Ahead of the coronation ceremony of the King of Thailand, the royal silk weaver’s village of Ban Tha Sawang in the country’s North Eastern Isan province is a hive of activity as its skilled artisans weave their magic into the silk fabrics destined for royalty.
By Raul Dias
My favourite pad thai hawker in Bangkok is Pimjai Suttirat. A tiny, ever-smiling lady from whose food cart along soi 4 in the Sukhumvit area I’ve often sought post-bar-hopping sustenance over the years. For the last two months, she tells me, she’s only worn clothes in hues of yellow—the King’s official royal colour.
For most Thai people like Pimjai, the pomp and glory behind the upcoming 5th of May date will be a phenomenon that they will probably witness just once in their lifetime. This red-letter day is when King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun will formally be crowned at the Phutthaisawan Prasat Throne Hall in Bangkok’s Grand Palace, making him King Rama X of the Chakri Dynasty. The last time a day like this was celebrated, was exactly 69 years ago at his father, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s coronation on the 5th of May 1950.
I’m here precisely a month before the coronation and Bangkok is buzzing with all sorts of activity. Ten times more than it already does. Making it seem as though adrenaline, not water surges through the mighty Chao Phraya river that flows a few meters away from the Grand Palace. The army is out in full force practicing their march past routines, roads are being re-tarred, and pavements repaired, while gardens get a floral manicure. A lot of this, under the forgiving cover of darkness. A time when some sort of normalcy is restored to the otherwise turbid Thai capital.
But far from Bangkok in the North East of Thailand, an entirely different ‘yarn’ is being unspooled…
Royal Threads
A short, 8km west of the city of Surin along Route 4026, the village of Ban Tha Sawang is one of the many artisanal villages in this belt of the Isan province that are known for their silk weaving prowess. Places where almost every family is involved in the silk producing business in some way or form; be it silk thread spinning, ikat pattern making or extracting the silk dye from lac for reds, indigo for blues and turmeric tree bark for yes, the Thais’ favourite yellows!
But what sets Ban Tha Sawang apart from the rest (and I’m not just referring the village’s entry arch that is made up of two plump, kissing fiberglass silkworms!) is the fact that it holds the royal warrant for producing the finer silk brocades called pah yok torng for all royal occasions. And the coronation is no exception, with bales of the brocade already been sent to the royal costumers in Bangkok, while some are still being finished.
But that’s all I’m told about the royal order as I pay a visit to Baan Chansoma, a family-run business that’s spread over several Isan-style wooden workhouses, surrounded by a lush garden with the smell of frangipani omnipresent. As the largest of all the silk weaving houses in Ban Tha Sawang, Baan Chansoma is believed to be making the most important of all the ceremonial fabrics. All this, in a specially cordoned off section of the complex, away from the prying eyes of nosey writers like me.
All I’m allowed to see is one of the giant handlooms with over 1,400 intricately laid out heddles manned or perhaps I should say ‘womanned’ by four lady weavers working on a ‘non-royal’ green-blue silk stole commissioned piece that they started on a week ago. The weaving, one of them, 56-year-old Samraug Sang Tabtib, tells me, will go on for another month and a half. “We can weave only around 4-5 centimeters of the fabric per day, as this particular pattern is vey intricate and requires a lot of concentrations and nimble finger work,” says Khun (a respectful prefix, like the Indian suffix of ji) Tabtib, as she carefully inspects the two-toned fabric she’s weaving, just like she’s been doing every day for the last 40 years. “Like most of the villagers of Ban Tha Sawang, my mother too is a master weaver and I’ve been helping her weave ever since I was 10. But it was only when I turned 16 did she let me weave an entire fabric piece my own.”
Its Weight in Gold
Later in the day, I’m not surprised when I’m told by Nirandra Sailektim, a member of Baan Chansoma—and a disciple of its founder and the resident royal artisan Weeratham Taragoonngernthai—that each piece can take anywhere from six months to three years to be finished, costing upwards of 50,000 baht (Rs 115,000 approx.) a meter. “This is because we never repeat a pattern and only take orders for commissioned pieces. We have no retail business as such, so as to maintain our exclusivity to our VIP patrons,” he lets me know, still tightlipped about the status of the coronation fabrics. “All I can confirm is that, yes, we are a big part of the coronation ceremony.”
