raat (राज्, -ราช)
Sanskrit-Thai. A suffix meaning ‘great’, ‘royal’, ‘regal’, ‘imperial’ and
‘kingly’, as in
nagaraat.
Literally raat may also mean ‘contentment’. Also transcribed as
raj.
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raat nah (ราดหน้า)
Thai.
Name for a dish consisting of crisp fried noodles with
kha-nah
and a form of meat, e.g. chicken, beef, pork, or seafood, and covered in
a gravy made of stock and
tapioca starch.
The name of the kind of meat or seafood used, will be added as a suffix
to the name of the dish, i.e. raat nah
moo
for this dish
with pork, etc. When first served the noodles are hard and crispy, but
the gravy will drench the noodles and
soften them somewhat.
Also transliterated rad na, rat na, raad nah or
rahd nah.
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rabbit
A
mammal in the family Leporidae and the fourth
animal in the cycle of the traditional
Chinese Zodiac
(fig.).
Those born in the Year of the Rabbit belong to the element mu (木),
that represents wood and correspondents to the colour green and the
celestial stems jia (甲)
and yi (乙).
The mouths of those born in the Year of the Rabbit are said to be
guarded by mercury and hence their words appeal to their seniors and
superiors. Their hearts are said to be guarded by Venus, thus filling
them with desire and anger, but making them also courageous volunteers.
According to Chinese mythology,
a
Jade Rabbit lives on the Moon (fig.),
making the Moon its seat and causing those born in the Year of the
Rabbit to be obsessed with worldly matters. The Sun and Saturn serve as
their hands, making their work orderly, whilst the Sun and Mars serve as
their feet, inspiring them to travel far and wide. This animal of the
zodiac
is sometimes called Naughty Rabbit.
In contrast to most western countries, rabbits are not considered a food
meat in Thailand and most other parts of Asia, where people prefer them
as pets.
The rabbit (fig.)
features on many a Thai postage stamp, including
the
Songkraan Day Postage Stamp issued in
1999 (fig.)
and
the Zodiac Year of the
Rabbit Postage Stamp issued in 2011 (fig.),
whilst
the rabbit on the surface of
the moon (fig.)
is used as the symbol of
Chanthaburi (fig.),
i.e. the ‘Moon City’.
In
Myanmar's
Buddhist
iconography,
Enlightenment
is often symbolized by the representation
of a
peacock and a
rabbit (fig.), which in their
own right are symbols for the sun and moon,
respectively, akin to the Chinese characters for sun and moon, i.e.
日 (ri) and
月 (yue),
that when
placed together as
明 (ming),
become to mean ‘bright’,
‘clear’,
or ‘to
understand’.
See also
ying krataai
and
TRAVEL PICTURE (1)
and
(2), and
WATCH VIDEO.
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Rabi Badhanasakdi (รพีพัฒนศักดิ์)
Thai. Name of the fifth
son and
13th
child of King
Chulalongkorn,
whom he begot with his concubine Talap Ketudat (ตลับ เกตุทัต).
READ ON.
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racha, ratcha (राज, ราชา, ราช-)
Sanskrit-Thai. ‘Great’,
‘royal’, ‘regal’, ‘imperial’ and ‘kingly’.
A different spelling for
raja,
also transliterated ratcha.
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rachakahn (รัชกาล)
See
radjakaan.
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Rachanawih Samohson (ราชนาวีสโมสร)
Thai. ‘Royal Thai Navy Club’. Name
of the riverfront clubhouse of the
Royal Thai Navy, located along the
Chao Phraya
River in
Rattanakosin.
See MAP.
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rachaphreuk (ราชพฤกษ์)
Thai.
‘Royal flora’. Nickname for the Cassia fistula or Indian laburnum, a
medium-sized
deciduous tree which grows to 20 meters tall with drooping branches (fig.). It is
also known by its more popular names Golden Shower Tree, due to its countless
showy yellow flowers,
and Drumstick Tree (fig.),
due to its long, tubular seedpods (fig.). Officially it is
listed by the Thai name
khoon, but the epithet rachaphreuk means
‘royal flora’ and refers to King
Bhumipon Adunyadet, who was born on a
Monday and thus has yellow as his personal colour (sih prajam wan),
hence the name of this tree which bears countless pendant,
yellow flowers. It is sometimes confused with the
kaeng khi lehk or
suwannaphreuk
(fig.),
a Cassia tree with similar flowers but which grow upward. Its flower is the symbol
of
Khon Kaen
province, as well as the National Flower
of Thailand. It is also known as
ton khoon
and its wood, known as mai khoon (ไม้คูณ) is considered sacred and a
popular kind of wood used to carve or make into auspicious objects, and
is especially used to carve into
pladkik
(fig.). In northern Thailand it is
called lom laeng (ลมแล้ง), in the South it is
referred to as audib (อ้อดิบ), except in
Pattani
where it is called lak kleua (ลักเกลือ) or lak keuy (ลักเคย), and the
Karen people have named it kupheya (กุเพยะ),
the same name as used in
Kanchanaburi.
