In Asia there is no romance of love and war more famous than the Ramayana. The Sanskrit epic is not only the backbone of Indian culture, but permeates the folklore of all of Southeast Asia, from Laos to Bali. It doesn't matter if the audience is Buddhist, Hindu or even Muslim. Like in Java, where the story of Rama and Sita is relived with spectacular marionettes in a shadow theater.
However, only between Thailand and Cambodia has this quintessential battle history – like the Mahabharata – been the cause of a bitter dispute. Both countries - once confronted by the property of the Khmer border temple of Preah Vihear and still today by its limits - also dispute the paternity of this total spectacle, which the former call khon and the latter, khol.
In both cases it is a sophisticated representation of the Ramayana, with hundreds of dancers, actors, singers, musicians and rhapsodes, in addition to increasingly complex artefacts, especially in Thailand. Because, while in Cambodia the aspiration is to ensure that this art does not die out with its last practitioners, among the Thais revitalization is a fact.
This revitalization is attributed to the initiative, fifteen years ago, of Queen Sirikit, today Queen Mother. After all, in Thailand it is an art form of courtly origin, while in Cambodia it is more associated with certain monasteries.
The efforts bear fruit, especially since the creation of a large learning center in Ayutthaya. The ancient Siamese capital, one hour from Bangkok, which does not take its name from Ayodhya, the city where Rama would have been born.
This god retains his name in the Ramakien (the Thai Ramayana) as his consort Sita (or Sida). Also Hanuman, the deity who captains an army of monkeys. But if the original is, in addition to being strong and loyal, chaste, "in its Thai version it has ten girlfriends", exclaims between amused and scandalized an Indian woman with decades of residence.
The plot of the Ramayana is well known. Ravana, the demon of neighboring Sri Lanka, kidnaps Sita, but she resists his attacks. The archer Rama, with the help of his brother and Hanuman, kills Ravana and rescues his consort, with whom he returns to Ayodhya, where they are received with candles. This is the origin of Diwali, the most important festival in India.
The Thai-language version, written at the end of the 18th century, adds an episode in which a voluptuous mermaid, daughter of Ravana - here called "Ten Heads" - ends up falling in love with Hanuman, when what she should have done was kill him
The revitalization of khon in Thailand has had the kind of funding and patronage that only the royal stamp guarantees. Giant robots of the protagonists, on which the actors parade, increase the spectacle and win new audiences.
They recently had the idea of turning the depository of these baluernes, as well as the adjacent teaching spaces and where the masks, dresses or accessories are made, into a "living museum", according to its manager. All About Khon, it's called.
The Government considers that in this way it has not only encouraged the farandula, but also a legion of artisans, jewelers and specialized tailors. A single dress, full of rhinestones, requires two months of work.
In fact, the pandemic cooled the recovery of the khol, a show with 250 dancers and 40 musicians. But it allowed to put more emphasis on the craft part.
The nature of the khon is a matter of State, which is why the diplomatic corps in Bangkok was invited to the center the day before yesterday. In October, the blockbuster will be performed for a whole month at the Cultural Center of Thailand, in Bangkok.
Just as the inscription of Preah Vihear on the Unesco World Heritage List spurred Thai nationalism, a decade later, it was Cambodia's proposal to recognize khol as an intangible heritage that accelerated Thai demands. Fortunately, Unesco recognized khon and khol simultaneously, in 2018. To dance and to fight, two are enough. To make peace, sometimes, too.
