3 Facts about ramakien, the thai ramayana

The Ramakien is the Thai Version of the great Hindu Epic Ramayana. In Thailand, it is a common folklore amongst the people there.
The famous Khon Dance of Thai people is based upon Ramayana. In this dance, the performers wear masks and depict the events of Lord Rama’s life through dance.
In this Blog post, I will tell you about 5 amazing facts about The Thai Version of Ramayana.

5 Facts about Ramakien

General Introduction to Ramakien

Ramakien or Rammakian, spelled as Ra-Ma-Ki-En is the Thai version of Ramayana. It was derived from the Dasaratha Jataka Tales of Lord Buddha, The Sanskrit Valmiki Ramayana, Vishnu Purana and Hanuman Nataka.
This epic is one of the National Epics of Thailand. Ramakien was brought by the Buddhist Missionaries and Indian Traders who came in Thailand for different purposes.

The Khon Dance and Nang Dramas

The Famous Khon Dances and Nang Dramas are one of the common folklores. They are one of the National Dances of Thailand.
It is also called as Masked Performance as the people who dance wear a mask. The dancers try to portray the story of Ramayana through the form of Dance.

The Ayutthaya City in Thailand

Ayutthaya (inspired by the Indian Ayodhya) was the former capital of Thailand. It has played a very big role in the development and shaping of the Modern Thailand.
It was actually inspired by the Ayodhya city of India. Before the Modern Thailand, the Ayutthaya was the central kingdom of this country.

The Cambodian Ramayana was inspired by Ramakien

When the Hindu culture was established in Thailand, it began to spread in the far most eastern countries such as the Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Japan etc.
The Reamker or Raemkar, is the Cambodian version of Ramayana. It was brought by the Indian Traders and the Buddhist missionaries as a part of Jataka Tales.

The names of Hindu Gods in Thai

In the Thai language, Hindu Gods have been addressed by different names. These are the names of Hindu Gods in Thai Ramakien:
  1. Lord Shiva – Phra Isuan
  2. Lord Vishnu – Phra Witsuwanu
  3. Lord Brahma – Phra Phrom
  4. Mata Parvati – Phra Uma Thewi
  5. Mata Laxmi – Phra Laksami Thewi
  6. Lord Indra – Phra In
  7. Lord Surya – Phra Athit
  8. Lord Vayu – Phra Phai
  9. Lord Ram – Phra Ram
  10. Mata Sita – Phra Sida
  11. Lord Hanuman – Phra Hanuman

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