Some of the important cultures in Southeast Asia are influenced by Hinduism which filtered through the region from around the first century AD onwards as a result of trade with South India . The epic of Ramayana has been one the greatest influences in the region. Almost all the countries in the Southeast Asia have a regional version of the Ramayan. In Thailand , the epic Ramayana is known as Ramakian or Ramakien. Ramakian is the national epic of Thailand and the influence of Ramayana is deeply etched in the Thai culture and the Kings of Thailand take the title of Rama. There are some major differences between Ramakian and the original Valmiki Ramayan. The narrative and outline of Ramakian is similar to the original Ramayan. Ramakian is strongly influenced by the South Indian versions of the Ramayana especially the Kamba Ramayan. Influence of the Bengali and other Southeast Asia versions of Ramayan, especially of that in Indonesia , are seen in Ramakian.