Hindu-scape on Buddhist land : Hinduism represented, recontextualised, and commodified in Bangkok’s linguistic and semiotic landscape

Abstract

Due to civilisational contact, Southeast Asia has since historical times been significantly influenced by the Indian subcontinent (e.g. religion, language, place names, culture, folk traditions, cuisine, and architecture). In particular, Thailand (Siam) has also been historically shaped by Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Indian subcontinent in general. While aspects related to (Theravada) Buddhism are clear and well-documented, the concrete presence of Hinduism in Thailand has remained under-explored, despite its potentially far-reaching influences. Taking a unique linguistic and semiotic landscape perspective, this interdisciplinary study examines concrete and material traces of Hinduism in Bangkok. Apart from various linguistic elements (e.g. Sanskrit) recontextualised in Thai, other manifestations of Hindu influences include Trimurti, Ganesha, Vishnu, Brahma, Lakshmi, Indra, and Ardhanarishvara shrines and various Hindu temples, Indra as the symbol of Bangkok, Garuda as Thailand’s national emblem, and the gesture ‘wai’ visible in the semiotic landscape. In addition, the study documents and reveals how elements of Hinduism manifest, adopt new meanings, and become commodified when (re)contextualised in Thailand in authentic and localised ways. The study also explores the role of translation and multilingual communication practices related to the Hinduscape. The study fundamentally shows how the linguistic/semiotic landscape might provide real-world evidence and might represent an important source of knowledge to study areas such as religion, history, and civilisational contact. This study contributes to scholarship in Hindu studies, Southeast Asia studies, urban studies, linguistic/semiotic landscape, and sociolinguistics overall.