Through SIFF /ThailandIFF (Surin/Thailand International Folklore Festival), international artists have also engaged with the abbots of sixty-five
temples throughout Thailand, whose role as kalyāṇamitta (spiritual friends) has enriched the participants’ training. The resulting synergy between monastic communities and local residents has generated a shared moral and cultural vitality,
symbolically associated with the elephant’s footprint. Over time, this collaboration has enabled communities to create narrative works through the six arts—engineering, architecture, sculpture, painting, music, and dance—thereby attracting visitors and renewing interest in numerous temples throughout the country. These artistic achievements exemplify the convergence of folklore traditions and universal religious values.