brahman cosmology in the thai monarchy of the 21st century

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However, this is an important time in Thai history because many of the Brahmin

priests were killed and most all the books were burnt. The task at the time was to

rewrite the text that dealt with cosmography and this text was called the Traiphum

Phra Ruang (the three worlds). Overall there are 31 levels which make up these three

worlds. According to (Winichakul, 1994) space was a qualitative manifestation of

imagined existence. This included the movement of the sun and the planets, theimagined space of Mt. Meru, the seven oceans and Indra’s heaven. All of these

cosmologies have roots in pre-Indic times, and the research in all of these areas of the

early conceptions of space has been well researched. In his definitive work on Thai

intellectual history (Reynolds, 2006) states that from the Sukotaya period, the

Siamese elite included spirit cults within religious practices which shows an affinity

that the Southeast Asian culture had with Indian civilization. The amount of work to

rewrite a new cosmography was no small task for the founders of the early Thai

kingdom. The presence of Brahmins at the time of forming the religious rituals of the

Royal court was essential in keeping a direct connection with the Hindu pantheon.

Today there are only 13 Brahmins who assist in Thai royal ceremonies. These

Brahmins must have a direct blood offspring; a tradition that goes far back into thehistory of the caste system of India. The influence of Brahmanism has to be

understood as coming from Angkor Wat, the seat of the Khmer empire, which held

that their kings were semi-divine. Our story for this paper begins with recognizing

that there were Brahmin enclaves in southern Thailand in Nakhon Si Thammarat in

which there presided a king.

This introduction is very brief and to describe every historical aspect as to how the

cosmography was developed in Thailand would require looking very closely at the

cosmology held in India. It is this osmosis and integration between Southeast Asia

and India that the spiritual edifice of Thailand rests upon. And with King Rama IX

nearing the end of his reign there is concern as to whether the conception of kingship

will be maintained and a continuity of one monarch to the next will maintain the

Brahmin tradition in Thailand. The relationship between the state and religious

ideology is one of the most contentious issues facing the Thai kingdom today. The

ancient traditions have been upheld ever since King Rama I began the new capital and

are the same traditions which are upheld within the Thai royal court and looked over

by the existing 13 Brahmin families.

There can be no question that layer upon layer of ritual alterations have been ushered

in by succeeding monarchs which have changed many aspects of the rituals. Today

the Giant Swing Ceremony no longer has the ceremony of the Naliwans swinging onthe planks suspended between the towering teak pillars but instead only Hamsa is

swung from two small pillars inside the temple dedicated to Shiva within the

Devasthan temple complex. And when I asked the RajaGuru whether this reduction in

the ceremony caused any significant change in the spirituality of the ceremony his

answer was, “that was then and what is important is to focus on what is now”. The

cosmology which came from early Sukotaya is still embedded in the rituals of modern

Thailand but few of the citizens of Thailand are aware of this aspect to the

significance the Brahmin families play in keeping an ancient tradition alive by

involving the king directly in these sacred Brahmanic rituals. How ancient are these

rituals? Very. What are they comprised of? They are comprised of forms and symbols

mixed with sounds that ultimately aim to maintain a communication with those loftier aspects of mans mind in the universe. The Brahmin is that person who maintains a



The cosmology which is incorporated into the rituals for the royal court emphasizes

Mt. Meru and Mt Kailash. Mt Kailash is the home of Shiva and Mt Meru is the

mythical cosmic pole, home of Indra and center of the universe. Each of the Brahminswears a ring which is symbolic of the solar system or the universe.

Ring representing the cosmic egg Ring representing the solar system

When demonstrating the cosmology of the existing ritual which surrounds the giant

swing we come very close to understanding a very ancient conception of the universe

and one which connects the king to the center of the universe. The one other icon

which plays an important part in the cosmology of the Thai religious culture is the

city pillar. The original pillar no longer exists but was placed in the city of Bangkok

the same time as the giant swing.

