Thai village life

In the Chaophraya River Basin the river and canals pass through forests, rice paddies and villages. The life of Thai people in olden times was simple and peaceful, closely tied to nature and waterways. In their way of life all the people's joys and sorrows, from birth to education, merit-making, ordination, marriage and funerals involved the Buddhist religion and centered around the temple, or wat.

In the harvest season the villagers gathered together to harvest everyone's fields from dawn to dusk. Hard work in the fields continued until the hot season, when the farmers had time for leisure activities and engaged in fun - filled merit - making ceremonies. When the rainy season began again the fields were once again wet and green. Rice seedlings grew, and the people's work of tilling and turning over the earth and transplanting the rice resumed.

The regular natural cycle of the seasons was reflected in the life of the people in this agricultural society. Ceremonies and beliefs about nature and Buddhism formed the basis of their lives.

Birth
In ancient times delivery and the care of infants was extremely difficult. Many babies died soon after birth. The people believed that ghosts or spirits took them away, so many rituals were devised to keep evil spirits away until the baby was one month old. On either the first of the third day the child was born the midwife would put the baby on a winnowing basket and throw it up gently three times. Then she would symbolically pass the winnowing basket with the baby on it to the child's maeseu, which is like a fairy godmother, and then place it with its mother. The mother would be encircled by a magic string to ward off ghosts.

The ritual of lying by the fire
After giving birth women were expected to lie near a fire to cleanse themselves from impurity and to recover. The fireplace was prepared by raking dirt on top of the firewood and then lighting the fire. The mother had to lie on a wooden bench in front of the fire. The area was encircled in magic string to scare off ghosts and protective emblems drawn on pieces of cloth were placed nearby. The mother had to stay in front of the fire for and odd number of days, at least seven. During that time she would use a heated ceramic pot full of salt placed on the abdomen to help reduce the size of the uterus. At the end of the appointed time the mother could resume her normal activities after making an offering to the spirits at the fireplace.

One month ceremony
When a child reached one month of age a "strength and encouragement" ceremony was held that was intended to insure the child would survive. The family would prepare an offering of rice and other foods wrapped in banana leaves and decorated with flowers. Another offering was candles and incense. Magic thread would be tied around. the baby's ankles and wrists and the parents or other family members would shave his or her head and anoint it with fragrant powder mixed with water. This was believed to protect the baby from ghosts.

Topknot cutting ceremony
The topknot cutting ceremony was a coming of age ceremony normally performed at 11 for girls and 13 for boys. It could be held either at home or at the temple. The day before the ceremony the parents would invite monks to pray at their home and host a party in the evening. The next morning the child would be dressed in white and a monk or Brahman priest would preside over the topknot cutting. He would divide the hair into three bunches and cut the first himself. The parents or other relatives would cut the other parts.

Education
In the old days children were educated at the temples. The parents would ask a monk whom they respected to teach their children. On the first day of class the students would present an offering of flowers, incense and betel nut to their teacher. They would study along with the novices in the temple's dining hall or prayer hall. They had blackboards for practicing writing. There was no ste curriculum and no class levels.

Rice planting
In the sixth lunar month, before the rains began, the women would plant rice seeds in nursery beds and the men would plow and rake the paddy fields. In the eighth month they would all transplant the seedlings. The twelfth month was the time of harvest, and all families in the village would join together to harvest the rice before taking it to drying yards at their homes or to a communal drying yard. After the rice was threshed it would be stored in raised storage areas at every home.

Entertainment
The variety anf frequency of folk entertainment is testimony to the Thai people's love of fun and amusement. The fun and festivities at every holiday celebration, and even at funerals, almost always included some kind of show, usually performed at night. The most popular forms of entertainment were shadow plays, musicals, Chinese opera, puppet shows, and circus - type acts. The people would bring their own snacks and sit or lie in the open in front of a temporary stage, chatting and enjoying the show, while the children would around playing nearby.

Thai Massage
The art and science of Thai massage has been developed since ancient times. It requires a detailed knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathology that was usually passed down within families. Existing massage manuals contain diagrams of the body showing muscles, blood vessels, and nerve endings critical in treatment.

Ancient Thai medicine
In ancient times illnesses or injuries were treated with folk methods including medicines and massage. The medicines were called "home remedies" consisting of herbal ingreadients such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits or seeds of certain plants including Zingiber casumunar long peper, candle bush, eagle wood, Blumea balsamifera and Rhinacanthus communis. Animal parts such as teeth, horns, gallbladder, and liver were also used, as well as minerals like camphor, potassium nitrate, and sulfur. Experts in traditional medicine kept their formulae secret so very little of the knowledge has been passed down to the modern era.

