Cosmology - Main figures Of the Ramakian

The Ramayana was written purportedly in the third century B.C. by the Forest Hermit Valmiki. The Brahman Hindus, however, believe that Rama was a real person.There are a few different sacred locations in India which may indicate Rama's existence as a reality.One of them is his birth place, another being his palace. The route taken by Rama on the journey to Lanka (Sri Lanka) is also the source of several interesting things which lend to the belief in Rama's existence.Ramayana spread throughought Southeast Asia travelling with the Tamil Indian merchants and scholars who were then trading with the Khmer> kingdoms of Funan and Angkor and also to Srivijaya(what is now South Thailand), with whom economic and cultural ties had been enjoyed for a long time.In the late part of the era leading up to 1000 A.D, the Ramayana epic was incorporated and absorbed into the mythological Pantheon of Thai Culture and Religious belief system.It arrived with immigrants and merchants who migrated to Southeast Asia from southern China and India too. The oldest examples found of Thai Historical literature, from the early Sukhothai Era (thirteenth century), include stories from the Ramayana. These legends were told in the South's famous Puppet Shadow theater (Hnang Thalung).out of leather in the shape of the Ramayana Characters. Thes puppets were used to enact scenes from Ramayana from behind a cloth screen with backlight to cast shadows from the character on the screen, which was watched from the opposite side as in a cinema. Above picture; Gumpagan, or, Kumbakan.
Valmiki's Ramayana (Hardcover)

Attributed to Valmiki, an ancient Indian poet and sage, Ramayana (the epic story of Rama), is one of the two great epic poems of India. Composed in Sanskrit sometime before 300 B.C.E., it makes for lively reading as a good adventure and love story as well as a guide to spiritual practice and a reflection of the cultural, social, and religious beliefs of India at the time.
Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love and Wisdom

The main figures Of the Ramakian

Deities (Devas)

• Phra Naraayn (Narayana/Vishnu) - Highest God
• Phra Isuan (Isvara/Shiva) - Deputy to Phra Narai
• Phra Phrom (Brahma) - Together with Phra Isuan and Phra Naraayn, forms the Hindu Trinity.
• Nang Uma-devi (Parvati) - Consort of Phra Isuan
• Nang Lakshmi - Consort of Phra Narai
• Phra In (Indra) - The King of tewadas- lesser celestial deities. Father of Pali
• Mali Warat - God of Justice. Grandfather of Totsakan
• Phra Ah-thit (Surya) - the solar deity. Father of Sukreep
• Phra Pai (Vayu) - the wind deity. Father of Hanuman
• Vishvakarman - the artisan god, responsible for rebuilding Lanka after Hanuman burned it down and creating Kitkin

Above image; Phra Naarayn (Vishnu)

Human Characters

• Phra Ram (Rama) - The son of the king Thotsarot of Ayutthaya and the Incarnation of Phra Narai.
• Nang Sida (Sita) - The wife of Phra Ram, who embodies purity and fidelity. Incarnation of Nang Lakshmi
• Phra Lak (Lakshman), Phra Phrot (Bharata) and Phra Satrut (Shatrughna) - half-brothers of Phra Ram, who represent the reincarnated possessions of Phra Narai
• Thotsarot (Dasaratha) -often called Thao Thotsarot. King of Ayutthaya and father of Phra Ram and his brothers
• Nang Kaosuriya (Kausalya) - one of the three wives of Thotsarot, mother of Phra Ram
• Nang Kaiyakesi (Kaikeyi) - one of the three wives of Thotsarot, mother of Phra Phrot
• Nang Samut-devi (Sumitra) - one of the three wives of Thotsarot, mother of Phra Lak and Phra Satrut

Allies of Phra Ram

• Hanuman - God-king of the apes, who supported Phra Ram and acted as the monkey general.
• Pali Thirat (Vali) - King of Kitkin, elder brother of Sukreep and uncle of Hanuman
• Sukreep (Sugriva) - Viceroy of Kitkin, younger brother of Pali and uncle of Hanuman
• Ongkot (Angada) - Ape-prince and son of the Pali Thirat and Nang Montho, cousin of Hanuman
• Pipek (Vibhishana) - enstranged brother of Totsakan. He is an excellent astrologist and provided valuable information to Phra Ram in defeating Totsakan.
• Chompupan - Ape-prince and adopted son of Pali, an expert in the healing arts and acted as the troop's medic.

