On Friday, 10 July 2026, Assistant Professor Dr. Tanyatip Kharuhayothin, Dean of the School of Business and Communication Arts, together with the School's executives and staff, participated in the Sacred Water Drawing and Buddhist Chanting Ceremony for the Holy Water of Phra That Chom Thong 2026 at the University of Phayao Reservoir (Ang Luang). The ceremony was held to offer prayers and collect sacred water for consecration as the holy water to be used in the annual bathing ceremony of Phra That Chom Thong, Phayao Province.
The ceremony was presided over by Associate Professor Dr. Supakorn Pongbangpho, President of the University of Phayao. It was attended by university executives, faculty members, staff, and representatives from various academic and administrative units in support of the annual Phra That Chom Thong Robe Procession, a longstanding tradition that the University of Phayao has faithfully preserved and continued as part of its commitment to safeguarding local religious and cultural heritage.
Following the sacred water drawing ceremony, the collected water will be ceremonially transferred to the Office of the President Building, University of Phayao, where it will undergo Buddhist chanting and consecration before being used in the worship of the Buddha's sacred relics and the ceremonial bathing of Phra That Chom Thong. This ritual represents a treasured cultural tradition that reflects the profound faith of the Buddhist community while preserving the distinctive cultural identity of Phayao Province.
The ceremony was jointly organized through the collaboration of several University of Phayao units, including the School of Liberal Arts, the College of Education, the School of Political and Social Sciences, and the Lanna Arts and Culture Center. This collaborative initiative integrates knowledge of arts and culture with institutional engagement to promote the conservation and sustainable transmission of local cultural heritage while fostering a learning society.
The Phra That Chom Thong Robe Procession is regarded as an important cultural heritage tradition that reflects the enduring relationship between Buddhism, local ways of life, and indigenous wisdom. According to Buddhist belief, offering a ceremonial robe to enshrine the sacred stupa is considered equivalent to offering monastic robes to the Lord Buddha, an act believed to generate great merit and bestow auspicious blessings upon all participants.
For the 2026 ceremony, the holy water was prepared by combining sacred water collected from eight significant water sources: the Ganges River in India; the Ping River in Chiang Mai Province; the Wang River in Lampang Province; the Yom River in Phrae Province; the Nan River in Nan Province; the Mekong River in Chiang Rai Province; Kwan Phayao in Phayao Province; and the University of Phayao Reservoir (Ang Luang). These water sources hold ecological, historical, and cultural significance and were brought together to create the holy water for the bathing ceremony of Phra That Chom Thong. The sacred water symbolizes purity, auspiciousness, and prosperity, while also reflecting the collective commitment to preserving and sustaining the rich cultural heritage of Phayao Province for future generations.