If you have visited Thailand before and had a chance to visit Thai temple, you may notice that at some temple in Ordination Hall there are walls full of delicate and extraordinary paintings. Those paintings are mural paintings, and they are not just there for decoration, mural painting tells the story from the past of Buddhism whether they are about the life of the Buddha, the stories from Buddha’s past lives, stories that reflect the believe of Heaven and Hell, folk tales, or even just stories about everyday life of Thai people from back then.
Thai Mural Painting is believed to begin as temple illustrations for teaching Buddhism to the public. Back in the Ayutthaya period literacy was rare so temples served as classrooms and the wall is they used to study. During that time some said that monks would teach mural lessons through wall painting. Explaining Buddha’s life, his past incarnations, and consequences of good and evil. Over time, this simple storytelling evolved into an intricate artistic tradition and reached what we can call its golden age in Rattanakosin era. During King Rama III reign mural painting became a symbol of Thai identity. Artists were ordered by kings to paint temples and each new temple at that time become their canvas.
About the stories, Thai mural are visual epics with a mix of Buddhist mythology, folklore, and daily life. It requires attention in order to understand and feel the story on the walls. And as mentioned many temples choose Buddha’s life and his past lives stories to be painted on their walls, only a few temples would tell the daily life story and folklore filled with humor and joy since they considered these paintings as a source that helps people get interested in Buddhism. Today, mural painting is both a revered tradition and a fragile one. Fewer young artists would choose to keep reserving this tradition since each can take years to complete. To paint mural painting the artists are required to have high patience, and deep understanding of Buddhist story and philosophy. But there are still some institutions that train new generations of temple artists with the help of restoration teams carefully preserve centuries-old paintings. In some modern temples, artists are experimenting with new themes, by combining the modern world with the painting. If you visit some temples, you will see that some of their wall’s painting hide some small details such as monks on smartphones, city skylines, famous cartoon or movie characters, and even trending figures. This is proof that this old tradition is still thriving and evolving over time.
Herer are temples that are famous for Mural Painting:
- Wat Phra Kaew: This temple is the home of one of the most famous mural series, the outer gallery here depicts the entire Ramakien. With the scenes over 178 panels, packed with details and delicately painted story. It’s one of the most beautiful arts you can find in Thailand.
2. Wat Pho: The painting at Wat Pho tells a different story, it’s a story about Thai astrology, medicine, and the path to enlightenment. Each mural serves two purposes 1. As a spiritual guidebook and 2. A record of Thai wisdom.
3. Wat Khongkharam: At Wat Khongkharam you will find another kind of mural painting, Mon-Style mural a softer, more subdued painting with muted colors and storytelling simplicity reflect cultural blending and regional identity.
With these murals you can have a new experience while exploring temples, it’s not just looking at one big piece of art but it’s a big story that is recorded on a wall. This makes each temple wall a record of a nation’s spiritual imagination, its fears, hopes, humor, and beauty. It’s not just art; it’s memory, preserved in pigment and prayer. New time you have a chance to visit Thai temple we would suggest that you spend some time look at the murals and convince yourself as if you are part of it. This way you can be more excited and maybe if you are lucky enough to have a companion who understands and knows the story, they can tell them to you while you are looking at the murals, so that you can get everything all at once and keep it as a good memory back home.