Enemies of Phra Ram

• Tosakan (Ravana) - King of the Demons of Lanka and strongest of Phra Ram's adversaries. Tosakan has ten faces and twenty arms, and possesses a myriad of weapons.
• Intarachit (Indrajit) - A son of the Tosakan. Phra Ram's second most powerful adversaries. Intarachit uses his bow more than any other weapon. He once fired arrows (Nakabat Arrows) which turned into nagas (or snakes) in mid-air and rained down on Phra Ram's army. He once had a blessing from the Phra Isworn that he shall not die on land but in the air, and if his decapitated head were to touch the ground, it will bring down great destruction.
• Gumpagan (Kumbhakarna) - brother of Thotsakan and commander of demonic forces
• Maiyarap - King of the Underworld, embodied as a donkey
• Thoot, Korn, Trisian - younger brothers of Thotsakan, and the first three to be killed by Phra Ram, in that order.

Above pic; The Yak, "Banlaygan (บรรลัยกัลย์) - tattoo art by Spencer Littlewood, Ramakian Tattoo, Thailand
Homepage; http://thailandtattoos.spaces.live.com


Links;
Wikipedia - Ramakien Shop for Best Deals on Amazon
ManyRamayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia
Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love and Wisdom
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Ramakian - Thai Ramayana - the Beginning

Ramakian; Thai Ramayana Epic Myth

Welcome to the Ramakian blog on Dharmathai.Com
Ramakian is one of Thailand's greatest literary works, and is taught in all schools from a very early age.
Ramakian is taken from the Hindu Epic the "Ramayana"
The names of the characters in the story have been adapted for Thai language, some are similar, and some completely distinct.
The Ramayana was written purportedly in the third century B.C. by the Forest Hermit Valmiki. The Brahman Hindus, however, believe that Rama was a real person, there are a few different sacred locations in India which may indicate Rama's existence as a reality.One of them is his birth place, another being his palace. The route taken by Rama on the journey to Lanka (Sri Lanka) is also the source of several interesting things which lend to the belief in Rama's existence.
Ramayana spread throughout Southeast Asia traveklling with theTamil Indian merchants and scholars who were then trading with the Khmer kingdoms of Funan and Angkor and also to Srivijaya (what is now South Thailand), with whom economic and cultural ties had been enjoyed for a long time.
The Ramakian is adapted from the Indian Hindu Epic "Ramayana", by the Ruesi (or, Rishi, if you prefer) Waalamigi (more commonly known in the West as "Valmiki"). Valmiki composed this gigantic work of literary genius (or Historic documentation??) about 2,400 years ago. The Ramayana became extremely poular and spread around India, neighbouring countries, and the sub-continents of South East Asia. With this spread of the story, cam different entries, and versions of the adventures, trials and tribulations of Pra Ram in his quest to recover his Consort; Naang Siidaa from the clench of his Arch-Enemy, Totsagan (known as Ravana, in the Indian version).

Above Pic; Ruesi Chanok exits from his Hermitage, and searches for the place where he buried Naang Siidaa, as he found her 6 years before floating in a basket.
เมื่อนั้น พระชนกมหาฤาษี ได้ฟัง ดั่ีงทิพวารี ทาโสรจสรงลงที่กายา
จึ่งเปลื้องคากรองเปลือกไม้ ทั้งสไบหนังเสือ ออกจากป่า
ก็ลาพรตพิธีจรรยา ทรงเครื่องกษัตรา อลงกรณ์
เสร็จแล้วขึ้นรถสุวรรณมาศกับพระราชธิดาดวงสมร
ให้เลิกจัตุรงค์รีบจร ออกจากสิงขรกุฎี (บทละครเรื่องรามเกีรต์)
To understand the Ramakian story properly, it is important to be familiar with the main figures/characters in the story, in order to get a feel for the intrigues involved in this most wonderful piece of Thai Literary heritage.
In the coming weeks and months, i shall be presenting the main characters of the Ramakian and explaining their relationships to each other.
Later, i shall also catalogue the minor characters and Himapant animals that appear in the Ramakian.








The Beginning of Ramakian should really start about the time before the two Arch enemies, Ram and Totsagan were born on earth(called Rama and Ravana, in the Indian Ramayana version).
The Hero of the Epic, Prince Rama, is the "Avatar" (incarnation/manifestation) of the Deity Vishnu Narayan. In both Hindu/Brahmin, and the Thai Buddhist cosmology, Vishnu has 10 incarnations, 2 of them being the Buddha, and the future Buddha, Maitreya. Rama was another of these 10 Avatars of Vishnu.

Above; Ruesi Chanok searches with the plough to find Naang Siidaa, (bottom left part of pic).He findse her after the m,agic ceremony he makes, Naang Siidaa sprouting up from the ground in the Phorb (casket) resting on a lotus flower. Then, on the bottom right of the picture, is the subsequent procession to Mithila with Naang Siidaa, and all the court entourage..

Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia

Throughout Indian history, many authors and performers have produced, and many patrons have supported, diverse tellings of the story of the exiled prince Rama, who rescues his abducted wife by battling the demon king who has imprisoned her. The contributors to this volume focus on these "many" Ramayanas.
While most scholars continue to rely on Valmiki's Sanskrit Ramayana as the authoritative version of the tale, the contributors to this volume do not. Their essays demonstrate the multivocal nature of the Ramayana by highlighting its variations according to historical period, political context, regional literary tradition, religious affiliation, intended audience, and genre. Socially marginal groups in Indian society--Telugu women, for example, or Untouchables from Madhya Pradesh--have recast the Rama story to reflect their own views of the world, while in other hands the epic has become the basis for teachings about spiritual liberation or the demand for political separatism. Historians of religion, scholars of South Asia, folklorists, cultural anthropologists--all will find here refreshing perspectives on this tale.

About the Author
Paula Richman is Associate Professor of South Asian Religions at Oberlin College. She is the author of Gender and Religion: On the Complexity of Symbols (Beacon 1986).
Product Details

* Paperback: 280 pages
* Publisher: University of California Press (August 29, 1991)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0520075897
* ISBN-13: 978-0520075894
* Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
* Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
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Traits and behaviours of Ramakian characters

Understanding Personal traits and etiquettes of Characters in the Ramayana
The different figures in the Ramakian all posess their own individual personalities and behavioural traits, which i shall categorize as follows;
1.Personal superpower or weapon
2.Role in the story.
3.Disposition and attitude.
4.Fate.
Some characters were blessed enough to recieve special powers or magickal weapons from Phra Isworn (Shiva), which increases the powers and behaviour of the Ramakian characters in no small way.
The behaviour of each character is dependant on the role he plays, for example, Phra Phrodt is the younger brother of Phra Ram, and plays the role of the loving faithful young brother. Likewise, the Yak Gumpagan was the younger brother of Totsagan (Ravana), and had to faithfully help his brother fight against Phra Ram, even though he saw that Totsagan was wrong, and felt regret for the incident.
The personal disposition of each character also has a great influence on the role they play, such as Naang Samanagkhaa is a hag with no shame, and therefore is the instigator of several shameless incidents.
Sarva Karyasiddhi valmiki ramayana

Fate
The Fate of the characters is also of prime importance in their character roles. Pipek, for example, was a younger brother of Totsagan, but still had to be the cause of the downfall of the Yaks because og his turning of sides to Phra Ram, and the subsequent defeat of Totsagan.
This was because Phra Isworn had already foretold that Pipek shall have the job of razing the Asura (monster races) from the Earth, and this is something that Pipek could not avoid - his Fate.
It is important to take note of the character and behaviour of each of the main figures of Ramakian in order to understand the meaning of the story completely.
Recommended Reading;

Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma (Paperback - Jul 15, 2004)
This book is well detailed including all the most important events and stories. It is also easy reading and does not require any extra effort to get through. Enjoyable, relaxing but still extremely informative content on the Ramayana.
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Attributed to Valmiki, an ancient Indian poet and sage, Ramayana (the epic story of Rama), is one of the two great epic poems of India. Composed in Sanskrit sometime before 300 B.C.E., it makes for lively reading as a good adventure and love story as well as a guide to spiritual practice and a reflection of the cultural, social, and religious beliefs of India at the time. Dharma (Vaisnava temple and Ctr. of Vedic Studies, Manchester, England) consulted several existing translations and the Adhyatma Ramayana to produce a very clear and readable rendition. This version breaks up what was originally seven long chapters into smaller, easier to handle units. Recommended for any library in need of a first copy or a contemporary and highly readable rendering of this ancient Indian classic.?David Bourquin, California State Univ., San Bernadino
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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The Ramayana (the Journey of Rama) is possibly the worlds oldest literature. Revered through the ages for its moral and spiritual wisdom, it is an uplifting tale of romance and high adventure, recounting the odyssey of Rama, a great King of ancient India

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Totsagan woos Naang Siidaa, Hanuman saves her

Khone Mask Theater from Ramakian

Intarachit - อินทรชิต

อินทรชิต
Intarachit is a Yaksa; Green in color, he is the offspring of The Yak King "Totsagan" (Ravana in Hindi), and Naang Montoe.

