Thailand photo of the day: Phra Rahu, a demon god

Phra Rahu is worshiped in many temples in Thailand, the most famous being the Wat Srisathhong in Nakhon Pathom province. Phra Rahu used to be a demon god who, according to the Thais, took the form of a snake, nowadays he takes on a more demonic human form at temples. Phra Rahu is colored black, with only a torso and a head. He holds a golden sphere in front of his mouth, the golden sphere should represent the sun.

Phra Rahu is a somewhat terrifying deity, who is worshiped with gifts for good luck or success. Gifts commonly offered to Phra Rahu include black grapes for business success, black liqueur for profitable investments, black coffee for getting what you desire, black jelly for patience, black beans for progress, black rice for wealth and love, black cake for rewards, black eggs for successful transactions or favors.

There are many variations of Rahu's story, mainly deriving from Hindu, Buddhist and Tamil legend. The most common story is the Hindu legend that describes Rahu as an Asura (demonic deity) who was transformed into Rahu after drinking an elixir that would provide immortality. The legend continues that Rahu stole the elixir from the Hindu gods, but he was seen by Chandra (the moon god) and Surya (the sun god). Chandra and Surya informed Mohini (Vishnu's female avatar) who promptly cut off the Asura's head.

A small amount of elixir had already been drunk by the Asura before Mohini could cut off his head, so his head and upper body had already reached a state of immortality and became Rahu. Rahu takes revenge on Chandra and Surya by swallowing the moon and sun every time he sees them, causing an eclipse.