Description:
Abstract
This article was a part of the research entitled, “Making English Explanation
Handbooks on Mural Paintings for Tourism Communication: A Case Study at Temples
in Songkhanong Sub-district, Phrapradaeng District, Samutprakan Province.” The
purposes of this paper were to review the Buddhist messages that contained in the
English handbook of Wat Paket and to present the advantages that the said handbook
given to the community in general. The population used in the study was the Buddhist
stories depicted on the wall within the old Uposatha hall of the said temple. The abbot
and monks in the temple as well as learned people in the community as the informants
were interviewed to relate the importance of the said mural paintings. And, later they
also joined with the group of trial users of English explanation handbook model, i.e., the
teachers in the schools nearby, local tour guides and foreign tourists. The research
instruments consisted of observation form, photography, structured interview form, and
focus group discussion. All of the qualitative data collected was analysed through
content analysis.
The research findings were that the English handbook, which had been made for
emphasizing the significance of mural paintings relating to the Buddhist stories depicted
within the old Uposatha hall of Wat Paket was very useful for the sustainable cultural
heritage tourism of the community in the research area. The meanings and importance
of local heritage that contained in the handbook was revealed to the people in the
community. The handbook, which had been developed, could be easily used by the
relevant sectors in the community as a tool to communicate with the visitors from
around the world. Moreover, the knowledge on Buddhist stories that contained in the
handbook helped inspire the local people in conserving their own cultural heritage of
the community.