Epidemics
A calamity that struck from time to time was epidemics of cholera, small pox or other diseases. In some years epidemics were severe. Bodies would pile up at the temples and sometimes float down the rivers and streams. The people would have to leave their homes to try to flee.

Funerals
Funerals began with bathing rites for the body of the deceased, then placing it in the coffin, and having prayers read for at least three days. Then the body would be cremated at the temple or in the woods outside the village. The pyre could be decorated with carved banana stalks, The family members would light the fire while monks prayed. The cremation could take all day and all night. When the fire burned out entirely the family would collect the ashes or remaining bone fragments to bury or keep in a jar.

Phra malai
Phra Malai was an enlightened person who was believed to have lived 500 years after the Lord Buddha passed into Nirvana. The story of Phra Malai is recounted in the Malai Sutra. This sutra has had a profound impact on Thai people's beliefs regarding good and bad karma, and ways of making merit such as giving alms to monks, listening to a recitation of the Mahachat sermon, or undertaking a water - pouring ritual to dedicate one's merit to deceased relatives. Certain rituals involved with weddings and funerals also originated in the Malai Sutra.

Weddings
Marriage in old times began with the groom asking the bride's parents for her hand, followed by an engagement ceremony, the building of a new house or room for the newlyweds, and then the actual wedding itself. The groom's family would make a procession to the bride's house in the morning with offerings for her family. In the afternoon prayers were held to bless the newlywed's quarters, which were usually within the bride's family's household compound. Next the bride and groom would sit among the families and guests while monks sprinkled them with holy water. Sometimes the groom would be required to sleep in the new quarters alone for three nights before the bride was delivered to him.

Children's games
Children's games were a part of everyday life in ancient times. Some games included funny songs or rhymes. Some used simple toys made from easily found materials such as coconut shells, banana plants, or the rims from old winnowing baskets, The rules and names of the games varied in different localities The main point was to have fun, kill time, and mimic adult career skills or activities rather than to compete or win. Children played in their yards, on balconies, or at the temples,

The rooms in Thai houses
Thai houses were airy wooden houses raised up on stilts with enough room to walk underneath. The steeply sloped roofs had awning - like extensions to provide more shade. Adjacent to the kitchen was a roofed balcony that served as the living room or parlor. Another balcony at the front of the house was used mainly for drying things in the sun, The bedroom was at a slightly higher level from the balcony so that breezes could enter the balcony. At the front of the house were stairs leading down that usually ended in an entranceway with a little thatch or tile roof. Farming equipment, weaving looms, rice storage bins, or mortars for grinding rice were kept under the house.

Boat songs
As early as the Ayutthaya period villagers in the Chaophraya River Basin sang boat songs for fun in the high water season around October and November. This is the same time of year they made processions to donate robes and other items to temples. Groups of 8-10 women and men would each ride a dugout or another type canoe - like paddle boat and sing courting songs using small cymbals or wood sticks to keep rhythm. The men would sing one verse and the women would respond with another. The lead singer's solos were punctuated by calls of "hahai" or "chacha" from the others.

The Mahachat sermon
The Mahachat sermon is the story of the last reincarnation of the Lord Buddha before he was born as the Buddha. There are 13 chapters in the sermon describing how Mahavesandorn made great merit by giving away everything he had, even his wife and children. Readings of the Mahachat sermon had no definite date or location but were often held at temples after the end of the rains retreat. People believed that if they listened to all 13 chapters in one day in their next life they would be born in the age of the next Boddhisatva.

Ayutthaya as a center of political and administrative power

In the first 400 years of Ayutthaya history the kingdom was founded and strengthened and its wealth was built up. The administrative system was designed to allow the king to keep the entire kingdom in order by controlling the lords, local officials, nobility, bureaucrats, peasants and slaves as well as immigrants and monks. The kings also worked on modernizing the military and accumulating stores of weapons to guard against attack or expand the kingdom's territory.

All this is reflected in the building of a capital city that was wealthy and strong surrounded by modern forts. The palace and many stupas are testimony of the kingdom's prosperity and stability, as were the royal and folk traditions concerned with the king's great stature, Concepts of religion and the universe, such as the Traiphum, have been passed down to the present era.