City Pillar in Bangkok

Both the city pillar and the giant swing have a counter part in India at Chitradurga.Chitradurga is a 9th century temple in India which also has the cosmic pillar next to a



swing installation. So even though the swing, which was presented to King

Ramathaibodi in Ayutthaya in 1625 was not made of stone, it represented the

Pillar and swing at Chitradurga

ceremony which came from India in antiquity. The question arises as to how the

swing became as prominent as it did in India. There is very little historical record of

the swing in India and any interpretation of its use has to be inferred. The ceremony

which has built up around the swing in Thailand is more or less a way to honor the

gods, and it is a late interpretation on how to use the swing as no mention has been

made of how to use the swing from any records which survived the destruction of

Ayutthaya. In many respects the swing is an enigma and even when (Wales, 1931)

tried to describe its use and function he readily admitted it was one of the most

difficult ceremonies for him to describe. Its not that there are not any reasons a swing

is used in a ceremony for it is widely known that swings are very much apart of ceremonies the world over. Yet the scope and scale to which the swing was

constructed and used in the temples of India indicates a much more serious intention

for its construction was in place. So if we swing back in time from the 9 th century to

look for some other source of information regarding the swing we would have

something to work with. If we swing forward in time from the 9 th century the meaning

seems to be lost and other interpretations for its use are extant both in India as well as

the one remaining swing in Thailand. Fortunately we have clues if we swing back to

the Vedic scriptures, specifically the Sankhayana Aranyaka (Keith, 1908). It is within

this Vedic text a complete description of the construction and use of the swing exists.

Quoting from chapter 5 it states,

“Then the hotar gathering himself to the plank of the swing, draws in his

breath thrice. Then after touching it with his breast and putting his right sideover it he mutters thou art the sun. After them I mount for self rule, indeed, is,

as it were, something more than royal sway. Then putting his right side over,

he mutters, let the Adityas mount thee with the Jagati metre. They are themounters. After them I mount for universal sway. Universal sway, indeed, is,

as it were, something more than self rule.”

Considering that the Vedic scriptures are much older then the 9 th century AD we have

to realize the swing has been an integral part of ritual for thousands of years. But howdo we interpret these lines in the Sankhayana Aranyaka and what is their meaning? It



was after months of research I came across the research of Ravrindra Godbole and his

life long friend Subhash Shivram Phadke who translated his book, “The Meaning of

Vedas”, into English (Godbole, 2010). Both are from Pune, India and his book is

about deciphering these passages from the Vedic scriptures which mention the swing.

It is in this research we discover the secret rituals used in the Mahavrata. We find

these passages mentioning a swing in the Aitereya Aranyaka (1.2.3) Quoting,

“They ask, “why is swing a swing?” He who blows is the swing.“He swings forward in these worlds and then a swing is a swing.”

In the RgVeda (7.87.5) Quoting,

“On him three heavens rest and are supported, and the three earths are there in six fold order. The wise king Varuna hath made in heaven that Golden Swing to

cover it with glory.”

Godbole has made a discovery, but it was not in relation to a swing. Godbole’s work was in relation to celestial bodies falling to the earth in the year 3100BCE. As a

chemist, Godbole was analyzing soil sample in Harappa and discovered a vitreous

paste substance which can only come from a meteor impacting on the earth’s surface.

Godbole saw the Adityas as the shining ones coming to earth and saw the swing as a

unique way to describe celestial phenomenon as described in the Taitiriya Aranyaka

(1.7) Quoting,

“The swing is made from the wood of an Umbar tree. It is supported by erecting

two poles in the ground. It is tied using a rope made from “darbha” grass, sothat the seat of the swing is hardly 6-7 inches above the ground. The right to

occupy the seat is only that of the Hotra. He approaches the swing, sliding likea serpent and puts his chin on the seat of the swing. The he uses his hands to

grip the ropes of “darbha” and assumes a sitting posture. While taking swings

he is suppose to keep one foot hanging down so as to brush the ground as the swing descends, however, he is not allowed to touch the ground with both the

feet simultaneously.”