The names rachaphreuk and
chaiyaphreuk are in Thai literature often confused, using one for the other
and visa versa, sometimes referring to the Cassia fistula as chaiyaphreuk,
or to the or Cassia agnes as rachaphreuk. The official
botanical list used by the Thai
government as well as several prominent books on the subject also tend
to list the Cassia agnes (a pink Cassia) as the rachaphreuk and both the
Cassia renigera (a subspecies of the Cassia javanica which has pink
flowers) and the Cassia fistula (with yellow flowers) as chaiyaphreuk.
Chiang Mai is home to the Rachaphreuk Royal Park
(fig.),
a botanical garden that
resulted from the 2006-2007 horticulture expo, and a project under royal
initiative.
WATCH VIDEO.
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Rachaprayoon (ราชประยูร)
Thai-rajasap
term for ‘Royal family’.
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racharot
(ราชรถ)
See
rajarot.
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racha trinnamai samahkhom (ราชตฤณมัยสมาคม)
Thai for ‘Royal
Turf Club’.
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Rachawang (ราชวัง)
See
Phra Rachawang.
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rachupatham (ราชูปถัมภ์)
Thai term for ‘royal
patronage’. Under royal patronage would be nai rachupatham (ในราชูปถัมภ์),
literally ‘in royal patronage’, but also nai phra
boromma rachupatham (ในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์).
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Racket-tailed
Treepie
Common name for a bird with the binomial designation Crypsirina temia.
It belongs to the Corvidae family, which also includes crows, as can be
seen from its name in Thai, i.e. nok kah waen (นกกาแวน), which
translates as ‘ringed crow’.
It is 30.5 to 32.5 centimeters tall, overall blackish, and has a long,
spatulated-tipped tail, i.e. a tail that broadens towards the end,
somewhat reminiscent of the shape of a shoehorn. Its natural habitat
includes mixed deciduous woodland and open broadleaved forests,
secondary growth,
bamboo and
mangroves. Also known as Black Racket-tailed Treepie.
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Radha
(राधा)
1. The favourite love of
Krishna. She is said to embody the human soul, whereas Krishna represents universal
life energy (fig.). She is sometimes worshiped as an
avatar
of the goddess
Lakshmi.
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2.
Name of the foster mother of Karna, the first son of
Kunti and thus
a half-brother to the
Pandava
in the epic
Mahabharata.
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Radiated Rat Snake
Another name for the
Copperhead Racer.
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Radiating Avalokitesvara
A certain form of the
bodhisatva
Avalokitesvara in
Mahayana Buddhism
appearing with
a body covered with countless small
Buddha images, the image of
Amitabha in his headdress and his arms
spread around his body like a
radsamie or halo.
He may have up to 22 arms and 11 heads. His body is akin to
certain Buddha images (fig.)
found in
Myanmar
(fig.).
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radjakaan (รัชกาล)
Thai.
‘Reign’ of ‘rule’ of a king, e.g. ‘radjakaan tih hah’,
means the reign of
King Rama V.
Also rachakahn.
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radjakaan patjuban
(รัชกาลปัจจุบัน)
Thai.
The present reign, the reigning sovereign.
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radjasamay (รัชสมัย)
Thai. The ruling years or reign of
a king.
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radjataayaat (รัชทายาท)
Thai. The heir to the throne. Also
mongkut rachakumaan.
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radklao (รัดเกล้า)
Thai. A
jeweled tiara or coronet as sometimes worn by Thai dancers. Compare with
chadah.
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radsami (รัศมี)
Thai. ‘Aureole’, ‘halo’ or ‘nimbus’. Also called
chappannarangsie
and sometimes transcribed radsamie, ratsamie, radsamee, radsamih,
ratsamih, or similar. It may also be translated as ‘ray’, ‘beam of light’,
or ‘glow’, and can also mean ‘power’ or
‘prestige’. Compare with
rasmi.
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raeknakwan
(แรกนาขวัญ)
Thai.
‘The first ploughing’. The
Royal Ploughing Ceremony, an ancient
brahman custom marking the beginning of the
rice planting season. In Thailand,
this comprises of an annual
ritual performed in the second week of May on
Sanam
Luang, in presence of the king or an envoy, and known as the
Ploughing Ceremony (fig.). It also refers to a scene in
the life of the historical
Buddha when he retreated to meditate under a tree during the
Ploughing Ceremony
at the age of seven.
