After Water, Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to Receive 'Special Soil' from Ayutthaya, in Thailand, 3500 km Away

Thailand is sending special soil to the Ramjanmabhoomi ahead of the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in January 2024. The soil is being sent from the city of Ayutthaya which is 3,500 km away from Ayodhya.

Ayutthaya in the Kingdom of Siam, Thailand is believed to have been founded in the 13th century and was the capital of the kingdom of Siam as well as the economic center.

However, this is not the first time that something like this is being sent from Thailand for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. It follows the earlier gesture when some water was sent from two rivers in Thailand for the Ram temple. This action stems from the unique cultural ties between Thailand and India which will only be deepen further in times to come.

This has been made possible by the initiative taken by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and with the help of Susheelkumar Saraff, President of the Thailand chapter of VHP.

According to Swami Vigyanananand, founder and global chairman of the World Hindu Foundation (WHF) "India and Thailand have strong cultural and historical ties.

He further said that several Kings of Thailand are part of Lord Ram's descendants. Every king here too has the title of Ram in their name which is an old tradition here, he said.

Capital of Thailand Bangkok is home to a rich Hindu cultural heritage, and we have identified 51 countries that will witness Lord Ram's consecration at Ayodhya said Swami Vigyanananand.

Swami Vigyanananand, chief organiser of World Hindu Congress, said that the ceremony will be telecast live in Bangkok and Hindus from across the globe will converge at the event, engaging in kirtans, bhajans, puja, and recitation.

He went on to add that "We have ordered prasad from Ayodhya. A replica of the Ayodhya temple has been built here. We have also brought an image of the birthplace of Ram Lalla from Ayodhya. Copies of the image will be shared with all the delegates.

Ayutthaya's connection with Lord Rama

A famous city in Thailand was known as Ayutthaya, where its kings bore the title of 'Ramatibodhi' ("Lord Rama"). Ayutthaya has been linked to the context in which Ayodhya is mentioned as the capital of Lord Rama in the Ramayana. Ayutthaya, which was the capital of the Siamese rulers from 1351 AD, was looted and almost completely destroyed by the Burmese forces in 1767.

The Thai religious text known as Ramkeen, has the same status as the Thai Ramayana. Ramanujan, who wrote the book '300 Ramayana', has compared the Ramkeenith Valmiki’s Ramayana. It is believed to have been composed afresh by King Rama I in the 18th century and the main villain in this book, Thotsakan, is like the Lankan king Ravana of the Hindu text. The ideal of Ram is depicted in the hero of this book, Phra Ram.

Deeper cultural similarities between India and Thailand

But the cultural similarities between India and Thailand do not end there. Kartik Purnima and Dev Diwali are celebrated in India, similarly in Thailand also 'Loy Krathong' festival is celebrated as the festival of lights which is akin to India’s Diwalli. It is a major festival of Thailand, which is celebrated with enthusiasm throughout the country. During this time, idols of Lord Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Indra are installed at prominent places for people to worship.