The Ramakien (รามเกียรติ์, “Glory of Rama”, sometimes also spelled Ramakien) is Thailand’s national epic, derived from the Hindu epic Ramayana. The word is derived from Sanskrit word Ramakhyan (Ram + Akhyan) where Akhyan means a long story or epic.
While the main story is identical to that of the Ramayana, many other aspects were transposed into a Thai context, such as the clothes, weapons, topography, and elements of nature, which are described as being Thai in style. Although Thailand is considered a Theravada
Buddhist society, the Hindu mythology latent in the Ramakien serves to provide Thai legends with a creation myth, as well as representations of various spirits which complement beliefs derived from Thai animism.
The tales of the Ramakien are similar to those of the Ramayana, though transferred to the topography and culture of Ayutthaya, where the Avatar of Pra Narai (the Thai incarnation of Vishnu, who’s also known as Narayan) is reborn as Pra Ram.
Some character in this book Main figures
Gods
- Phra Narai/Witsanu (Narayana/Vishnu)
- Phra Isuan/Siwa (Isvara/Shiva)
- Phra Phrom (Brahma) – altogether with Phra Isuan and Phra Narai, forms the Hindu Trinity.
- Phra Uma-thewi (Uma/Parvati) – Consort of Phra Isuan
- Phra Laksami (Lakshmi) – Consort of Phra Narai
- Phra In (Indra) – The King of thevadas- lesser celestial deities. Father of Pali
- Mali Warat – God of Justice. Grandfather of Thotsakan
- Phra A-thit (Aditya or Surya) – the solar deity. Father of Sukreep
- Phra Phai (Vayu) – the wind deity. Father of Hanuman
- Phra Witsawakam/Witsanukam (Vishvakarman) – the artisan god, responsible for rebuilding
- Lanka after Hanuman burned it down and creating Khitkhin
Human
- Phra Ram (Rama) – The son of the king Tosarot of Ayutthaya and the Incarnation of Pra Narai.
- Nang Sida (Sita) – The wife of Pra Ram, who embodies purity and fidelity. Incarnation of Nang Lakshmi
- Phra Lak (Lakshman), Pra Phrot (Bharata) and Pra Satrut (Shatrughna) – half-brothers of Pra Ram, who represent the reincarnated possessions of Pra Narai
- Thotsarot (Dasaratha) -often called Thao Tosarot. King of Ayutthaya and father of Pra Ram and his brothers
- Nang Kaosuriya (Kausalya) – one of the three wives of Tosarot, mother of Pra Ram
- Nang Kaiyakesi (Kaikeyi) – one of the three wives of Tosarot, mother of Pra Phrot
- Nang Samut-thewi (Sumitra) – one of the three wives of Tosarot, mother of Pra Laks and Pra Satrut
Friends of Phra Ram
- Hanuman – God-king of the apes, who supported Pra 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
- Phiphek (Vibhishana) – enstranged brother of Thotsakan. He is an excellent astrologist and provided valuable information to Phra Ram in defeating Thotsakan.
- Chomphuphan (Jambavan) – Ape-prince and adopted son of Pali, an expert in the healing arts and acted as the troop’s medic.
Opponents of Pra Ram
- Thotsakan (Ravana, from dashakantha) – King of the Demons of Lanka and strongest of Phra Ram’s adversaries. Thotsakan has ten faces and twenty arms, and possesses a myriad of weapons.
- Intharachit (Indrajit) – A son of Thotsakan. Phra Ram’s second most powerful adversaries.
- Intharachit uses his bow more than any other weapon. He once fired arrows (Nagabat 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 Isuan 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.
- Kumphakan (Kumbhakarna) – brother of Thotsakan and commander of demonic forces
- Maiyarap – King of the Underworld, embodied as a donkey
- Korn (Khara), Tooth(Dushana) and Trisian (Trishira) – younger brothers of Thotsakan, and the first three to be killed by Phra Ram, in that order.