Prakong Nimmannahaeminda
The Royal Institute, Thailand
Tamnan Phra Chao Liap Loke is a folk Buddhist literature written in Lan Na, telling the legends of some pagodas, foot prints, place names and the end of Buddhism’s within 5,000 years. It was written as records of Buddha’s travels among Buddhist societies in mainland Southeast Asia: Lan Na, Ayudhya, Lop Buri, Shan State in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and some part of Yunnan Province in the People’s Republic of China. The Buddha had given some of his hair and left impressions of his footprints in some places, which had became sacred places to set up pagodas and footprints after he had reached Nirvana. The author of Tamnan Phra Chao Liap Loke adapted some parts of the stories of the Buddha’s life to suit the existing local tales and legends. He also interspersed the geographical description of the localities and the lively depiction of the lifestyles of Tais and people of other ethnic groups in various localities, making this literary work a unique travel record that entertains the readers as well as impressing them with the Buddha’s compassion. Tamnan Phra Chao Liap Loke has played an important role in making the sites of Buddhist places of worship sacred and encouraging local people to be good, help foster Buddhism and maintain Buddhist places of worship and the environment in good conditions. Moreover, it has helped to strengthen the relationship among people of different ethnic groups who adhere to Buddhism, both in the same and different localities. Tamnan Phra Chao Liap Loke is very popular in Lan Na and the northeast of Thailand, as well as in Shan State, the Union of Myanmar; Sip Song Pan Na Autonomous Region in the People’s Republic of China; and the Lao People Democratic Republic. Though the idea about the Buddha’s travelling to these parts of the world originates from Sri Lankan literature, Tamnan Phra Chao Liap Loke reflects the wisdom of Lan Na monks who have changed the settings and added details concerning the people who live in various localities in this area, making the legend a local Buddhist literature and a common treasure of Buddhists in this region.
(Presented in the International Conference – Buddhist Narrative in Asia and Beyond, 9-11 August 2010, Imperial Queen's Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University with support from The Thailand Research Fund (TRF), in co-operation with Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Institute of Asian Studies, The Confucius Institute, Chulalongkorn University and l’École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO))