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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Ramakien say to its date? Monkey see, monkey do.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Ramakian)

Ramakien
Ramakien mural at Wat Phra Kaew depicting the episode in which Hanuman volunteers to swallow Rama's pavilion.
Information
ReligionHinduism
AuthorVarious (notably King Rama I)
LanguageThai
Period18th century (standard version)

The Ramakien (Thai: รามเกียรติ์, RTGS: Rammakian, pronounced [rāːm.mā.kīa̯n]; lit. 'Glory of Rama'; sometimes also spelled Ramakian) is one of Thailand's national epics.[1] It is a Thai version of the ancient Indian Hindu epic Ramayana, and an important part of the Thai literary canon.

King Rama VI (r. 1910 – 1925) was the first person to shed light first on the Ramayana studies in Thailand, by tracing the sources of the Ramakien, comparing it with the Sanskrit Valmiki Ramayana. He found that the Ramakien was influenced by three sources: the Valmiki's Ramayana, the Vishnu Purana, and Hanuman Nataka.[2] A number of versions of the epic were lost in the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767. Three versions currently exist, one of which was prepared in 1797 under the supervision of (and partly written by) King Rama I. His son, Rama II, rewrote some parts of his father's version for khon drama. The work has had an important influence on Thai literature, art and drama (both the khon and nang dramas being derived from it). Dawn F. Rooney compares the Thai text with the Burmese Yama Pyazat Daw-gyi, also called Thiri Rama, and finds the character of Hanuman differs between them. In the Ramakien he is flirtatious, with several amorous relationships and two children, whereas in the Burmese version he is celibate and decorous, which she takes to follow Vālmīki more closely. She also observes that the mid-19th-century stone panels at Wat Phra Chetuphon in Bangkok do not carry the whole story. The sequence ends with Hanuman killing the demon Sahatsadecha.[3]: 333–334 

While the main story is similar to that of the Dasaratha Jataka, differences in some tales still prevail. Many other aspects were transposed into a Thai context, such as the clothes, weapons, topography, and elements of nature, which are described as being Thai in style. Thailand is a Theravada Buddhist country, and the Buddhist material in the Ramakien gives Thai legend a creation myth. The text also represents a range of spirits, which sits alongside beliefs drawn from Thai animism.

A painted representation of the Ramakien is displayed at Bangkok's Temple of Emerald Buddha, and many of the statues there depict characters from it.

Background

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The Ramayana came to Southeast Asia with Buddhist missionaries, Indian traders and scholars. They dealt with the Khmer kingdoms, among them Funan and Angkor, and with Srivijaya, all of which had close economic and cultural ties with India.[4] Another major contributor to introduction of the Ramakatha tradition may have been maritime trade with the Chola and Pallava Empires of South India. Srivijaya was invaded by the Cholas once, during the Great South Eastern Maritime campaign of Rajendra Chola I.[5] The Thai adopted from the Khmer people components of Indianized culture such as the Ramayana.[6] Other versions of the Ramakatha tradition may also have had an effect. Kamban's Ramayana was current at the Pallava court. It has been suggested as one reason why Tosakanth (Ravana) is drawn more fully in the Ramakien than in Valmiki's telling.[7]

In the late first millennium, the Ramakien epic (written as Ramkerti, รามเกียรติ์ but read as Ramakien) was adopted by the Thai people. The oldest recordings of the early Sukhothai kingdom, dating from the 13th century, include stories from the Jataka legends. The legends were told in the shadow theatre (Thai: หนัง, Nang), a shadow-puppet show in a style adopted from Indonesia. Leather figures were manipulated to cast shadows on a screen, and the audience watched from the other side.

The Thai version was first written down in the 18th century, during the Ayutthaya Kingdom, following the demise of the Sukhothai government. Most editions, however, were lost when the city of Ayutthaya was destroyed by armies from Burma (modern Myanmar) in the year 1767.

The version recognized today was compiled in the Kingdom of Siam under the supervision of King Rama I (1726–1809), the founder of the Chakri dynasty, which still maintains the throne of Thailand. Between the years of 1799 and 1807, Rama I supervised this well-known recension and even wrote parts of it. It was also under his reign that construction began on the Thai Grand Palace in Bangkok, which includes the grounds of the Wat Phra Kaew, enshrining the Emerald Buddha. The walls of the Wat Phra Kaew are lavishly decorated with paintings representing parts of the Ramakien.

Rama II (1766–1824) further adapted his father's edition of the Ramakien for khon drama, a form of theater performed by non-speaking Thai dancers in elaborate costumes and masks. Narrations from the Ramakien were read by a chorus to one side of the stage. This version differs slightly from the one compiled by Rama I, giving an expanded role to Hanuman, the god-king of the apes, and adding a happy ending.

Since its introduction to the Thai people, the Ramakien has become a firm component of culture. The Ramakien of Rama I holds a central place in Thai literature and is still read and taught in Thai schools.[citation needed]

In 1989, Satyavrat Shastri translated the Ramakien into a Sanskrit epic poem (mahakavya) named Ramakirtimahakavyam, in 25 sargas (cantos) and about 1,200 stanzas in 14 metres. This work won eleven national and international awards.[8]

Content

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The tales of the Ramakien follow those of the Ramayana, but are transferred to the landscape and culture of Ayutthaya. There the Avatar of Phra Narai, the Thai form of Vishnu, also known as Narayana, Govinda and Vasudeva, is reborn as Phra Ram.

Main figures

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Divine beings

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Human

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Allies of Phra Ram

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Hanuman on his chariot, a scene from the Ramakien in Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok.

Enemies of Phra Ram

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Ramakien mural at Wat Phra Kaew depicting Thotsakan.

Plot

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The text falls into three parts. The first deals with the origins of the main characters, the second with the events leading to the fall of Thotsakan, and the third with what followed.

Part One

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The first part begins with the story of Phra Narai in the form of a boar vanquishing the demon Hiranyaksha. This is followed by an account of the origins of the ancestors of Thotsakan. According to Ramakien, Phra Isuan grants his servant Nonthok (Bhasmasura) a boon that enables him to change his finger into a diamond and destroy anyone at whom he points it. As Nonthok begins to abuse this power, Phra Narai assumes the form of a charming woman who dances in front of Nonthok, who tries to imitate the movement of her hands. At one moment, he points the diamond finger towards himself and instantly dies. Nonthok is later reborn as Thotsakan. He also has four brothers and a sister, as well as half-siblings. Thotsakan first marries Kala Akhi (Mandodari), the daughter of Kala Nakha (Mayasura) of the underworld, and later receives Nang Montho as a gift from Phra Isuan. Thotsakan and Kala Akhi have a son with the first name Ronapak (Meghanada); after his victory over Indra, he is called Intharachit (Winner of Indra).

The text then explains the origins of the simian characters Phali and Sukhrip. They are born to Kala Acana (Anjana), the wife of king Khodam (Kesari), as a result of her adultery with Phra In and Phra Athit. When King Khodam immerses them in a lake to test their legitimacy, they turn into monkeys and vanish into the forest. Phra Isuan grants Phali a magic trident, which will transfer to Phali half the strength of anyone fighting him. Sukhrip is rewarded with a beautiful young maiden Dara (Tara), but Phali takes her for himself. Later, Phali also seizes Thotsakan's consort Nang Montho, and they have a son named Ongkhot before she is returned to Thotsakan. Finally, Phali banishes Sukhrip to the forest where he meets Hanuman.

Hanuman is said to be born after Phra Isuan places his celestial weapons in the mouth of Sawaha, the daughter of Kala Acana. Hanuman at first stays with Phali and Sukhrip, but later decides to join Sukhrip in his banishment in the forest.

Rama, known in the Ramakien as Phra Ram, has ancestors tracing back to Phra Narai through King Thotsarot. Phra Ram himself is a reincarnation of Phra Narai, and his brothers Phra Lak, Phra Phrot and Phra Satarut are manifestations of Phra Narai's emblems: the serpent, the discus, and the mace, respectively. Phra Ram's consort Nang Sida is a reincarnation of Phra Narai's consort Laksami, but she is born as the daughter of Thotsakan in Lanka and adopted by king Chonok (Janaka) of Mithila.

