One might estimate that in Central Thailand, especially in Ayutthaya, there would not be rituals in the process of growing rice anymore because Ayutthaya is located near Bangkok and modernization may have effected the persistence of the traditional culture. Data from my fieldwork, however, indicates that some parts of Ayutthaya such as at Don Pho village, Tambon Chaina, Amphoe Sena still retain rituals concerning rice. 

This paper explores and explains the persistence of and changes in the ritual of calling the khwan of the Rice Goddess. Information about the ritual’s practitioners, the chanting text and objects used in the ritual particularly at Don Pho Village, Tambon Chaina, Amphoe Sena, Ayutthaya will be analyzed in the contemporary context of central Thailand. 

This paper argues that the ritual of calling the khwan of the Rice Goddess still persists because of three important factors; the existence of ritual practitioners, the persistence of the belief in the Rice Goddess and the location of the village.