Ramayana has a profound impact on the society of Thailand. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
New Delhi: The preparation for the inauguration of Ayodha’s Ram Temple which is scheduled to take place on January 22, 2024, is in full swing. The consecration ceremony will be held on a massive scale and several eminent personalities from different fields have been invited on this occasion.
Interestingly, as part of the inauguration ceremony, Thailand has sent its special soil to the sacred site of Ram Janmabhoomi. Earlier, the country had sent water from two rivers to the Ram Mandir. In this article, we will look at Thailand’s notable connection with Ramayana, one of the greatest epics in the history of the world.
Thailand, Lord Ram and Ramayana
Ramayana, one of the two epics of India along with the Mahabharata, has a profound impact on the society of Thailand. It has a city that is connected with Lord Ram and its kings have all adopted names related to the revered warrior, ruler and God.
The connection with Ayutthaya
In the first half of the 13th century, the kingdom of Siam (now known as Thailand) was established, and Ayutthaya, a famous city, served as the kingdom’s capital. The word Ayutthaya comes from Ayodhya, Lord Ram’s birthplace. Ayutthaya indicates the influence of Hinduism in the region and is associated with ‘Ramakien’, the Thai version of the Ramayana.
The city prospered from the 14th to the 18th centuries and became an important urban area and a centre of trade and global diplomacy in the world. In 1767, the Burmese army attacked and destroyed the city and forced the inhabitants to abandon the city. Since then, the place has lied in ruins and is famous in the modern age as an extensive archaeological site.
The kings of Thailand
It is believed that Ramathibodi was Ayutthaya’s first king and also the one who gave the city its name. According to the legends, the rituals in the royal household were done as per the Hindu Vedic scriptures and it followed Lord Ram’s religious and political ideology.
Later, King Rama I, who established the Chakri dynasty of Thailand which is still the royal family in the country, took the name of Ramathibodi while ascending to the throne in 1782, like Ayutthaya’s first king. Since then, Thailand’s kings have carried ‘Rama’ in their names. The kings have also considered themselves to be the descendants of Lord Ram.
The significance of Ramakien
One of the national epics of Thailand, Ramakien means the ‘Glory of Rama’. The Thai version of Ramayana was first written down in the 18th century, during the Ayutthaya Kingdom, following the demise of the Sukhothai government. King Rama I compiled the present version of Ramakien.
Rama II further adapted his father’s edition of the Ramakien for the khon drama, a form of theatre performed by non-speaking Thai dancers with elaborate costumes and masks. Today, Ramakien is an important part of the Thai culture and is taught in schools.
