Ayodhya in India and Ayutthaya in Thailand are separated by about 3,500 kilometres in two different countries, but it is Bhagavan Sri Rama which binds these two nations and its people together. Bhagavan Sri Rama is central to the people of both the countries.
The kingdom of Siam (Thailand) was established in the first
half of the 13th century. Ayutthaya, around 70 kilometres north of Bangkok,
became the most important city and capital of the kingdom of Siam.
The word Ayutthaya has its roots in Ayodhya, the birthplace
of Bhagavan Sri Rama. Ayutthaya indicates the influence of Hinduism in the
region and is associated with ‘Ramakien’, the Thai version of The Ramayana.
King Ramathibodi is said to be the first king of the kingdom
of Ayutthaya and had named this city. The name of King Ramathibodi also shows
the influence of the Ramayana. It is said that Royal rituals were based on
Hindu Vedic scriptures and the Royal household adopted the religious-political
ideology that had been embodied by Bhagavan Sri Rama as mentioned in the
Ramayana.
King Rama I the founder of the reigning Chakri dynasty of
Siam, when he ascended to the throne in 1782, he took the name of Ramathibodi
just like the founder of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Since then, all the Kings of
Thailand carry the name Rama.
The Ramayana was brought to Southeast Asia by the Buddhist
missionaries. A Thai version is said to have been written during the Ayutthaya
Kingdom. Later King Rama I compiled the first version of the Ramakien that is recognized
today.
The historic city of Ayutthaya flourished from the 14th to
the 18th centuries, during which time it grew to be one of the world’s largest
urban areas and a center of global diplomacy and commerce. The city was
attacked and razed by the Burmese army in 1767 who burned the city to the
ground and forced the inhabitants to abandon the city. The city was never
rebuilt, and remains known today as an extensive archaeological site.