beneath. You can see the battery, CPU and some chipsets under the transparent back cover.

Like the Mi 8, the Mi 8 Pro comes with an ultra-light-sensitive AI dual camera for the rear camera. The Mi 8 Pro uses the same Mi 8 camera system that got over 100 points from DxOMark, a popular camera-testing website.

The dual rear cameras have a 12MP wide-angle lens with f/1.8 aperture and four-axis optical stabiliser and a 12MP telephoto lens and portrait lens with f/2.4 aperture.

During the test, I found the rear camera captured beautiful photos of night scenes. Lights were captured beautifully with vivid colours and sharpness.

Its AI can detect 25 categories of objects and up to 206 different scenes. It worked effectively during my test.

The portrait mode also captured beautiful portraits with blurred backgrounds.

The front camera has 20MP resolution and comes with a “3D Beautiful” function for improving your look by adjusting some key elements of your face.

The Mi 8 Pro has a 3,000mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 4+. I could survive a day with one charge.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro has as suggested retail price of Bt19,900.

>> Networks: GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE

>> OS: Android 8.1.0

>> Processor: Snapdragon 845 AIE flagship processor, up to 2.8GHz

>> GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU, up to 710MHz

>> Memory: 8GB DDR4 RAM

>> Storage: 128GB UFS flash storage

>> Display: 6.21-inch AMOLED display with 2248×1080 pixels

>> Cameras: Rear: 12MP wide-angle lens, 4-axis optical stabiliser, f/1.8; 12MP telephoto lens, portrait lens, f/2.4; Front: 20 MP

>> Connectivity: WiFi 2×2 802.11ac, USB Type-C

>> Navigation: Simultaneously receives L1 /L5 frequency GPS signals

>> Sensors: Proximity sensor, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Electronic compass, Vibration motor, Barometer, Hall sensor, Ambient light sensor

>> Battery: 3,000 mAh with Quich Charge 4+

n Dimensions: 154.9×74.8×7.6mm

n Weight: 177g