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Intellectual Cultural Heritage
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Lampang-style Funeral Pavilion
A funeral pavilion is used by the Lanna people to
house the body of the deceased, which goes into the
funeral pyre set up on the temple’s crematory ground or
at the edge of the jungle. In the past the pavilion was
crafted in the form of a
Hastiling
(a mythical bird–half-
elephant, half-bird) for the ecclesiastical persons and the
ruling class. The principal production centre is in Chiang
Rai, Phayao, and Lampang provinces.
Funeral pavilion uses soft wood, such as the
wood from cotton tree or wild water plum tree, for its
structural framework, which is decorated with papier-mâché
and perforated coloured paper. Sometimes, silver and
golden papers as well as lace curtains are added to the
decorations.
In creating a funeral pavilion, the works involved
are divided between the men and the women. The men
are usually responsible for the wooden framework
structure and setting up the body of the deceased inside
the pavilion, while the women are responsible for the
decorative work such as fixing the papier-mâché.
The Lampang-style funeral pavilion reflects the
traditional values and customs. It shows the homage
paid to the deceased and the wish to send his or her
spi r i t to heaven. The funeral r i te involves the
processional cortège from home to the funeral site, the
burning of the funeral pyre by using beautiful fireworks
to start the fire–these beautiful rituals help comfort the
bereaved to a certain degree. The meanings of the
rituals are implicitly communicated to those who are
present at the ceremony. The burning down of the
beautifully-crafted pavilion implies the impermanence of
all things, which is the ultimate truth in Buddhism.
Today, folded chairs made of wood or PVC serve
as the framework structure of a funeral pavilion. A
funeral pavilion is no longer burned in the funeral pyre.
After the body of the deceased is burned, the chairs are
donated to the temple.