Early settlement before and after the Sukhothai Era
The first important towns in Thai history arose in the fifth to thirteenth centuries. They were located on trade routes linking ports on the coasts with the inner regions. These early settlements included Uthong, Srimahosot, Nakhon Pathom, Lawo, and Haripunchai.

Around the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the geographical, economic, and political climates changed resulting in the rise of new towns that replaced the older ones. These were located closer to the sea and further inland. They are Phimai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Suwanaphum, Sukhothai. Chiang Mai and Phetburi.

The Ayutthaya city plan
Historical and archeological evidence shows that Ayutthaya was not newly founded in the sixteenth century but was built up from the older town of Ayothaya. Ruins from Ayothaya are found in the eastern part of the city island. The ruins of important temples temples dating from before the foundation of Ayutthaya are found in the port area and scattered around the city island.

The Oath of Allegiance ceremony
The Oath of Allegiance ceremony was introduced in the Ayutthaya Era. It combines Buddhist and Brahman beliefs. The ceremony was held twice a year, on the third day of the waxing moon in the fifth lunar month and the thirteenth day of the waning moon in the tenth lunar month. It was held at Wat Phra Si Sanphet Temple.

The ceremony began with Buddhist monks reciting prayers to consecrate holy water. Then, in the Brahman portion of the ceremony, royal weapons were immersed in the holy water to add their power to it. Then all the royalty and high - level government officials took turns to take the oath of allegiance to the king and drink the holy water to prove their sincerity in loyally serving the kingdom, The ceremony demonstrated the stability of the kingdom.

Foreign enclaves
Ayutthaya monarchs donated land outside the city island to foreigners and allowed them to build houses there to await the monsoon season. The foreign enclaves were under the direction of a royal official called the kosabahn. Each group of foreign residents was allowed to select their own leader and to try any legal cases under their own legal systems. They were also free to observe their own religions.

Diplomacy in the Ayutthaya Era
Ayutthaya monarchs undertook foreign relation efforts along with foreign trade. Their policy was to be on friendly terms with all other nations. They sent emissaries to other powers in Asia and Europe. In the reign of King Narai the Great the king held a reception for an emissary from France and sent Phraya Kosabahn in return to pay his respects to Louis XIV.

Interest in Western innovations
When Europeans traveled to Ayutthaya the Ayutthaya kings were very interested in their technology such as guns and other military equipment, ships and navigational tools, astrology, and architecture.

The Makkasan Revolt
In the mid-eighteenth century, with the support of Muslim royals, King Prasat Thong changed the procedures for trade with the ports on the Eastern Coast of India in order to compete better with European merchants. However, Okya Wichaiyen (Constantin Phaulkon) tried to usurp the powers of the Muslim royals and diminish their influence. This is one of the issues that sparked the Makkasan Revolt.

Relations between Ayutthaya and foreign nations
As a port city Ayutthaya traded with many nations. Ayutthaya monarchs forged friendly relations with nations in Asia and Europe. They allowed foreigners to set up warehouses and even villages in the kingdom and tried to learn from them. The kings hired foreigners with the necessary expertise to undertake commerce and as mercenaries and maritime navigators. At times conflicts arose in these interactions, but often they also led to cultural exchanges.

The flourishing of religion in the late Ayutthaya period
The murals in the residence of the patriarch at Wat Puthai Sawan Temple depict King Baromakot sending monks to Lanka to disseminate religion in 1753.

Ayutthaya as a port city

Archeological evidence as well as legends and historical records show that Ayutthaya developed from a community in the lower Chaophraya River Basin into a major port that dealt in goods from many surrounding areas. Some goods were purchased from neighboring kingdoms and others were sent as tribute from all parts of the Siamese Kingdom. Many of the goods were processed in Ayutthaya for export to other countries in South and Southeast Asia, including ports on India's East Coast.

Starting in the mid - sixteenth century, ships from Ayutthaya plied the Asian seas and traded at various ports. When Europeans began to visit the city in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries they found a bustling port with a great variety of products that could be bought for export.

Dhow
This type of boat has been around since ancient times and can still be found in use in parts of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

Galliot
In the nineteenth century the Dutch East India Company used these mid-sized boats for trade in Asia.

Chinese junk
Chinese junks plied the waters of South and Southeast Asia and were the most commonly sighted boats to visit the Ayutthaya port.

Carrack
Carracks from Spain and Portugal reached Asia in the eighteenth century.

