 When
visiting Thailand, at least one temple or royal palace will
be included in your tour itineraries. These sites are usually
excellent places to view the splendor of Thailand’s range
of fine arts. Thai architecture and sculpture are immediately
evident. It’s a pity that another masterpiece of Thai fine
arts, the mural painting, often tends to be overlooked.
That
lack of interest is understandable. It’s not easy to comprehend
what was being presented in the mural paintings. It’s even
more difficult for people without any background in Buddhism
to totally understand the paintings’ hidden messages. But
if you just learn a little about the stories, you will find
mural paintings fun, interesting and entertaining.
In
fact, mural paintings were meant to be a source of knowledge
for anyone wanting to study and practice Buddhism. This has
been so since mural paintings were introduced in the Ayutthaya
period. Temple murals as such did not reach their zenith until
well into the Rattanakosin period. It was, in fact, during
the reign of King Rama III (1824-1851) that the mural painting
as an art form reached its height. The king encouraged a huge
program of construction and restoration of Buddhist temples.
Bangkok’s artists took Chinese and Western influences to perfect
the art of mural painting, which later achieved its full glory
alongside Thailand’s other forms of artistic expression.
 Since
ancient times, the temple has played the most prominent role
as a social and educational center for people in the community.
Monks usually doubled as teachers and their teachings were,
undoubtedly, related to Buddhism. They preached about the
Buddhist concept of virtue, which laid out the basic codes
of morality for people to follow. The mural painting was introduced
as a teaching aid, to help people understand some of the concepts
being taught. Through mural paintings, local people were able
to learn about Buddhism in an easy and entertaining way.
Painting
was a particularly good teaching aid at the time as most people
were illiterate. Knowledge was traditionally passed on to
the younger generation verbally. With mural paintings, the
concepts were much easier to understand.
Today,
with the development of a modern education system in Thailand,
the Thais no longer learn at the temples. Today people study
a myriad of subjects that are more practical for modern society.
No longer do they learn about Buddhism through mural paintings.
Nonetheless, these masterpieces remain a truly significant
chapter in Thai history. The local and traditional ways of
life are depicted vividly in the paintings. They offer good
evidence for the glorious days of a bygone era.
Back to Top
|
