The Temple Mount of Fredrika—Translocality and Fractured Transnationalism of a Visionary Thai Buddhist Retreat Centre

Abstract

On a mountain hill outside Fredrika, a small village in the rural north of Sweden, a standing Buddha statue and the seated statue of Luang Pho Thuat invoke reverence from visiting Buddhists. The plans of a large-scale temple and meditation centre have also invoked hope of religious tourism and economic growth in an area highly affected by depopulation. The Temple Mount, as it is referred to locally, has, on the one hand, become a source of religious power, not only for Thai Buddhist pilgrims, but also for other religious networks that has established themselves in the area. On the other hand, Fredrika has also become a contested religious space. The article discusses the background of the Temple Mount as well as contrasting examples of usual establishment patterns of Thai Buddhist temples in Sweden, highlighting translocal religious activity at Fredrika, showing how diaspora Thai Buddhism becomes intertwined with other religious networks.