What Godbole discovered was that ten mantras known as the Mahanamni Stotra from

the fourth chapter of Aitereya Aranyaka emphasized the ancient origin of Mahavrata.

Godbole also shows similarities with current traditions in India specifically the “Holi”

festival both in south and northern India. The swing was a way to depict a celestial phenomenon of bodies falling to earth and the respect and rituals surrounding the

swing as described in these verses were a way to honor these celestial deities.

Conparing the time the Vedic scriptures were written with celestial phenomenon has

been an on going study to interpret the poetic use of words used in ancient Sanskrit to

describe the world the ancients were living in.

These references to the swing are the oldest references in any written document which

indicate that the edifice of gods constructed through out the millennia have come from

the original behavior of the heavenly bodies which were in turn characterized as a

swing and the rituals associated with it. The swing is then a mnemonic device that

rekindles the most ancient memories of our place on the earth and a way to unify uswith the cosmos. It was not Godbole’s intention to find the meaning of a swing, but to



associated the wording used in describing the swing with bodies falling to earth.

When I saw how Godbole was citing Vedic scriptures to explain falling meteors I

connected the dots and realized this was the source for the actual construction of the

swing, even though its original meaning was a poetic expression for observing

phenomenon in the heavens. It was ironic that in researching the swing I discovered

another researcher who found out about the history of the swing from a totallydifferent perspective. Once contact was made with Godbole it was then possible to

fully understand his curiosity in interpreting the Vedic scriptures in a new

cosmological light. But the discovery of the integration of ancient cosmological

considerations for the use of the swing in the Vedic scriptures did not end with

Godbole.

I also discovered that Dr. Deepak Bhattachaya, a researcher in Orissa, India, was the

first person in India to make a direct connection with temple construction and a

specific constellation. The constellation was Orion and the temple complex was

located at Bhubaneswar, India. A flourish of correspondence and collaboration ensued

and slowly more pieces of the puzzle on the origins of the swing were further uncovered. If we look at the time in which the RgVeda was written and when the

temple complex at Bhubaneswar was constructed we have to conclude that those

mentioning of a swing in the Vedic scriptures to describe celestial phenomenon, as

pointed out by Godbole, had been known for over 3000 years and well into the 7th and

8th centuries when we see temple construction taking place in Orissa as well as many

other places in India. There is not sufficient space in this paper to elaborate on the

many other temple complexes which also incorporated the swing into their rituals so I

will confine my comments to Bhubaneswar.

What we are seeing at Bhubaneswar is a complete integration of the heavens with the

ritual in and around the temple complex at Bhubaneswar. Not only was Bhattachaya

the first Indian scholar able to accurately demonstrate the influence of the

constellation of Orion on the construction of the temple complex he also uncovered

one of the most ancient indications of the swing being used within the temple

complex. Bhattacharaya uncovered the history of the “Rajo doli” or the swing festival

in old Kalinga, India. He was able to show that the Gemini asterism and the sun get

co-incident annually when the sun makes contact with the ecliptic and Gemini in the

night sky. The name for full contact is “Sankranti” and is the main day of the swing

festival. The term“Sankranti” literally and technically means being collinear with the

ecliptic. All throughout India there are swing ceremonies and in the Ganga-Jumana

river valley-plains, almost in all cases, the swing is associated with Lord Sri Krishnaand Sri Radha. Bhattachaya has spent considerable time researching the etymology of

many of the words used in the swing ceremony; the word “ Doli” means (palaquin or

swing). A swing inducer is referred to as a “Dulha” associated with the groom and

the bride is referred to as the “Dulhan” or the swinger. What I am trying to indicate

here with these findings is that there is still a usage and ceremony associated with the

wording used in the RgVeda which in turn is connected to an event in the heavens.

