Page 179 - รวมเล่มศาสนาในประเทศไทย ภาคภาษาอังกฤษ
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Brahmin-Hinduism






                                                               After  King  Rama  I  established  the  Kingdom  of  Rattanakosin,  he  started
                                                   building many royal structures, including the Grand Palace, its pavilions, as well as the palace
                                                   temple of Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram. To have them properly blessed, he prepared
                                                   the groundwork by arranging for a holy Brahmin family from the south to come, and be in
                                                   charge of constructing the Giant Swing, in order to follow the traditional Brahmin concept in
                                                   the establishment of a kingdom. The nearby Dhevasathan, or Brahmin Shrine, was constructed
                                                   near the Giant Swing in 1784, to be a prayer hall for the officiating Brahmin priests. Once all
                                                   construction was finished, His Majesty King Rama I presided over the Brahmin ritual ceremony
                                                   of Triyampawai-Tripawai and also the Giant Swing Ceremony. Its purpose was to invite all deities
                                                   to be present at the ceremony to give their auspicious blessing to the newly established Kingdom.
                                                               The Brahmans of the Devasathan are the key ceremonial masters of every auspicious
                                                   royal, official and public ritual in Thailand; the custom continues to the present day. Many of
                                                   these ceremonies are fundamental to Buddhist practices also, because the two religions have
                                                   co-mingled the performance of their rituals in a very harmonious style to further secure blessings
                                                   to the nation.

                                                               No matter how society changed over time and what kind of political situation
                                                   the country may have been in the role of Brahmin traditions of the Dhevasathan never lost its
                                                   importance. They had played important role in Thailand since the year of the ancient Absolute
                                                   Monarchy until the reign of King Rama VII of Rattanakosin Kingdom.
























                1  Wat Phra Sri Maha Uma Devi or
                  Wat Khak Silom Bangkok
               2  Mural Painting, depicting the scene
                  when the Brahman leads the ritual
                  performance of the Ploughing
                  Ceremony
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