The Culture of Thailand is heavily influenced by Buddhism. Other influences have included Hinduism, conflict and trade with Southeast Asian neighbors such as Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, and repeated influxes of Chinese immigrants.

Arts
Main article: Thai art
Thai visual art was traditionally primarily Buddhist. Thai Buddha images from different periods have a number of distinctive styles. Contemporary Thai art often combines traditional Thai elements with modern

Literature in Thailand is heavily influenced by Indian culture. The most notable works of Thai literature are a version of the Ramayana called the Ramakien, written in part by Kings Rama I and Rama II, and the poetry of Sunthorn Phu.

There is no tradition of spoken drama in Thailand, the role instead being filled by Thai dance. This is divided into three categories- khon, lakhon and likay- khon being the most elaborate and likay the most populist. Nang drama, a form of shadow play, is found in the south.

The music of Thailand includes classical and folk music traditions as well as string or pop music.

Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school. Nearly 95% of Thailand's population is Buddhist of the Theravada school, though Buddhism in this country has become integrated with folk beliefs such as ancestor worship as well as Chinese religions from the large Thai-Chinese population. [1] Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas, and the Buddhist architecture of Thailand is similar to that in other Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Laos, with which Thailand shares cultural and historical heritage.

Influences
Three major forces have influenced the development of Buddhism in Thailand. The most visible influence is that of the Theravada school of Buddhism, imported from Sri Lanka. While there are significant local and regional variations, the Theravada school provides most of the major themes of Thai Buddhism. By tradition, P?li is the language of religion in Thailand. Scriptures are recorded in P?li, using either the modern Thai script or the older Khom and Tham scripts. P?li is also used in religious liturgy, despite the fact that most Thais understand very little of this ancient language. The P?li Tipitaka is the primary religious text of Thailand, though many local texts have been composed in order to summarise the vast number of teachings found in the Tipitaka. The monastic code (Patimokkha) followed by Thai monks is taken from the P?li Theravada—something that has provided a point of controversy during recent attempts to resurrect the bhikkhuni lineage in Thailand.

The second major influence on Thai Buddhism is Hindu beliefs received from Cambodia, particularly during the Sukhothai period. Vedic Hinduism played a strong role in the early Thai institution of kingship, just as it did in Cambodia, and exerted influence in the creation of laws and order for Thai society as well as Thai religion. Certain rituals practiced in modern Thailand, either by monks or by Hindu ritual specialists, are either explicitly identified as Hindu in origin, or are easily seen to be derived from Hindu practices. While the visibility of Hinduism in Thai society has been diminished substantially during the Chakri dynasty, Hindu influences, particularly shrines to the god Brahma, continue to be seen in and around Buddhist institutions and ceremonies.

Folk religion—attempts to propitiate and attract the favor of local spirits known as phi—forms the third major influence on Thai Buddhism. While Western observers (as well as urbane and Western-educated Thais) have often drawn a clear line between Thai Buddhism and folk religious practices, this distinction is rarely observed in more rural locales. Spiritual power derived from the observance of Buddhist precepts and rituals is employed in attempting to appease local nature spirits. Many restrictions observed by rural Buddhist monks are derived not from the orthodox Vinaya, but from taboos derived from the practice of folk magic. Astrology, numerology, and the creation of talismans and charms also play a prominent role in Buddhism as practiced by the average Thai—topics that are, if not proscribed, at least marginalized in Buddhist texts.

Additional, more minor influences can be observed stemming from contact with Mahayana Buddhism. Early Buddhism in Thailand is thought to have been derived from an unknown Mahayana tradition. While Mahayana Buddhism was gradually eclipsed in Thailand, certain features of Thai Buddhism—such as the appearance of the bodhisattva Lokesvara in some Thai religious architecture, and the belief that the king of Thailand is a bodhisattva himself—reveal the influence of Mahayana concepts. The only other bodhisattva prominent in Thai religion is Maitreya; Maitreya is called (Thai: พระสังกัจจายน์), from a verb meaning to beam, emit, radiate, broadcast. Statues of Phra Sangkrachai can be found in most Thai Buddhist temples and on amulets as well. Thais sometimes pray to be reborn during the time of Maitreya, or dedicate merit from worship activities to that end.

In modern times, additional Mahayana influence has stemmed from the presence of Chinese immigrants in Thai society. While some Chinese have "converted" to Thai-style Theravada Buddhism, many others maintain their own separate temples in the East Asian Mahayana tradition. The growing popularity of the goddess Kuan Yin in Thailand (a form of Avalokitesvara) may be attributed to the Chinese Mahayanist presence in Thailand.

