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Hinduism in Thai Life

R C Majumdar (1888-1980) eminent Indian historian and author of The Classical Age, published an influential series of essays, in which he argued that Indian settlers in considerable numbers had established colonies in South-east Asia and that Indian dynasties had exercised political domination in the area. Thus he speaks of the spread of Hindu kingdoms and “the triumph of Hindu culture all over the vast region and in almost every phase of life.” 

P N Bose ( ? ) author of The Indian colonies of Siam, believed that there was evidence of actual Indian settlements in Thailand, and that from these came much of the later Indian influences on Thai society. 

Thailand (ancient name: Siam) is part of what Professor George Coedes has described as the Hinduized States of south-east Asia.  

The Buddhist missionaries who brought Buddhism to Thailand were themselves the products of Hindu order. The process of intermingling of Hindu traditions with Buddhism, which had started in India, continued in Thailand. Hindu elements were adopted to complete the religious life of the Thai. At the level of literature performing arts and mural painting, the Rama story has provided the major inspiration.  

The Khmer period gives more definite evidence of Hindu traditions in Thailand. During the Ayuthia period, contact with Hindu beliefs and practices was further intensified. This period is the most significant in respect to the absorption of Hindu elements into Thai religious life. That is evident from an inscription, dated AD 1361, during the reign of Boromaraja I of this period. The inscription prescribes as most essential on the part of the king to possess the knowledge of the Vedas and astronomy. This trend was greatly accelerated after the Thai conquest of Cambodia in AD 1431. 

The Thai derive their Hindu traditions mainly from the Brahmanas, the Dharmasutras, the Dharmasastras, the epic Ramayana and the Puranas, in short, those Hindu texts which deal primarily with ritual, ceremony, dharma, Hindu law, cosmogony and mythology. These scriptures together with the Brahmanas, the Hindu priests, whom Thailand inherited from the Khmers, provide the rites the ceremonies, the festivals and the sacred cosmogonical myths, and they thus consecrate, embellish and complete Thai religious, cultural, social and political life. 

Lord Vishnu: Murals at Wat Phra Keow (Grand Palace) in Thailand.

Watch Scientific verification of Vedic knowledge

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It is not surprising, the, to find that Hindu astronomy and mathematics give the Thai elite their knowledge of the movements of celestial bodies and their seasons according to the Hindu calendar.  Hindu cosmology helps them to evolve their concept of the sacred State or kingdom. Hindu epics primarily the Ramayana, depict for the Thai, the model of a righteous king, the Dharma raja, and also gives them an outlet for their literary and artistic expression. Sanskrit, the sacred and the classical language of the Hindus, contributes to Thai language, not only to philosophic, literary and aesthetic vocabulary, but it actually forms the very basis of Thai script. 

William J Gedney in his Indic Loanwords in Spoken Thai, has noted: 

“It is interesting to note that Indic loan-words are about as frequent in spoken Thai as are loan-words from Greek and Latin in modern English and these two situations seem to be precisely similar. Sanskrit plays the same cultural role in Thai that Latin plays in English. Pali has less importance in this respect, which is surprising, since Pali, not Sanskrit, is the sacred language of southern Buddhism, the religion of Siam.” 

The chief Hindu Gods forming the Thai roster are Phra Phrom (Sanskrit. Brahma), Phra Isuan (Sanskrit. Shiva), Phra Nara (Sanskrit. Narayana, another name for Vishnu), Phra In (Sanskrit. Indra), and Baruna (Sanskrit. Varuna). The Hindu deva are respected and are invoked at all initiatory rites, at curing and healing ceremonies and home festivals. The Thai invite Hindu deva (gods) to share the delicacies prepared for the festivals and in return to extend their protection.  

The other celestial denizens from Hindu mythology are also there. Among these Naga and Garuda hold an important place. The Thai associate Naga with the rainfall and describe him by the Hindu traditional epithet “The Guardian of the Aquatic World”. The Garuda as with the Hindus, is the vehicle (Sanskrit. Vahana) of Narayana and has become the national emblem of Thailand. 

