Hanuman fighting fish
The cloisters that define the perimeter of the Emerald Buddha Temple at the Grand Palace complex, Bangkok, are decorated with extensive murals depicting scenes from the Thai version of the Ramayana. The Mural has 178 scenes, which illustrate the complete epic story of Ramayana sequentially, in a clockwise direction starting at the north gate, covering the entire wall. In Thailand, the Ramayana epic is known as Ramakian or Ramakien. It is not in any sense a direct descendant of the Valmiki Ramayana recorded in Sanskrit. It is simply another of the many versions of the story. In addition to the Sanskrit tradition, it is influenced by Sri Lankan, Khmer, Burmese, and many other versions. The tales of the Ramakien are similar to those of the Ramayana, though there are a few differences. Names of characters, way of life, food, dress, weapons etc are all based on Thai culture. Ravana, the demon king, who is known as Tosakanth in Thai version of Ramayana is stripped of some evil characteristics and there are verses that make people sympathize with him. There are also some characters in Ramakien that are not part of the original Ramayana.