In as much as cosmology is a way to define the natural order of the universe and

seeing that reference is made to this order within the Vedic scriptures that cosmology

even though it has undergone modification over the millennia, the connection to the

gods within rituals and with temple construction was a way to create a link betweenthe microcosm and the macrocosm. That much is well understood and has been



written about extensively but the swing as an integral part of temple construction has

gone unnoticed as a way to connect to the larger cosmological order. Bhattacarya has

shown this, not only with the stars constituting the Orion constellation and their direct

connection to the placement of temples on the ground, but also showing how the

swing was used as a measuring device to watch the passage of stars across the

heavens. From the 7th century to the 14th century what ever was the intended use of theswing its meaning has fallen into oblivion today. Yet it was still in use by the

Brahmins of southern Thailand in the early 14th century because we know that a swing

was gifted to a king in Ayutthaya in 1625. We do not know how big this gifted swing

was but we can assume it was made of wood and most likely was erected and

demonstrated for King Ramathabodi.

So rather than describing the Giant Swing, its history or its recent use in the early 20 th

century in Thailand I will concentrate on the existing swing ceremony that takes place

in the Devasthan temple in the beginning of the 21st century. From the poetic

mentioning of the swing in the RgVeda over 5000 years ago, and its known use in

temples in the 9th century in India, the swing is still used in the sacred royal ceremonywithin the Thai monarchy. And even though the Giant Swing is known by all Thais as

a major cultural artifact, only a handful of people know about the ceremony which

takes place inside the temple. Below is a photograph of the Giant Swing which is in

front of Wat Suthat at the end of Dinso Road, and the other is Hamsa, Brahma’s

mount, suspended on a cross beam inside the Devasthan temple located on the other

side of the giant swing which now stands outside in a traffic circle.

Giant Swing outside Hamsa on swing inside temple

The ceremony which took place with the Giant Swing outside has been suspended due

to accidents with the “Naliwans” falling off the planks when trying to swing and reach

for gold coins. After the giant swing ceremony was suspended the ceremony was

confined to the Devasthan temple dedicated to Shiva whereupon once a year the gates

of Kailash are opened and Shiva is invited to visit the earth for 10 days, after which

time he then returns to Mt. kailash.

It is at this point that the Hindu cosmology of Brahmanism in the Thai state becomes

a most fascinating juxtaposition of ancient sacred ways mixed with the secular world

of materialism. The monarchy of Thailand rests upon these beliefs of a central pillar

and its iconic swing. But whereas tourists and Thais alike can pay their respects to the

City Pillar Shrine across from the grand palace, the giant swing stands in the middle



of a traffic circle inaccessible and without any ceremony. Its only deep within the

temple of Shiva will any indication of a swing ceremony take place, and when it does

less than 100 people will attend. But for all its anonymity and exclusion from the eyes

of onlookers the swing is the most significant connection to the Hindu gods and forms

a link with Indra’s heaven. Perhaps the ancient beginnings of the swing will never be

known, but the cosmological symbols used by the Brahmans consisting of chants, jewelry, gods, seasons of the year, and phases of the moon all keep alive a vestigial

connection to the larger cosmological order. The Brahmins, within the royal

household, are the only ones who can maintain this cosmogonic connection for the

King. The King of Thailand is a modern day Cakravartin and his God/King status

places him in the Devaraja belief system as a way to give Thailand its spiritiual

signature as was originally incorporated into the kingdom of Sukotaya in the 13th

century, and which stemmed directly from the court of the Khmer empire at Angkor.

Thailand is the only country where this God/King relationship can still be seen today,

and even though the country is a constitutional monarchy, the ceremonies surrounding

the Royal household hark back to a long gone era when the King was thought of as a

God. I would like to end this short outline of the Brahman cosmology in the Thaicourt by sharing an eye witness account of the closing ceremony when Shiva, Uma

and Ganesha were returned to their home on Mt. Kailash. It’s a ceremony performed

every year, yet few see it or know of it and it lasts for over 6 hours.