International trade routes
Ayutthaya kings engaged in maritime trade with ports in China, Ryukyu, Japan, Melaka, java, Annam, Champa and Indian and Persian ports starting in the late sixteenth century. By the eighteenth century merchants from Portugal, Holland, England and France began to visit Ayutthaya.

Domestic trade routes
Tribute, in the form of agricultural produce or other items of value, was collected from all parts of the kingdom and stored at major towns such as Phitsanulok, Tak, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Marit before being transported, mainly by rivers and canals, to Ayutthaya. Towns in the northeast and Phratabong in present day Cambodia sent their tribute mainly by ox cart along mountain passes. These routes were used for the exchange of goods between Ayutthaya, its foreign trade partners, and all inner parts of the kingdom.

Trade in the Ayutthaya Era
The Royal Treasury Department was responsible for managing the king's assets, trade and international relations. The king had a monopoly on certain controlled goods such as sappan wood, eagle wood, leather, tin and rice. Trade was carried out on a government-to-government basis or through private companies. Sometimes Ayutthaya exported its goods on its own ships and sometimes merchants from other countries came to Ayutthaya to purchase and export goods themselves. Ayutthaya was also a center for trading goods produced in other countries.

View from Pompetch Fortress
The point where the Chaophraya and Pasak rivers meet was an important commercial area. Looking out from Pompetch Fortress one could see busy markets both in the water and on land, especially near Wat Mai Bangkacha Temple and Wat Phanan Choeng Temple, where people were engaged in trading a wide variety of goods. Tribute from other parts of the kingdom was stored or repackaged for export. Boats from other countries docked at the port or used the repair service, and warehouses and naval arsenals were located in this area.

Ayutthaya's trade relations with China
China was an important trade partner to Siam for a long time. Many Chinese immigrants came to live in Ayutthaya and some were given positions in the Royal Treasury Department to oversee trade with nations in South and Southeast Asia.

Ayutthaya's trade relations with Holland
In the mid - eighteenth century King Naresuan the Great gave permission for the Dutch East India Company to set up a trade station in Ayutthaya. Dutch merchants then bought products such as leather, sappan wood, tin, and pepper to sell in other countries.

The coronation ceremony
The coronation ceremony used in the Ayutthaya Era was derived from the Brahman belief written in the Law of Three Seals that the king's power and merit were so great that the god Indra bestowed him with special royal ornaments and weapons, Brahman, Buddhist and local animist elements were incorporated into the ceremony. In practice, the ceremony served as a declaration of the king's power as ruler of the universe.

Conflicts and challenges to the throne
Several times during the Ayutthaya Era conflicts of power arose among members of the royal family or leaders of different parts of the empire. Often these leaders or other people of influence attempted to take over the throne. Sometimes these events served to strengthen the absolute monarchy system, however. An example is the rise to power of Chaophraya Klahom Suriyawong, who was crowned as King Prasat Thong.

Royal pilgrimages to the Buddha Footprint
The Buddha Footprint at Saraburi was an important pilgrimage destination in the Siamese Kingdom. In latter Ayutthaya Era it became a tradition that the king should lead a pilgrimage to the Buddha Footprint regularly. The grand royal procession over land and by water was a display of the king's power and hanor that continued on into the Rattankosin Era.

Ayutthaya as capital

Ayutthaya was originally founded in 1350 and over the next few decades developed to be the capital of the Siamese Kingdom. Ayutthaya is like and island surrounded by three rivers that act as natural barriers for defense. In addition, the rivers brought large and small boats from other important towns in the kingdom and from other nations to engage in commerce. Ayutthaya was both the administrative and the economic center of the kingdom and was filled with a great diversity of people from different areas.

A map of Ayutthaya drawn by a foreign visitor in the seventeenth century seems quite realistic. It shows a neat grid of streets and canals dividing sections of the city into the royal palace areas, government buildings, royal temples and common temples, residential areas, and markets that warranted the city's nickname of "Venice of the East."

Maps of Ayutthaya
Map of Ayutthaya in 1686.
The shape of the city-island is not very accurate but it clearly shows the locations of important landmarks in the city and along the waterways.

Map of Ayutthaya drawn by an English mapmaker in the seventeenth century.
This map gives a fairly accurate representation of the city, its waterways, and the locations of important places. Map of Ayutthaya in 1680 The rivers, canals, and roads in the city are very accurately drawn. Map of Ayutthaya in 1693. This map was drawn by de la Loubere, the French Ambassador during the reign of King Narai. It shows the general shape of the city and the surrounding areas where foreign enclaves were located.

