In the summer of 1991, panic gripped the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand's second largest city. Then rumors spread that the city was cursed.
It all started in 1986. One construction firm has proposed building a cable car that would connect the city to an ancient temple at the top of the sacred mountain. The monks were indignant; they were supported by students, having collected 20 thousand signatures under the corresponding petition.
Passions ran high. Royal Air Force pilots claimed that, flying over the city, they saw monks "sitting on the clouds in the lotus position." However, the builders, inspired by the prospect, have already begun the construction of modern apartment buildings and hotels. It was said that this did not pose a threat to the geophysical balance of the area.
Realizing that they were unable to interfere with the construction, the population decided to send evil spirits to their offenders.
In August 1989, a massive demonstration took place. To awaken the spirits, the townspeople carried various symbols of destruction (for example, broken dishes), and women mocked the sacred sutras. Suddenly the sky darkened; blinding lightning flashed three times. Three days later, a strong earthquake struck the city. The population was sure that it was evil spirits that had revolted.
In April 1991, a hurricane uprooted the age-old Bodhi tree at the Suan Dok Temple. In early May, when the rainy season usually begins, the rice fields were still dry. The real estate market has crashed. All new projects were canceled. The governor promised to stop the construction of skyscrapers.
A Boeing crashed in late May; thirteen high-ranking officials were killed, including the governor and his wife. Four days later, the abbot of one of the Buddhist monasteries in Chiang Mai died.
People began to leave the accursed city in droves. There was only one thing left: to somehow pacify the angry spirits.
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"They are so powerful," explained Mani Pajomjong, a professor of education at Chiang Mai University and a former monk, "that the spell can only be broken by very strong means."
The city government appointed Pajomjong as the master of the spirit-taming ceremony.
As the sun rose on June 8, 1991, women brought trays of sacrificial offerings to the main gate of the city (the costs were borne by banks and construction companies). Fish, raw meat, bamboo shoots, fruits, sugarcane and Manila cigars were spread out on banana leaves at seven different corners of Chiang Mai.
The most sumptuous offering was placed at a crossroads where in 1311 a lightning bolt struck the city's founder, King Meng Rai. “We ask the spirits to taste our food and leave the city,” called Professor Mani Pajomjong.
At five o'clock in the evening, one hundred and eight monks began to chant sutras to dispel the witchcraft.
“This has nothing to do with superstition,” another professor said during a lecture at the university. “It's all about our relationship with nature. Technological progress is eroding our roots. An ancient curse made the authorities think about the environment."
The monks had hardly finished their chant when a fine rain began to fall. And when the offerings were brought to the river to be thrown into its waters, the sky cleared and the sun illuminated the city.