Ramakien (รามเกียรติ์) is Thailand's national epic, derived from the Hindu Indian Ramayana epic. A number of versions of the epic were lost in the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767. Three versions currently exist, one of which was prepared in 1797 under the supervision of (and partly written by) King Rama I. His son, Rama II, rewrote some parts of his father's version for khon drama. The work has had an important influence on Thai literature, art and drama (both the khon and nang dramas being derived from it).

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.

While Thailand is considered a Theravada Buddhist society, the Brahman mythology derived from the Ramakien serves to provide Thai legends with a creation myth, as well as representations for the spirits that both help and hinder humans on their way to enlightenment, as well as a balance to the superstitions derived from Chinese animism.

A painted representation of the Ramakien is displayed at Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew, and many of the statues there depict characters from it.

From the Ramayana to the National Epic of Thailand
The Ramayana, holy revered text of Hindus, is believed by many archaeologists and historians to be a collection of stories from Indian mythology concentrating on the work of the Brahman gods in the lives of men, and was first written down, as legend states, in the forests of India by Valmiki in the third century B.C. Hindus, however, believe that Rama actually existed, and there are several holy sites in India that point to the reality of Rama's existence, including his birth place, his palace, and the route of his journey to Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the Ramayana came to Southeast Asia by means of Tamil Indian traders and scholars who traded with the Khmer kingdoms (such as Funan and Angkor) and Srivijaya, with whom the Indians shared close economic and cultural ties.

In the late first millennium, the epic was adopted by the Thai people, who had migrated to Southeast Asia from southern China. The oldest recordings of the early Sukhothai kingdom, dating from the thirteenth century, include stories from the Ramayana legends. The history of the legends was told in the shade theater (Thai: หนัง, Nang), a shadow-puppet show in a style adopted from Indonesia, in which the characters were portrayed by leather dolls manipulated to cast shadows on a nearby screen while the spectators watched from the other side.

The Thai version of the legends were first written down in eighteenth century, during the Ayutthaya kingdom, following the demise of the Sukhothai government. Most editions, however, were lost when the city of Ayutthaya was destroyed by armies from Burma (modern Myanmar) in the year 1767.

The version recognized today was compiled in the kingdom of Siam under the supervision of King Rama I (1736-1809), the founder of the Chakri dynasty, which still maintains the throne of Thailand. Between the years of 1797 and 1807, Rama I supervised the writing of the well-known edition and even wrote parts of it. It was also under the reign of Rama I that construction began on the Thai Grand Palace in Bangkok, which includes the grounds of the Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The walls of the Wat Phra Kaew are lavishly decorated with paintings representing stories from the Ramakien.

Rama II (1766-1824) further adapted his father's edition of the Ramakien for the khon drama, a form of theater performed by non-speaking Thai dancers with elaborate costumes and masks. Narrations from the Ramakien were read by a chorus to one side of the stage. This version differs slightly from the one compiled by Rama I, giving an expanded role to Hanuman, the god-king of the apes, and adding a happy ending.

Since its introduction to the Thai people, the Ramakien has become a firm component of the culture. Though many consider it only an adaptation of a strange work from an archaic system of beliefs, it is firmly embedded in the cultural history of the country and the people. The Ramakien of Rama I is considered one of the masterpieces of the Thai literature. It is still read, and is taught in the country's schools.

Contents of the Ramakien
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 Phra Narai (the Thai incarnation of Vishnu, who's also known as Narayan) is reborn as Phra Ram.


The main figures

Gods
Phra Isuan (Isvara/Shiva) - Highest God on the mountain Krai Lat
Phra Narai (Narayana/Vishnu) - Deputy of Phra Isuan
Phra Phrom (Brahma) - Together with Phra Isuan and Phra Narai, forms the Hindu Trinity.
Nang Uma-devi (Parvati) - Consort of Phra Isuan
Nang 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 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

Human
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 - one of the three wives of Thotsarot, mother of Phra Ram
Nang Kaiyakesi - one of the three wives of Thotsarot, mother of Phra Phrot
Nang Samut-devi - one of the three wives of Thotsarot, mother of Phra Lak and Phra Satrut

Friends 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.

Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Gautama Buddha, 6th to 5th century BCE, and thereafter evolved by contact with other cultures as it spread throughout Asia and the world.

Early Buddhist art, followed the Indian aniconic tradition which avoids direct representation of the human figure. Around the 1st century CE an iconic period emerged lasting to this day which represents the Buddha in human form.

Buddhist art followed believers as the dharma spread, adapted, and evolved in each new host country. It developed to the north through Central Asia and into Eastern Asia to form the Northern branch of Buddhist art, and to the east as far as Southeast Asia to form the Southern branch of Buddhist art. In India, Buddhist art flourished and even influenced the development of Hindu art, until Buddhism nearly disappeared in India around the 10th century due in part to the vigorous expansion of Islam alongside Hinduism.

Opponents 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 posseses 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 (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.
Kumpakan (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.

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