Part Two

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Thotsakan abducts Nang Sida.

Part two deals with the main drama of the story. Phra Ram and Nang Sida fall in love at first sight before an archery contest. A hunchback named Kucci (Manthara) instigates the queen to ask for the banishment of Phra Ram. He sets off to live in the forest with Nang Sida and his brother Phra Lak, where they meet Sammanakha (Surpanakha) who took on the form of a beautiful maiden. She tries to seduce the two brothers, but they resist and punish her. As revenge, Thotsakan abducts Nang Sida to his palace in Lanka.

Phra Ram and Phra Lak meet Hanuman, Sukhrip, and another Vanara, Chomphuphan, and ask them to help find Nang Sida. When Hanuman locates Nang Sida in Lanka, he identifies himself by showing her ring and kerchief and retelling the secret of her first meeting with Phra Ram. Hanuman is then caught by Thotsakan's son Intharachit but escapes while setting Lanka on fire. On returning to Phra Ram, Hanuman helps build a causeway with the help of Nal and Nil to connecting Lanka with mainland, and the war with Thotsakan begins. After a lot of fighting and attempts of treachery by Thotsakan's allies, Phra Ram manages to kill Thotsakan and Intharachit and free Nang Sida. After she passes a fire ordeal to test her faithfulness, Phra Ram takes her with him to Ayutthaya and grants various parts of his kingdom to his allies.

Part Three

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After Nang Sida draws a picture of Thotsakan on a slate, Phra Ram orders Phra Lak to take her to the forest and kill her. Instead of doing as commanded, he brings to Phra Ram the heart of a doe to trick him into believing that Nang Sida is dead. In the forest, Nang Sida finds refuge with a hermit named Wachamarik Valmiki, and she gives birth to two sons: Phra Monkut (Kusha) and Phra Loph (Lava). Phra Ram decides to take her back to Ayutthaya, but she refuses and disappears into the Underworld. Finally, Phra Isuan brings Phra Ram and Nang Sida together again.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Sanchez, Jane. "History and Thailand Literature". Academia.edu. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  2. ↑ Lipi Ghosh, 2017, India-Thailand Cultural Interactions: Glimpses from the Past to Present, Springer Publishing, pp. 157
  3. ↑ Rooney, Dawn F. (2022). "Hanuman Crosses Borders from Siam to Burma". In Nicolas Revire; Pitchaya Soomjinda (eds.). Decoding Southeast Asian Art: Studies in Honor of Piriya Krairiksh. Bangkok: River Books and the Piriya Krairiksh Foundation. pp. 328–339. ISBN 9786164510661.
  4. ↑ "The characters | Phralak Phralam". phralakphralam.com. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "History of Indian influence on Southeast Asia", Wikipedia, 1 September 2026, retrieved 4 September 2026
  6. ↑ "Thailand - Mon-Khmer civilizations. (n.d.)". Britannica. Retrieved 22 December 2021. The Tai borrowed from the Khmer many elements of Indianized culture, including royal ceremonies, customs followed at the court, and especially the Indian epic Ramayana, which influenced not only literature but also classical dance. Even in modern Thai culture, the legacy of the Indianized culture of Angkor is still evident.
  7. ↑ Nayak, Shrinwanti (09.07.2026). "Pedagogical Journey of Ramayana and Mahabharata to South-East Asia : The Bay of Bengal as an Educational Conduit" (PDF). Indian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research. 3: 1–11. doi:10.70798/Ijomr/03010001 – via Madhyamgram B.Ed. College, Kolkata. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ↑ Sanskrit’s first Jnanpith winner is a 'poet by instinct'
  9. ↑ Singaravelu, S. (1982). The Rama story in the Thai cultural tradition. Bangkok: Siam Society.

Further reading

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  • Thai Ramayana (abridged) as written by King Rama I, ISBN 974-7390-18-3
  • The story of Ramakian – From the Mural Paintings along the Galleries of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, ISBN 974-7588-35-8
  • John Cadet, The Ramakien, illustrated with the bas-reliefs of Wat Phra Jetubon, Bangkok, ISBN 9-7489-3485-3
[edit]
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