Interestingly, it was under the patronage of the King’s mother, Queen Sirikit’s Promotion of the Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques (SUPPORT) Foundation in the early 2000s that new life was infused into the dying art of handloom silk weaving vis-à-vis the power loom. It was all thanks to the Queen’s personal funds that Ban Tha Sawang’s villagers got the means and facilities to continue producing the exquisite fabric that will soon go into the making of the ‘Emperor’s new clothes’!
TRAVEL LOG
Getting There
There are daily, direct flights from most major Indian cities to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand on several airlines. There are plenty of trains, buses and minivans that link Bangkok with Surin, Isan’s largest city in under six hours. Travel within the Isan province is very easy with cheap and plentiful transport options available, including private taxis, buses and mini vans. The easy-to-procure visa on arrival to visit Thailand costs Rs 2,000.
Stay
Surin and neighbouring Buriram have an excellent selection of hotels to choose from to suit all budgets and tastes. Two such options are Surin Majestic Hotel (Rs 2,500 for two without breakfast, surinmajestic.com) and the brand new, contemporary design art hotel the Cresco Hotel Buriram (Rs 4,300 for two with breakfast, crescoburiram.com).
Tip
* Drop in at Tew Pai Ped Yang in Pimai for a lunch treat of its special Isan-style charcoal grilled duck. This iconic food shop is also famous for its fried noodles, fermented pork ribs and other North Eastern style Thai dishes like the raw papaya som tum salad.
* Make sure to visit the nearby Muang Tum temple complex in Buriram. This 1,000 years old Hindu temple lies at the base of an extinct volcano and is greatly influenced by the Khmer style of temple architecture, as it is not far from the border with Cambodia. Also, worth a detour is another Khmer temple, Prasat Hin Phanom Rung whose main tower is made from pink sandstone.
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 20th April 2019 issue of The Hindu Business Line newspaper's BLink section on page 19 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/ban-tha-sawang-a-thai-village-that-makes-the-kings-clothes/article26885860.ece)
By Raul Dias
My favourite pad thai hawker in Bangkok is Pimjai Suttirat. A tiny, ever-smiling lady from whose food cart along soi 4 in the Sukhumvit area I’ve often sought post-bar-hopping sustenance over the years. For the last two months, she tells me, she’s only worn clothes in hues of yellow—the King’s official royal colour.
For most Thai people like Pimjai, the pomp and glory behind the upcoming 5th of May date will be a phenomenon that they will probably witness just once in their lifetime. This red-letter day is when King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun will formally be crowned at the Phutthaisawan Prasat Throne Hall in Bangkok’s Grand Palace, making him King Rama X of the Chakri Dynasty. The last time a day like this was celebrated, was exactly 69 years ago at his father, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s coronation on the 5th of May 1950.
I’m here precisely a month before the coronation and Bangkok is buzzing with all sorts of activity. Ten times more than it already does. Making it seem as though adrenaline, not water surges through the mighty Chao Phraya river that flows a few meters away from the Grand Palace. The army is out in full force practicing their march past routines, roads are being re-tarred, and pavements repaired, while gardens get a floral manicure. A lot of this, under the forgiving cover of darkness. A time when some sort of normalcy is restored to the otherwise turbid Thai capital.
But far from Bangkok in the North East of Thailand, an entirely different ‘yarn’ is being unspooled…
Royal Threads
A short, 8km west of the city of Surin along Route 4026, the village of Ban Tha Sawang is one of the many artisanal villages in this belt of the Isan province that are known for their silk weaving prowess. Places where almost every family is involved in the silk producing business in some way or form; be it silk thread spinning, ikat pattern making or extracting the silk dye from lac for reds, indigo for blues and turmeric tree bark for yes, the Thais’ favourite yellows!
But what sets Ban Tha Sawang apart from the rest (and I’m not just referring the village’s entry arch that is made up of two plump, kissing fiberglass silkworms!) is the fact that it holds the royal warrant for producing the finer silk brocades called pah yok torng for all royal occasions. And the coronation is no exception, with bales of the brocade already been sent to the royal costumers in Bangkok, while some are still being finished.
But that’s all I’m told about the royal order as I pay a visit to Baan Chansoma, a family-run business that’s spread over several Isan-style wooden workhouses, surrounded by a lush garden with the smell of frangipani omnipresent. As the largest of all the silk weaving houses in Ban Tha Sawang, Baan Chansoma is believed to be making the most important of all the ceremonial fabrics. All this, in a specially cordoned off section of the complex, away from the prying eyes of nosey writers like me.
All I’m allowed to see is one of the giant handlooms with over 1,400 intricately laid out heddles manned or perhaps I should say ‘womanned’ by four lady weavers working on a ‘non-royal’ green-blue silk stole commissioned piece that they started on a week ago. The weaving, one of them, 56-year-old Samraug Sang Tabtib, tells me, will go on for another month and a half. “We can weave only around 4-5 centimeters of the fabric per day, as this particular pattern is vey intricate and requires a lot of concentrations and nimble finger work,” says Khun (a respectful prefix, like the Indian suffix of ji) Tabtib, as she carefully inspects the two-toned fabric she’s weaving, just like she’s been doing every day for the last 40 years. “Like most of the villagers of Ban Tha Sawang, my mother too is a master weaver and I’ve been helping her weave ever since I was 10. But it was only when I turned 16 did she let me weave an entire fabric piece my own.”
Its Weight in Gold
Later in the day, I’m not surprised when I’m told by Nirandra Sailektim, a member of Baan Chansoma—and a disciple of its founder and the resident royal artisan Weeratham Taragoonngernthai—that each piece can take anywhere from six months to three years to be finished, costing upwards of 50,000 baht (Rs 115,000 approx.) a meter. “This is because we never repeat a pattern and only take orders for commissioned pieces. We have no retail business as such, so as to maintain our exclusivity to our VIP patrons,” he lets me know, still tightlipped about the status of the coronation fabrics. “All I can confirm is that, yes, we are a big part of the coronation ceremony.”
Interestingly, it was under the patronage of the King’s mother, Queen Sirikit’s Promotion of the Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques (SUPPORT) Foundation in the early 2000s that new life was infused into the dying art of handloom silk weaving vis-à-vis the power loom. It was all thanks to the Queen’s personal funds that Ban Tha Sawang’s villagers got the means and facilities to continue producing the exquisite fabric that will soon go into the making of the ‘Emperor’s new clothes’!
TRAVEL LOG
Getting There
There are daily, direct flights from most major Indian cities to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand on several airlines. There are plenty of trains, buses and minivans that link Bangkok with Surin, Isan’s largest city in under six hours. Travel within the Isan province is very easy with cheap and plentiful transport options available, including private taxis, buses and mini vans. The easy-to-procure visa on arrival to visit Thailand costs Rs 2,000.
Stay
Surin and neighbouring Buriram have an excellent selection of hotels to choose from to suit all budgets and tastes. Two such options are Surin Majestic Hotel (Rs 2,500 for two without breakfast, surinmajestic.com) and the brand new, contemporary design art hotel the Cresco Hotel Buriram (Rs 4,300 for two with breakfast, crescoburiram.com).
Tip
* Drop in at Tew Pai Ped Yang in Pimai for a lunch treat of its special Isan-style charcoal grilled duck. This iconic food shop is also famous for its fried noodles, fermented pork ribs and other North Eastern style Thai dishes like the raw papaya som tum salad.
* Make sure to visit the nearby Muang Tum temple complex in Buriram. This 1,000 years old Hindu temple lies at the base of an extinct volcano and is greatly influenced by the Khmer style of temple architecture, as it is not far from the border with Cambodia. Also, worth a detour is another Khmer temple, Prasat Hin Phanom Rung whose main tower is made from pink sandstone.
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 20th April 2019 issue of The Hindu Business Line newspaper's BLink section on page 19 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/ban-tha-sawang-a-thai-village-that-makes-the-kings-clothes/article26885860.ece)
