Sala 24 Katanyu (Pavilion of Icons of Gratitude)

Thailand is the melting pot of people of different ethnic groups. Mon, Khmer, Laotian, Viet nam ese and Chinese descendants came to Thailand with their own cultures and assimilated them with local customs. The Chinese, in par tic u lar, brought with them moral prin ci ples deep rooted in their religion and incorporated them in the upbringing of their children and grandchildren.

Among the common merits were gratitude, hon es ty, kindness, and compassion. They im plant ed these virtues into the minds of their de scen dants by means of sacred icons for people to come to pay respect and learn about the old teaching. An image of Kuan Yu, for example, sym bol iz es faith ful ness and Kuan-Yin represents the Deity of Mercy. For the virtue of giatitude, the Chi nese Thai have a tradition of teaching their children from life stories of 24 monks and scholars who symbolize such virtue. This pavilion houses icons of such revered ascetics and sages.

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