The Triyampawai Ceremony ( th, พระราชพิธีตรียัมปวาย), the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

ritual celebrated currently in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Devasathan Devasathan (; ; meaning 'the abode of the gods') or Royal Brahmin Office of Thai Royal Court ( th, สำนักพราหมณ์พระราชครูในสำนักพระราชวัง) is a Hindu temple near Wat Suthat ...

temple, was one of the 12 months' royal ceremonies of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

which is identified with Tamil

Thiruvempavai The Thiruvempavai (Tamil: திருவெம்பாவை, IAST: Tiruvempāvai) is a collection of songs composed by the poet and saint, Manikkavacakar. It consists of 20 stanzas devoted to the Hindu God Shiva. It forms part of the collection c ...

of Tamils.

History

It is believed that Thiruvembavai was introduced to Thailand by Tamils who immigrated to then

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

in 14th century CE.. Available historical evidences confirm that the ritual of Thiruvembavai has been observed at Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and Sawankhalok, the ancient capitals of Thailand. Initially it was observed as a penance and fasting at Sawankhalok and

Phitsanulok Phitsanulok ( th, พิษณุโลก, ) is an important, historic city in lower northern Thailand and is the capital of Phitsanulok Province. Phitsanulok is home to Naresuan University and Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, as well a ...

and later it got royal patronage and became one of the 12 royal ceremonies combined with the swing ceremony.

Rituals

Triyamphway was celebrated to praise the Hindu god Siwa who was believed to come visit Thailand at the end of every Thai year. He was offered with rice, fruits and vegetables. Great Swing ceremony was celebrated to make him happy at the well known Sao Chingcha. So many Thai folklores interpret the connection between Siwa and Swing with interesting explanations. After ten days, it was believed that the companion of Siwa,

Narai King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the P ...

visits and blesses Thailand for five days. Triyamphway mantra, actually Tamil Thiruvempavai stanzas of Saint Manikkavasagar was recited in these days. The first 11 stanzas recited in front of Siwa are known as ""Pothmurai yay" while the other 9 stanzas recited in front of Narai are known as "Pothmurai clang". The two main deities of Saivism and

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

are praised by single Thiruvembavai of Manikkavasagar, which is a saivite literature.

Swing ceremony

Swing ceremony was grandly celebrated in Thailand until the reign of King

Rama VII Prajadhipok ( th, ประชาธิปก, RTGS: ''Prachathipok'', 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and ...

. After that it was cancelled due to reasons such as the break down in the Swing, injuries at Swing ceremony and the unbearable great cost to Thai government following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Abandoned Great swing still can be seen in front of

Wat Suthat Wat Suthat Thepwararam ( th, วัดสุทัศนเทพวราราม, ) is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a royal temple of the first grade, one of ten such temples in Bangkok (23 in Thailand). Construction was begun ...

of Phra Nakhon,

. Present day, Triyamphway is celebrated indoors in Dewasathan temple of Bangkok. The last day of the rite is offering to

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

to align with the Buddhist perspectives of Thailand.

References

{{Reflist Ceremonies in Thailand