Description
Thai Buddhas are particularly popular in the Netherlands. They come in many different shapes and sizes, but almost all are praised for their beautiful faces and headdresses. Almost without exception, the wooden statues are made around Chiang Mai in the north, while the bronze statues often originate in Ayutthaya, just outside the capital, Bangkok. Oriental Art has been carrying Thai Buddha statues for over 30 years.
Buddhism is the predominant religion in Thailand. In 2011, 94.6% of the country's 66.7 million inhabitants adhered to it. The most important branch of the country is Theravada Buddhism. Archaeological discoveries indicate that Buddhism may have been transmitted to Thailand from Myanmar around the 6th century CE. Buddhism may have been present in Thailand even earlier, at the earliest in 228 BCE, brought by Uttar Sthavira, one of the sons of the Indian king Asoka, an Indian ruler from the 3rd century BCE and a great promoter and protector of Buddhism. The most prevalent branch of the religion in Thailand between the 8th and 13th centuries was Hinayana Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism then spread under the influence of the then-kings of Thailand. This influence arose primarily through the contacts existing at that time with Ceylonese Buddhists. In 1851, Rama IV succeeded his deceased brother Rama III. Rama IV was a Buddhist monk when he ascended the throne, and during his reign, he reformed Buddhism in the country to the form it is still practiced in the early 21st century. He did this by promoting the Dhammayut school, which places great importance on the rules of the Vinaya. He was succeeded by Rama V, who was also an active advocate of Buddhism. For example, he commissioned the publication of a Pali Canon, which is considered one of the most important and complete of its kind in the early 21st century. A later reform placed the king in charge of the entire sangha in Thailand.
