On-site chanting guide
Thai script plus Roman transliteration, so you can follow along while standing at the shrine — with the four-face order, the offering set, how to return a vow and what not to do.
Chants
The shrine's official texts are short katha — all of them fit on one screen and can be chanted standing up. Pick whichever suits you: the short form if you are in a hurry, the full katha if you want to do it properly.
The standard opening homage in Thai Buddhist and Brahmin rites, recited before any request.
นะโม ตัสสะ ภะคะวะโต อะระหะโต สัมมา สัมพุทธัสสะ
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammā Sambuddhassa
The most widely circulated official katha for the Erawan shrine. Reading all twelve lines once counts as one round.
💡 Thai is a tonal language and the Roman line is the reliable reading aid. As an orientation, the opening line โอมปะระเมสะ นะมัสสะการัม sounds roughly like "ohm pa-ra-ME-sa na-MAT-sa-ka-ram".
A single line — useful when you are short of time or cannot linger in the crowd.
โอม พรหมมายะ นะมะห์
Om Phrommaya Nama
These chants are Thai phonetic renderings of Sanskrit and Pali, and spellings differ slightly between sources (for example พรหมเรสสะยัม and พรหมเวสสะยัม) without changing the sound. Sincere focus matters more than exact wording, so do not worry about mispronouncing.
Worship order
Start with the face you find yourself looking at as you enter, then move clockwise. The order should not be reversed, and you should never walk against it.
Pray for · Career, study, status, advancement
Job hunting, promotion, exams, starting a business — direction and prospects
Pray for · Love, marriage, relationships, benefactors
Partnership, family harmony and helpful people around you
Pray for · Wealth, income, windfalls, investments
Earnings, business and financial stability
Pray for · Health, safety, family, averting misfortune
Your body, your family's wellbeing and clearing bad luck
💡 The four-face attributions are folk tradition and vary between communities. If you already follow a set order, pray in the way you know with a sincere mind — what matters is covering all four faces, not just one.
Step by step
From buying incense to returning a vow — follow these the first time you go.
12 incense sticks, 4 garlands and 1 candle, with prices clearly displayed. Do not buy from roaming vendors outside the fence.
Recite Namo Tassa three times and let your mind quieten before making a wish — devotees consider focus far more important than expensive offerings.
At each face place 3 incense sticks and 1 garland, put your palms together and state your name, date of birth and your wish.
There is only one candle, so put it on the face that matters most for this visit. Under current rules incense and candles are not lit.
Walk back round to the first face, chant the katha 3 times (or 9), bow with palms together and you are done.
Devotees believe a promise made must be kept. See "Offerings & vows" below for the options.
Offerings & vows
| Item | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Incense | 12 sticks | 3 per face |
| Garlands | 4 | 1 per face |
| Candle | 1 | Placed on the face you care most about. Some stalls sell sets with 4 candles — one per face is also acceptable |
Wooden elephants are the most common thanks-offering, and the larger the size the greater the thanks. Buy them at the foundation stall inside the fence; sizes over 40 inches are not accepted.
Hiring a dance troupe once your wish is granted is the shrine's most famous form of thanks. Rates are set and posted by the foundation, and bookings must be made inside the shrine — outside private troupes are not accepted.
The person giving thanks kneels in front of the troupe, the lead dancer announces their name and what was granted, and the dancers perform to traditional Pi Phat music. Each round lasts under 15 minutes.
Etiquette
Under the city and foundation smoke-free initiative, offerings may be placed but not lit.
This is an explicit current rule, with a 500 baht fine for violations.
Going anticlockwise is considered disrespectful and blocks other worshippers.
Less strict than a temple, but avoid very revealing clothing.
Folk belief holds that turning your back on the image is disrespectful. Also avoid photographing people mid-prayer.
This circulates among devotees and is not an official rule. If it matters to you, skip beef the day before.
Devotees widely hold that a request that profits by harming others will not be answered.
Whatever form of thanks you promised while wishing must be carried out — this is the single most important principle here.
Recite the Namo Tassa homage 3 times, the main Phra Phrom katha 3 or 9 times, and the short heart mantra 4 times. If you are short of time, four rounds of the short mantra is enough — focus matters more than the count.
Yes. The text is a Thai phonetic rendering of Sanskrit and Pali, so simply follow the Roman transliteration. Devotees generally hold that sincerity and focus matter more than perfect pronunciation.
Starting from the face you meet as you enter and going clockwise: career and study, then love and relationships, then wealth, then health and safety. These attributions are folk tradition and vary between communities, so simply make sure you cover all four faces.
In the prevailing belief, yes — the form of thanks you promised while making the wish must be carried out. Common options are a wooden elephant, hiring a dance troupe, or a donation, depending on how big the wish was and what you can afford.
Around 15 to 30 minutes for the worship itself. In the evening, when thanks-giving troupes perform back to back, expect to stay longer and to find it more crowded.
The foundation stalls inside the fence display fixed prices and are the safe place to buy. Vendors outside the fence often sell the same set at several times the price — do not buy from them.
Opening hours, BTS directions, nearby landmarks and the full visit guide are on the home page.