The Hindu concepts of space and time have been personified by the Thai into indigenous deities. Traditionally, each of the four directional Phras (Sanskrit. Deva) guarded one of the four directions (as defined by Hindu cosmology). The Thai are also familiar with Hindu chemistry, which reduces all existence to the Four Elements – earth, water, air and fire. The Thai offers prayers to the first three. They refer to earth as Mae Thaurani (Sanskrit. Mata Dharati) and pray to her for good rice harvests. Water is invoked as Mae Khongkhaa (Sanskrit. Mata Ganga – Mother Ganges). She is invoked during the starting rites of the rice-cycle. The air, called Phra Phaaj (Sanskrit. Vayu) is associated with storms. The Thai also relate Hanuman with air. This belief is similar to the Hindu belief that Hanuman was the son of wind (Sanskrit. Pavan) God.  

Hindu Gods in Thailand

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The Thai attitude towards the Hindu gods is clearly demonstrated in the following invocation to them to ward off the “Spirits which trouble the new-born”: 

“Hail to the gracious and auspicious powers: I prostrate myself. I will recite an invoation inviting all the great gods. I invite the great god Vishnu, the god Shiva of majestic power, who is the lord of Mount Krailasa (Sanskrit. Kailasa). I bow down and do homage to you. Also the goddess Uma, whose grace sustains the world. May you conquer diseases. I invite the god of the wind (Sanskrit. Vayu) and the god of fire (Sanskrit. Agni), the blazing god Kala (Time) and the god Brahma. Also Yama and the guardians of the four quarters, the god of the sun and the god of the moon. Also the Lord Indra who is the monarch …….I fold my hands in reverence and raise them over my head..” 

The Festivals 

The various social festivals in Thailand further illustrate the intermingling of the Hindu elements in the life of the Thai. The traditional new year, beginning with the spring, was introduced by Songran, the water Festival. It is followed by Triyambavay Tripavay, the Festival of the Swing: Rek Na, the Ploughing Ceremony; the Baruna Satra, the Rain Festival; the Bidhi Sarada, the Autumn Festival; and Loi Krathong, the Festivals of Lights. 

The Water Festival – The Songran (Sanskrit. Sankranta), or the water throwing festival, takes place in spring. The traditional celebration was the pouring of ample water to invite the god (Sanskrit. Indra) to descend to earth and bring rain.  

The Festival of the Swing – (Sanskrit. Triyambhava Tribhava) marks the arrival and stay of the god Shiva on earth, which supposed to have lasted for ten days. The King appoints a nobleman to play the role of Shiva. The Festival begins from a Buddhis wat. The God Shiva, who is believed to have arrived at that moment, is carried at the head of the procession. The procession moves with pomp and gaiety to the spot where the swing has been erected. The Thai swinging has considerably changed from the Hindu festival of the swing performed in the middle of March in honor of the God Krishna. The Hindu festival, was originally a solar ceremony. The Thai ceremony has retained this solar character, as the swinging is always performed from east to west. Shiva has replaced the original Surya, sun god, or the later Lord Krishna, as the focal point of the ceremony. 

The Ploughing Festival – In India, reference to this ceremony appears in the Satapatha Brahmana and the Valmiki Ramayana. In Thailand this ceremony is performed in month of May (Vaisakha) outside the city in the crown paddy field. The field to be ploughed is fenced off and made sacred through various rites performed by the Brahmins. On the day of the ploughing, the substitute is taken in a procession to the field. He offers light and incense sticks to the Hindu God images. The Brahmins offer him three ploughs. He chooses one, takes the gilded handle wrapped in red cloth by the Brah Maha Raj Guru (Sanskrit. Maha Rajaguru) and gets the pair of beautiful oxen to move. At this moment the Brahmins blow the conches and he ploughs three concentric circles. After the ploughing, the seed-rice is brought in four baskets of silver and gold. While the Brahmins chant mantras, the performer of the ceremony scatters the seed. At the same time holy water is offered to the Goddess of Earth. 

The Rain Festival – Prayers for rain are offered to Varuna. 

The Festival of Light – which seems Hindu in its underlying idea, is Loi-Krathong, the Festival of Lights. Loi Krathong seems to be a variation of the Hindu Diwali or Deepawali. The festival is held, both in Thailand and India in November. The homes are cleaned and decorated with palm leaves, and paper lamps. At dusk tiny rafts made of banana leaves are each given a lit candle and are made to float in the Menam river. The whole river appears “a stream of dancing lights,” as little rafts luminous with glowing candles, are being borne towards the sea. This sight on the Menam compares with the floating lights on the river Ganges in India on Deepwali night. 

(source: Hinduism in Thai Life - By Santosh N Desai  p. 1 - 40).

Lord Ganesha on his mount. Murals at Wat Phra Keow (Grand Palace) in Thailand.

(For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor).

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Updated - October 28, 2008