Sitting at the Bhadrapika the Rajaguru brings about access to other worldly realms by

slowly and very deliberately conducting a ritual that has been going on for over two

hundred years in the new capital of Bangkok. Most, if not all those in attendance are

unaware of how the ancient ritual has been dynamically and magically orchestrated

with a combination of sacred mantras, magical yantras and a ritual obeisance that is

more than a sacerdotal exercise but a definite attempt to provide a passage for the

mythical mount of Brahma to fly to the heavenly kingdom of the gods.

When the Rajaguru finally arises from his ceremonial center where all the magic has

been orchestrated for the swing ceremony he carries with him in his left hand a small

golden bowl with Siva, Uma and Ganesha comfortably resting on a bed of red roses.

In his right hand he carries the large ceremonial candle which will be set on the cradle

along with Hamsa and approaches the gilded swan awaiting its passengers. The hour

has finally arrived and the continual blowing of the conch shells announces an event

that demands ones focus on the suspended swan. The Rajaguru’s right foot touches

the mortar and the magic yantra has been activated as he does his Pradaksina, three

times in a clockwise direction, each time stepping on the mortar. The gods areremoved from the golden bowl and placed in the mandapa on Hamsa’s back

cushioned by the red roses for their ride to heaven.



Placing of the gods Shiva, Uma and Ganesha in the mandapa on Hamsa

If one thought that the crescendo of this ceremony was over it was not because it was

then that two Brahmans, dressed in ceremonial white gowns accented with wide

golden sashes, sat in front of Hamsa while another Brahmin took a seat on the temple

floor directly next to Hamsa and the “Gumpa” (sacred water urn) and began to pull

the sacred cord to swing Brahma’s vehicle. It was at this instance that a pure magical

sound ensued. For if one thought a mantra were merely made up of incomprehensible

sounds, formed by centuries of interpretations of Sanskrit, Hindi and Thai, which may

be true, it was the combination of reciting two mantras, chanted together

simultaneously, which created an aural space much like the space when Shiva visited

earth ten days earlier. All those hours of procedures, placing of candles, washing of

gods and sounding of conches fused into one grand ceremonial finale as Hamsa wasslowly pulled back and forth as he took flight to Mt. Kailash with his godly

passengers safe within a rose petal filled space and quietly, as if by some magical

carpet, left this world and the lightness of being slowly faded away and the white

marble floor of the temple once again became the solid reminder that one was back on

earth.

For all the secular activities that were going on in the city of Bangkok during the early

morning hours of the full moon on January 20th 2011, another event as ancient as one

could imagine was again enacted providing Thailand with a regal connection to the

Hindu gods so the Thai people could sleep in peace while unbeknownst to them their

King was once again asking for protection for Thailand and its people from thesecelestial deities.

Bangkok - August 9, 2011

References:

Bhattacharya, D. (2010). Rajo, The Swing Festival of Kalinga (India). Bhubaneswar.

Bhattacharya, D., Nail, P.C. (2008). Archaeoastronomy of Nataraja. [Art History and

archaeology]. Indian Journal of History and Science, 43.3, 411-423.

Godbole, R. V. (2010). The Meaning of Vedas (S. S. Phadke, Trans.). Marathi:

Deshmukh and Company (Pvt.) Ltd.,.

Gray, C. (2006). Thailand: The soteriological state in the 1970's.Singapore

Keith, A.B. (1908). The Sankhayana Aranyaka: With an appendix on the Mahavrata.London: The Royal Asiatic Society.

Marshall, A.M. (2011). Thailand's Moment of Truth:A secret history of 21 st century

Siam. Bangkok, Thailand.

Reynolds, C.J. (2006). Seditious Histories: Contesting Thai and Southeast Asians

past. Singapore University Press.

Van Fliet. J. (1640). The Short History of the Kings of Siam.Bangkok: The Siam

Society.

Wales, H. G. Q. (1931). Siamese State Ceremonies. London Bernard Quaritch, LTD.



Winichakul, T. (1994). Siam Mapped:A history of the geo-body ofa nation. Chaing

Mai: Silkworm Books.

brahman cosmology in the thai monarchy of the 21st century

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