RAMAKIEN Stone Rubbings of the Thai Epic illustrated with the Bas-Reliefs SC

Description: some tanning but otherwise this softcover is clean and solid “The Ramakien is the Thai version of the most important myth of Southeast Asia—a myth that appears in varying forms in India, where it originated and is known as the Ramayana, and in Laos, Indonesia and Burma, in fact wherever the sphere of Indian civilization extended. It is a story that closely parallels Western myths, such as those of the Iliad, recounting the struggle between the forces of good and evil, personified in the divine Phra Ram and the King of the Demons, Totsagan. It is the central episodes of this story that are depicted in the bas-reliefs of the temple of Wat Phra Jetubon in Bangkok, the funerary temple of the ruling dynasty of Thailand. And it is a complete set of the rubbings (onc hundred and fifty-two) of these bas-reliefs that is presented in this book, a set that is rare both for its aesthetic value and because the taking of rubbings has now been prohibited. The choice of the Ramakien as a theme to decorate such an important temple is not surprising, for as is discussed in the opening essays of this book, the myth, though adopted and propagated by the common peo-ple, was no less esteemed by the aristocracy, attesting as it does to the power of the rulers and to the supernatural support of them by the gods. Thus the first written versions of the myth were made by the kings. of Thailand themselves, and it is from these written cpics that the narrative set forth here is drawn. Though the charm and beauty of the bas-reliefs is incontestable, they themselves are something of a mystery, for their creator is unknown and even their place of origin is uncertain. Two things, however, are indisputable: they are masterpieces in their own right, and they are unique in the arts of Thailand and, indeed, of all Southeast Asia.”

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Location: Chico, California

End Time: 2025-01-15T23:22:33.000Z

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