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Rafflesia
Name of
a genus of parasitic flowering plants, of which there are several
species.
READ ON.
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rahng khon (รางค้น)
Thai.
Name for an apparatus with spools
of yarn lined up in order to prepare them
for further processing. It consists of a frame of about 5-8 meter wide
which is placed on 1.5 meter high posts and has either two or three
levels of spindles,
usually for a total of 152-162 spools. See also
lak khon (fig.).
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Rahu (राहु, ราหู)
1. Sanskrit-Thai.
The god of darkness, a legless demon who causes the eclipses of the
sun and moon.
READ ON.
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2. Sanskrit-Thai. Another name for the
pahng
pah leh laai pose of the Buddha, corresponding with Wednesday
after sunset in the Buddhist
Phra prajam wan system.
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3.
Sanskrit-Thai. Name for the planet Earth. Compare with the
demon
Rahu,
who just like
Earth causes the eclipses of the
sun and moon. In
Vedic astrology, Rahu is hence associated with the Lunar North (or Ascending)
Node and
Ketu
with the Lunar South (or Descending) Node. Yet, both are also listed as one of the
navagraha, namely Rahu is Neptune
and Ketu is Uranus. In Indian astrology, Rahu is deemed to be a
rogue planet associated with illusions and delusions. In
Vedic
astrology, Rahu is
associated with Saturday night, rather than
with
Wednesday night, as is the case in the Buddhist
Phra prajam wan
system,
and is paired with
Ketu.
Whereas in Rahu-kala,
in Thai referred to as Rahu-kaan (ราหูกาล),
literally the ‘time of Rahu’,
which in astrology refers to a certain (daily) period of time,
that is considered inauspicious.
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4. Thai. The god who interferes with human affairs.
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Rahula
(राहुल, ราหุล)
1. Sanskrit.
‘Union’ or ‘bond’. Name of the son of prince
Siddhartha and
Yashodhara.
In ancient India, it was believed that eclipses were caused by
the
god of darkness,
Rahu.
He is a
legless demon who travels through the universe and alternately
swallows the moon and the sun, thus blocking out the light and
causing an eclipse (fig.).
Though, because he was cut in two by
Vishnu
as punishment for drinking of the
amrita,
he no longer has an underside and the moon or sun, thus keep on
falling out again, ending the eclipse. Since Rahula was purportedly
born during a lunar eclipse, he was named after this demon god Rahu.
When he was born, prince Siddhartha had already decided to renounce
the world and seek a religious life. Fatherhood was thus merely seen
as a new source of attachment, and Rahula's name is sometimes even
translated as ‘fetters’. The Buddha taught him the path to
Enlightenment and Rahula later became an
arahat, well-known for his meditative
power. Worshippers believe that he could become omnipotent and
omniscient during meditation. He is usually depicted in a seating
pose whilst reflecting. In the Vimalakirti
Sutra, he
is listed as one of the
Ten Principal Disciples. In Thai, his name can be pronounced Rahun, Rahul
or Rahula, but he is also known as Lawaloh (ลาวาโล). In Chinese, he
is known as the
luohan
Chen Si (沉思), literally ‘Profound Thinking’. In English he is
referred to as the Thinking
Lohan
or the
Arhat
in Deep Concentration.
In
Vietnam,
Rahula is called Tram Tu
La Han
(Trầm
Tư La
Hán)
and
may be depicted seated on a
mythical
lion-like
animal (fig.).
MORE ON THIS.
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2. Sanskrit. ‘Union’ or ‘bond’.
Name of a wrathful Tibetan protector deity, of which there are numerous
forms. Generally, he is depicted in a horrific form, with nine heads and
the lower body of a coiled serpent or
naga (fig.).
The nine heads are stacked in three piles and are usually topped with a
black
crow or
raven. He usually also
has a giant face on the belly. The upper body is in the
chaturbuja-style,
i.e. with four arms.
Furthermore, he is habitually depicted encircled by a halo or belt of
flames around his entire body. He occurs chiefly in the
Red Hat Sect (fig.) or Nyingma
School of
Tibetan Buddhism
and likely has his origin in the Indian ancient demi-god
Rahu,
a deity of the cosmos related to the eclipses of the sun and the moon (fig.),
yet Rahula is said to also eclipse other planets.
Whereas the face in the middle of his stomach is said to to be his
actual face, the nine stacked heads represent the nine planets that this
deity may eclipse. In
Tibetan, he is known as Kyab Jug and is considered a protector of the
Three Jewels,
and is believed to be extremely ferocious
towards those who perform
Buddhist rituals incorrectly or in an untimely manner. In painted
compositions, Rahula is often depicted in the company of
Vajrapani.