Originally named "Ranapaktra", but after he managed to defeat the Deity Indra (Phra Intr in Thai), his Father Totsagan gave him the new name of "Intarachit" ("Pichit/Wichit" means to conquer - so intara+chit = "he who conquered Indra"). Intarachit's "Chaayaa" (Concubine) is called "Suwann Ganyumaa"; He has two sons, Yamaliwan and Ganyuwek. He posesses the magickal arrows "Nakabasa" (ศรนาคบาศ) & "Prahmasastra" (ศรพรหมาสตร์ ) & "Wisanupaaman" (ศรวิษณุปาณัม) as his weapons.He can mutate into "Phra Intr" (Indra) at will. The God Brahma once bestowed the blessing on Intarachit that,if Intarachit died, then it would have to occur in the Air, and forbidden to fall down on his head. If he did, then he would become a raging fire that would burn the world up.
His head should be caught on a "Pan Waen Fa" ( a kind of ceremonial offering bowl) in order to avoid the fiery disaster foretold.
This is the reason why, in the Ramakian epic, when Phra Laks (laksman) shot his arrow to cut off the head of Intarachit, he sent the "Wanora" (monkey soldier) "Ongkot" to take a Pan waen fa and catch Intarachit's head when it fell off.


อินทรชิต เป็นยักษ์มีกายสีเขียว เป็นโอรสของทศกัณฐ์กับนางมณโฑเดิมชื่อรณพักตร์ เมื่อสามารถรบชนะพระอินทร์ได้ ทศกัณฐ์พอใจมากจึงเปลี่ยนชื่อให้ว่า "อินทรชิต อินทรชิตมีชายาชื่อสุวรรณกันยุมา มีโอรส 2 องค์ คือ ยามลิวัน และกันยุเวก มีศรนาคบาศ ศรพรหมาสตร์ และศรวิษณุปาณัมเป็นอาวุธ ทั้งยังสามารถแปลงกายเป็นพระอินทร์ได้อีกด้วย พระพรหมเคยประทานพรว่า เวลาจะตายต้องตายบนอากาศ และอย่าให้ศีรษะขาดตกถึงพื้น มิฉะนั้นจะกลายเป็นไฟบรรลัยกัลป์ล้างโลก ต้องใช้พานแว่นฟ้าของพระพรหมมารองรับ โลกจึงจะปลอดภัย ดังนั้นเมื่อพระลักษมณ์จะแผลงศรไปตัดคออินทรชิต จึงตรัสสั่งให้องคตเอาพานแว่นฟ้ามาคอยรับ

4. The lifting of the Molee Bow Ceremony

After Ruesi Chanok (ชนก) returned to Rule the city of Mithila(มิถิลา), he decided he would try to find a Husband for lady Sita (นางสีดา -Naang Sidaa).Because of the fact that Naang Sidaa was not born of a normal Human manner, as normal humans were, Lord Chanok decided that "whoever shall be the Consort of lady Sita, shall have to be able to lift the Royal Molee Bow (ธนูโมลี) first!"The Molee Bow was once the bow of "Phra Isworn" (พระอิศวร -Lord Shiva), who used it to defeat Tripuram (ตรีบุรัม).
Lords and Nobles from all around came to call for Sidaa's name in marriage, but, try as they wished, nobody was able to set the arrow in the Molee Bow. They couldn't even manage to lift the bow, let alone insert the arrow and stretch the string.

The Kings and Lords and Nobles who had failed to take Sidaa's hand, were enraged, and decided to lay siege to Mithila for a year, in the hope of conquering Lord Chanok.


Lord Chanok called for help from the devas, and defeated the enemies, who were laid to waste without exception.

Meanwhile, in the city of Ayodhya, Phra Ram (Rama), and his 3 younger brothers Phra Laks (พระลักษมณ์) (laksaman), Phra Satharut and Pra Phrot had been training with the Ruesi Wasit and Swamitra. One day, they got to hear of the competition being held by Lord Chanok to lift the Molee Bow and shoot the arrow, with Naang Sidaa as the reward.The two Ruesi hermits managed to persuade phra Ram and Phra Laks to accompany them to Mithila and enter the competition. Upon arrival, they happened to stroll past Naang Sidaa's window, precisely as she looked out. her gaze fell upon Phra Ram. Their eyes beheld each other and they fell in love immediately (remember they are actually Devas who are anyway consorted to each other in their higher incarnations).All the Lords and Nobles, Kings and merchants tried to raise the Molee Bow to no avail.As Phra ram and Phra laks turn came, Phra Ram offered his brother to take the first turn. Phra Laks had already seen that naang Sidaa and Phra ram were in love, so he pretended to be unable to lift the bow, which Phra Ram noticed, and so upon his turn, lifted the bow easily with one hand, and won the hand of Naang Sidaa in marriage!

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