Phra Phrom

Phra Phrom (Thai: พระพรหม; from Sanskrit: Brahmā, ब्रह्मा) is the Thai representation of the Hindu creator god Brahma. In modern Thailand, Phra Phrom is often worshipped outside of Hindu contexts by regular Buddhists, and, like many other Hindu deities, has usually come to represent guardian spirits in Thai animist beliefs, which coexist alongside Buddhist practices.^[1]^[2] He is regarded as the deity of good fortune and protection. The concept of Brahma is also represented in Buddhist cosmology as Brahmā or Mahabrahma, the lord of Brahmaloka (the highest heavenly realm),^[3] which may also be represented as Phra Phrom.

Phra Phrom is colloquially known outside Thailand as the Four-Faced Buddha (四面佛, Sìmiànfó) or Four-Faced God (四面神 Simianshen) among Chinese folk religious worshipers, among whom the faith of this god has spread in the latest decades.

^ McDaniel, Justin (June 2013). "This Hindu Holy Man is a Thai Buddhist". South East Asia Research. 21 (2): 191–209. doi:10.5367/sear.2013.0151.
^ McGovern, Nathan Michael (February 2016). "A Buddhist Cult Of Brahmā: Thick Description And Micro-Histories in the Study of Religion". History of Religions. 55 (3): 329–360. doi:10.1086/684274.
^ Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. p. 142, Article on brahmaloka. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.

[1] McDaniel, Justin (June 2013). "This Hindu Holy Man is a Thai Buddhist". South East Asia Research. 21 (2): 191–209. doi:10.5367/sear.2013.0151.

[2] McGovern, Nathan Michael (February 2016). "A Buddhist Cult Of Brahmā: Thick Description And Micro-Histories in the Study of Religion". History of Religions. 55 (3): 329–360. doi:10.1086/684274.

[3] Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. p. 142, Article on brahmaloka. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.

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