Grand Visit to the Grand Palace (Part 3): Ramakien on the Grand Palace Walls

Many people came from far away places just to see the Emerald Buddha inside the Grand Palace. It’s true that the Emerald Buddha is the most important item in the Grand Palace but it failed to capture my sense of awe. What really caught my imagination would be the paintings on the wall surrounding the grounds of the royal temples.

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I thought that the images depict the ancient history of Thailand, which was just embellished with mythical characters. Well, I was wrong because the paintings depict the scenes in Thailand’s national epic: the Ramakien.

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The Ramakien is the Thai version of the Indian epic of Ramayana. The Thais copied the Indian epic but placed the characters in their cultural setting. Thus, the characters wear Thai clothing instead of Indian ones.
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Note the charioteers wearing the Thai national costume.

I didn’t know about Ramakien or who painted these murals during my Grand Palace tour. What I did know is that these artworks are very important to Thais. I found it weird, however, to find no image of Buddha in any of the murals.

I read that there were many versions of the Ramakien but were lost when the Burmese army destroyed Ayutthaya in 1767. The version depicted in the mural was compiled under the supervision of King Rama I (the founder of Chakri Dynasty – the dynasty ruling Thailand today). The King even wrote parts of the Ramakien epic.¹
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The Ramakien is an epic love story where the hero (Rama, who is the reincarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu) defied all odds so rescue his wife Sida from the demon king. It’s kind of a very ancient version of the love triangle story of Super Mario, Princess Peach, and Bowser.
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Various mythical characters assisted King Rama in his rescue mission. One of them is the monkey king Hanuman. He is an albino monkey who was amazing magical powers like enlarging himself (see above image) and producing moons and stars when yawning. He is Rama’s important ally because Hanuman is the general of the monkey army.
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Rama’s rescue mission is not a walk in the park. Bloody battles ensued between the armies of Rama and demon king Totsakan.
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The Ramakien epic is definitely rated SPG.
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There were even magical battles like this “earth bending” fight between Hanuman and Totsakan’s minion:
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The murals on the walls around the Temple of the Emerald Buddha are outstanding works of art. The characters, their actions, facial expressions, and even their shiny golden costumes made the painting alive.
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I even felt the action even though the characters were not moving.

I stayed long in front of the murals. In fact, I spent longer time looking at these paintings than visiting the Emerald Buddha. For me, the Ramakien murals are much better than the statue of the Emerald Buddha.

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Read more of my posts about my great Grand Palace tour:

1.  Grand Visit to the Grand Palace (Part 1): From the River to the Palace Gate
2. Grand Visit to the Grand Palace (Part 2): A Quick Peek at the Emerald Buddha

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Some info in this blog post were obtained from these sources:

1. Ramakien - from the Ramayana to the National Epic of Thailand in Veda
2. THAILEX Travel Encyclopedia
3. The Ramakian from Asia's World

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