The deity is popularly worshipped outside of a Hindu religious context, but more as a representation of guardian spirits in Thai animist beliefs, nevertheless the shrine shows an example of syncretism between Hinduism and Buddhism.

The hotel's construction was delayed by a series of mishaps, including cost overruns, injuries to laborers, and the loss of a shipload of Italian marble intended for the building.

[10] An autopsy performed on Thanakorn found Arabic characters tattooed on his back and arms, prompting the police to investigate if the attack had been religious and if the vandal had any ties to Muslim extremists.

[12] Just days after the destruction of the Erawan Shrine, then Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited the site and paid his respects to the fragments of the Hindu deity.

[6][9][13] At a rally the following day, government critic Sondhi Limthongkul claimed the destruction of the statue was an attempt by the Prime Minister to maintain his political power through black magic.

Officials from the Department of Religious Affairs and the Maha Brahma Foundation said the new statue was made of plaster with a mixture of gold, bronze, and other precious metals, along with some fragments of the original.

[14] On 17 August 2015, at 18:55 local time, an explosive device composed of three kilograms of TNT stuffed in a metal pipe and wrapped in white cloth inside a backpack was detonated near the Erawan Shrine, killing 20 bystanders and injuring 125.

[22] An analyst with IHS Jane's suggested the attack had been carried out by the Pan-Turkic Turkish ultra-nationalist organization Grey Wolves in retaliation for the Thai government's deporting Uyghur terrorist suspects to China, instead of allowing them to accept asylum offered to them by Turkey.