Thai National Epic Ramakien is basically the Ramayana and Reddit is going crazy with the discovery
The great epic Ramayana is a big deal for Hinduism and India. In fact, it is one of the two biggest epics in Hinduism, the other one being Mahabharat. Now, Ramayana has several versions according to different scholars and believers. However, the basic plot of the story remains the same.
Thailand, a small country in Asia, has only 0.1% Hindu population as of 2020. But, Hinduism still has a lot of influence in the country. Thailand is a prominent country in what can be called the Indosphere, countries with an Indian cultural imprint, apart from historical trade reasons (Thailand was influenced by Indian culture through maritime trade). Redditors are now amazed discovering that Ramakien, Thailand's national epic, is the Thai version of Ramayana.
Apart from the culture, the Thai language is also deeply rooted in the ancient Indian languages of Pali and Sanskrit.
Reddit users found this version, check it out here (Before we go any further):
Now, what is Ramakien?
Ramakien is based on the Thai King who bears the title 'Rama'. All Thai kings of the Chakri dynasty are titled Rama, after Lord Ram, who is believed to be an avatar of Vishnu. Ramakien and the original Valmiki Ramayana have several significant variances and similarities.
- When we talk about Ramakien, the basic plot remains the same. It was derived from the Dasaratha Jataka Tales of Lord Buddha, The Sanskrit Valmiki Ramayana, Vishnu Purana and Hanuman Nataka.
A little history: Ramayana was adopted in the early 13th century by Buddhist missionaries, and was later traced by one of its monarchs, King Rama VI. He was the first to institutionalise Ramayana studies in Thailand, by tracing the sources of the Ramakien, and comparing it with the Sanskrit Valmiki Ramayana.
Back to the story: Ramakien, has now become one of the literary canons in Thailand's culture. According to Hindublog.com, there are some differences between Ramakien and Ramayana:
- Ravana, the demon king, known as Tosakanth in the Thai version of the Ramayana, is stripped of some of his evil characteristics, and there are poems in which people sympathise with Ravan.
- Lord Ram lacks his divinity characteristics and instead is a Thai Prince.
- Character names, style of life, food, clothing, weaponry, and so on are all based on Thai culture.
- There are also several characters in Ramakien which do not appear in the original Ramayana, and several characters who appear in it.
Thailand is however not the first country to have its version of Ramayana. IndiaToday reported that there are at least 300 versions of Ramayana, and countries like Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, and China have their own influenced version of Ramayana.
Some of them are:
- Cambodia - Reamker
- Java, Indonesia - Ramayana Jawa
- Laos - Phra Lak Phra Ram
- Myanmar - Yama Zatdaw (Yamayana)