Wat Chai Wattanaram Temple
Wat Chai Wattanaram Temple symbolizes the pinnacle of the art of the Ayutthaya period. It was built during the reign of King Prasat Thong at a time when the kingdom was quite stable and Ayutthaya was a thriving international center of commerce, It was built near the end of the Ayutthaya period, so it shows the degree of recovery of the kingdom after the first time it was sacked. The main stupa of the temple is built to model Sumerumart, of the Golden Mountain, the spiritual center of the universe, surrounded by lesser mountains, reflecting the influence of the art of the ancient Khmer kingdom.

Buddha image in Royal Regalia
The dressing of a Buddha image in royal regalia demonstrates the Buddha's status as emperor of the universe. This custom began before the Ayutthaya period but was revived in the reign of King Prasat Thong to show the king's great merit and his status as a universal ruler. Several such Buddha images were made, but the most impressive is that at Wat Na Phra Meru Temple.

Wat Mahathat Temple
Wat Mahathat Temple is a symbol of Ayutthaya as a religious center. It follows a tradition that began before the Ayutthaya period of having a central stupa containing a fragment of the remains of the Lord Buddha as the main spiritual center of every city. Royal religious ceremonies were held there. The stupa was also an important place of worship for all, who visited the city. The stupa pictured here takes the form of a prang (corncob shaped stupa) modeled after that of Prasart Khom in Lopburi.

The Grand Palace
The ruined palace of Ayutthaya is the first Grand Palace of Siam, designed in the seventeenth century. It served as the model for the building of the Grand Palace of the Rattanakosin Era, or the period after the capital was relocated to Bangkok. The Grand Palace was the center of government and a symbol of the prosperity of the kingdom. The Grand Palace of Ayutthaya had three layers of walls surrounding it. The innermost area was the residence of the royal family and the most important royal officials. Outside this were throne halls, reception areas, and government buildings for carrying out important ceremonies and the business of government. In the outer area one of the royal temples was located.

The Elephant Kraal
During the Ayutthaya period elephants were used in war. Ayutthaya was continually involved in wars to expand its territory and to protect against encroachment by neighboring states. Thus, elephants were a very important resource. The stronger kings would frequently visit various towns in the empire to oversee the rounding of up of wild elephants for the army. The elephant kraal located on the bank of Lopburi River just north of Ayutthaya was often used to round up and contain elephants driven down from the north. The king always presided over the ceremonies to receive new elephants.

The importance of elephants in Ayutthaya society
When royal ceremonies were held that involved travel on land rather than water, most Ayutthaya monarchs chose to ride by elephant caravan.

In war elephants were the most essential means of transport. The kings or generals would lead army on elephant back, and battle on elephant back was considered the most honorable means of combat.

For trade with far - reaching areas elephant caravans were important for transporting goods.

White elephants were considered rare items of value demonstrating the king's good karma, power, and influence.

Ayutthaya Historical Studies Center

The Ayutthaya Historical Studies Center is a national research center dedicated to the study of the period of Thai history when Ayutthaya was the capital. The center aims to provide a quick and easy way for secondary school and university students and the general public to learn about the life, society, and culture of Ayutthaya. Subject areas covered at the center's exhibits are:
1. Ayutthaya as capital : displaying the prosperity of the Ayutthaya period.
2. Ayutthaya as an international port : covering Ayutthaya's international relations.
3. Ayutthaya as the center of administrative power : covering the relationship between the king and his subjects and royal ceremonies.
4. Everyday life of the common people : covering the way of life, beliefs, religious rituals, mural paintings and folk culture of common people.
5. Ayutthaya's relations with foreign powers.

Ayutthaya Historical Studies Center
The Ayutthaya Historical Studies Center is a national research center dedicated to the study of Ayutthaya, especially the period when Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam. It is also a museum of Ayutthaya history displaying models that were derived from research into Ayutthaya history. A database and library about Ayutthaya history are also housed here.

Wat Yai Chai Mongkol Temple
The chedi. or stupa, at Wat Yai Chai Mongkol Temple is the largest and tallest in Ayutthaya. It is a symbol of the city that can be seen from afar.

Considering its architectural design, experts believe the stupa was built even before Ayutthaya was founded. King Naresuan the Great had it restored and built some additions to commemorate his great victory in battle over the Burmese. He named it "Chai Mongkol" or "Auspicious Victory"