Ramayana in the history and cultural life of Thailand

‘Glory to Ram’ is the leitmotif of culture here. Here kings had proudly sought to imbibe the virtues symbolised by Ram by assuming the very title of Ram. They named their capital Ayodhya (Ayutthaya) and at some distance was the town named after Rama’s son Lava (Lop Buri).

In several movies made here, the hero gains mystical powers by tattooing the form of Hanuman on his body. Unsurprisingly children, youngsters and virtually everyone are avid fans of the monkey God Hanuman. Let it be told that the reference here is not to some region in India but to Thailand where Ramayana has been nurtured for centuries by its rulers. Today it permeates the cultural life of Thailand, being one of the most important sources of its cultural identity and solidarity as well as cultural link with the larger Southeast Asia region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Thailand recalls and renews the bonds that India has shared since ancient times.

Like other countries of Southeast Asia, Thailand developed its own flavouring of the Ramayana epic which became the most significant literary influence on Thai culture. The classical Thai Ramayana is known as Ramakien that means ‘the glory of Ram’ (‘Kien’ is derived from Sanskrit ‘kirti’ meaning ‘glory’). Travelling from India with traders, Brahman ritualists and Buddhist missionaries, Ramayana had found foothold in Siam, the precursor of modern Thailand since early centuries of the Common Era. By the time Theravada Buddhism entered Siam in 12-13th centuries from Sri Lanka, Gods like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and the whole Hindu world view had already been adopted by the local elites.

Theravada Buddhism was thus blended in Thailand with aspects of Hindu world view creating a unique tapestry that is much evident in Thailand and Southeast Asia in general. The name of the first great king of Thailand, Ramkhamhaeng (Ram the Strong) of the Sukhothai Kingdom (1248-1438 CE) is suggestive of the influence of the Indian epic by this time. It is to this king that the invention of the written script in Thailand is attributed.

In the ‘First Inscription’ of Ramkhamhaeng that is etched on a stone stele, the king propounds a view that in some ways resemble Ashoka’s emphasis on people’s welfare and social harmony: “In the time of King Ramkhamhaeng this land of Sukhothai is thriving. There are fish in the water and rice in the fields. The lord of the realm does not levy tolls on his subjects for traveling the roads…When he sees someone’s belongings, he does not covet them; when he sees someone’s wealth, he does not get angry. If anyone riding an elephant comes to him to put his own country under his protection, he helps him, treats him generously, and takes care of him. If someone comes to him with no elephants, no horses, no men or women, no silver or gold, he gives him some, and helps him until he can establish a state of his own. When he captures enemy warriors or their chiefs, he does not kill them or beat them.” Buddhist emphasis on nonviolence and ethics is much evident in this inscription which is of great historical importance.

From the time of King Ramathibodi I (derived from Sanskrit ‘Ramadhipati’; king from 1351-69; all the kings of this dynasty bore this title), a polity that sought inspiration from the Ramayana and Theravada Buddhism was firmly established. It is reflected in founding of Ayutthaya as the kingdom’s capital in 1351 which continued till the Burmese sacked the city in 1767. It flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries, during which time it grew to be one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas that dominated mainland Southeast Asia for the next 400 years. The royal court of Ayutthaya exchanged ambassadors as far as the Versailles court in France and the Mughals in Delhi in their heyday. An extremely well-planned city that drew on the resources of three rivers, Ayutthaya became the model for the new capital of Bangkok. It is one of the most important heritage sites in Thailand that has come to be included among UNESCO’s world heritage sites.

With the rise of the Chakri dynasty from 1782 and the founding of Bangkok as the capital of the Siamese kingdom, a new cultural and historical epoch began in Thailand. Beginning with the first king Rama I, the rulers of this dynasty sough not only to preserve the Ramayana heritage but to give it an extremely classical and national form. Rama I himself wrote the present Ramakien which was adapted to Khon (masked dance drama) performance and the Nang yai (the shadow puppet theatre) that were performed for the royal households and the court. This adaptation known as The Bot Lakhon Ramakian invokes not only Valmiki’s Sanskrit Ramayana but also the Tamil, Bengali, and even Malay versions of the tale, and was compiled by the edict of Rama I.

The Khon or the masked dance dramas have a position akin to Ramlila in India and is a highly stylised performative art that takes years of training to learn. This dramatic form combines elements of dance, choreography, martial arts, music, narration along with set and costume design, and crafts like mask making that have been practiced for centuries. Like Ramlila, Khon is a kind of a miracle play that alters perception of space, time and self. Although in contemporary times people enjoy its performance especially the fights that are staged with great skill, the comical acts linked to Hanuman and his various exploits, in essence it’s a devotional act of reverence for an incarnation as well as a participation in the struggle of good against evil.

The Khon masks depict the four main categories of characters – phra (lords), nang (ladies), yak (ogres), and ling (monkeys) – as well as deities, hermits, beasts, and other beings. All Khon masks are considered sacred. In religious ceremonies, the masks are placed on a decorated altar and treated as representations of divinities. The elaborate costumes are color-coded to symbolize different types of characters. For example, Lord Rama and Indra (God of War) wear green, Brahma (God of Creation) wears white, and Phra Lak (Rama’s brother) wears yellow.

Nang yai is a remarkable performance art that shares some features with shadow puppetry in Indonesia and Vietnam and yet remains unique in many ways. In visual arts and handicraft traditions and even in modern cinema, the legacy of Ramayan is writ large in Thai culture. The Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of Emerald Buddha in Bangkok with its magnificent Ramayana murals underline the harmony that Thai society represents.

The connect that people in Thailand have with Ramayana comes from the way the story has been woven into the whole fabric of Thai culture and way of life. Ramakian is the story of one of the reincarnations of the God Narayana (‘Narai’ in Thai) on earth. He was sent down from Heaven by Shiva in order to fight the power of evil as embodied in the race of Giants under the leadership of the wicked Ravana (‘Thotasakan’ in Thai which is derived from Sanskrit ‘Dasakantha’ meaning ‘ten-headed’). Rama thus embodies both divine as well human virtues like fraternal love, truthfulness, self-abnegation and devotion to wife. Sita like other Southeast Asian variants appears as a daughter of Ravana whom he abandons and later seeks to marry. She is an epitome of grace and beauty. The entire story is told within the context of Thai mode of life including the characteristics of the geographical locale, clothes, tastes and preferences. Hanuman is given an extended role in this epic and he has come to assume an important position on his own in Thai society.

The history and culture of Thailand is thus inseparable from Ramayana. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Ramayana has been a binding force in Thai society that has enabled it to overcome difficult periods of its history and negotiate the forces of modernisation and globalisation while staying true to its own unique ethos. At the same time Ramayana remains one of its strongest connect with the whole of Southeast Asia and India.