|
- Ramayana Indian epic was composed in the fifth century B.C., the epic still popular today. Basically, it is a story of
a demon king, Ravanna or Tosakanth in the Thai version, who abducts Rama's wife Sita. Rama is an incarnation of the Hindu
god Vishnu. Rama gathers the support of a monkey army in order to get Sita back.
This epic influence both religious and political ideas, began to trickle into Southeast Asia during the early centuries.
Thailand was not the only country to which the epic appealed; many countries in Southeast Asia adopted the tale;especially
those on the mainland. The Thai version, called the "Ramakian," appears to be a combination of several versions. Like some
of the southern Indian versions, the demon king Tosakanth does not appear totally
bad in the Thai version. His emotions are genuine even if they cause him to do bad things.
Ramakian is very Thai in character; Thai people have changed the story to suit their taste. Since Rama is an incarnation
of the Hindu god, Vishnu, the Ramayana is viewed as a sacred story among Hindus. The Thai people, whoare Buddhists, have stripped
the story
of its religious elements. The closest it comes to having religious significance lies in the fact that Rama is viewed
as Buddha in a previous life. Primarily though, he is a Thai prince following all Thai mannerisms.
Khon is known to have existed in the Bangkok period, beginning in the eighteenth century, and was most likely prevalent
before this time. What may be said with confidence is that both Khon and Nang Yai, a shadow puppet play based on the Ramakian
and believed to be the forerunner of Khon, existed during a period in history when kings all over Southeast Asia were intentionally
adopting Indian ideas on how to govern a country. Indian religious ideas were especially popular because the kings could then
equate themselves with the gods and thus legitimize their rule. The Ramayana was popular because the kings could equate themselves
with Rama, a prince who was an incarnation of a god. Performances of Khon and Nang Yai were, therefore, visual representations
of this fact and thus served as continual reminders to the king's subjects that he was someone to be respected. The fact that
the Thai people altered the story to become more Thai in character emphasized the Thai king's association with the gods even
more.
|
