Those who travel to Bangkok ignore all this. All they want is Thai-style partying, which is enjoying guilt-free, easily accessible forms of pleasure.

Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik

Thailand is amongst the few Asian countries that did not get colonised. It has its own unique form of Buddhism blended with the worship of gods with roots in Hinduism. It is also the first Asian states to accept same-sex marriage. Those who travel to Bangkok ignore all this. All they want is Thai-style partying, which is enjoying guilt-free, easily accessible forms of pleasure.

When you go to Bangkok, in the Sukhumvit area, you find a temple dedicated to a god called Erawan. The deity has four heads, eight hands, and he is associated with Brahma. The word Erawan is linked to Airavat, the elephant of........

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