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rai (ไร่)
Thai. An area measure equivalent to 1,600 square meters.
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Railway Outdoor Museum
See
Library Train.
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rainbow
See
rung.
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Rainbow Shield Bug
Common
name for a
metallic green-golden beetle with black spots, an
average body length of 14 to 17 mm, and with the binomial name Calidea
dregii.
It is very similar to the Lychee Shield Bug, that is also commonly known as Lychee Jewel Bug and
which has the scientific name Chrysocoris stolii. In Thai, it is known
as muan saai rung (มวนสายรุ้ง).
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Rainbow Tree
See
Camouflage Tree.
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Rainbow Water Snake
A
species of
snake with the scientific name Enhydris enhydris, found on
the Indian subcontinent, southeastern China and Southeast Asia,
including in
Thailand,
where it is called
ngu saai rung. It can grow to a length
of about 86 centimeters and has a cylindrical body with smooth scales.
Its colouration is olive-gray above, with brown stripes on both sides of
the vertebral ridge, and broad pale stripes separated by thin black
lines on each side. This harmless snake is found in lowland freshwater
bodies, where it feeds mainly on fish. Also called Striped Water Snake.
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Rain Bug
See
Red Velvet Mite.
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Rain Tree
See
jamajurih.
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rainy season
See
monsoon.
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Raisina Hill
Name of an area in the Indian capital New Delhi, located at the top of a
hill and locally known as Lutyens' Delhi. Raisina Hill is the spot where
the most important Government buildings are located, including
Rashtrapati Bhawan, i.e. the ‘Presidential Palace’, the official
residence of the President of India, the Secretariat Building, which
houses the Prime Minister's Office, and several other important
ministries.
READ ON.
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raj (राज्,-ราช)
See
raat.
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raja (राज, ราช-)
Sankrit-Thai. A form of
raat used as a prefix and meaning
‘great’, ‘royal’, ‘regal’, ‘imperial’ and ‘kingly’, as in
rajarot.
Literally raja also means ‘contentment’.
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rajabhat
(ราชภัฏ)
Thai term that means
‘civil servant’. Also transliterated
radjabhat or rachabhat, but in fact pronounced rajaphat. Compare with
rajakaan.
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rajabut (ราชบุตร)
Thai. Term that
derives from the Sanskrit word
rajaputra and the
Hindi term
rajaput,
and which means ‘son of a
raja’ i.e. ‘son of a king’.
Also
transcribed rajabutr, rachabutr, rachabut.
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Rajagaha
Pali
for
Rajagrha.
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Rajagrha (राजगृह)
Sanskrit. ‘House of the King’. Name of a major city in ancient India
which was the capital of the former kingdom of
Magadha. It is a place where
the
Buddha
spent
several months and several important events took place, such as the
investiture of
Makha Bucha,
when he
gave the
Ovada Patimokkha
Discourse to the assembly of 1,250
arahats
at
Bamboo
Grove Monastery. The latter
scene is depicted on a Thai postage stamp issued in 1993 (fig.). Also called Rajagriha and Rajgir, and in Pali
Rajagaha.
The Sanskrit Rajagrha is related to the Thai word
rajakaan, i.e. ‘service to the king’. See also
Nalagiri and
Jivaka.
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rajakaan (ราชการ)
Thai. ‘Royal service’ or ‘service to
the king’, i.e. a general
term used for officials and similar to
rajabhat,
which means ‘civil servant’, a synonym for
rajakaan phon reuan.
Compare with
Rajagrha.
See also
RANKS CIVIL SERVICE
and
POSTAGE
STAMP.
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rajakaan phon reuan (ราชการพลเรือน)
Thai.
‘Noncombatant Royal Service’ or
‘Royal Service House Force’. Name
for the ‘Civil Service’, whose members are recruited as civil
servants after passing a three-tiered exam, after which they are
appointed to perform official duties in the Ministry, the
Ta-buang, and the Department of Civil
Affairs. It is operated by the Office of the Civil Service Commission.
Though the word
rajakaan may also be transliterated the
same as
radjakaan,
i.e. the word for ‘reign’ or ‘rule’, yet note that in Thai the first
vowel is here a short
a
(อั)
and the final consonant an -r (-ร) whose pronunciation at the end of a
syllable is an -n, against a long vowel
aa
(อา)
and a final -l (-ล), whose pronunciation as a final consonant is
likewise -n. Often the shorter term
rajakaan is used,
whereas civil servants are referred to as khah rajakaan phon reuan (ข้าราชการพลเรือน)
or khah rajakaan phon reuan saman (ข้าราชการพลเรือน), with the term
saman (สามัญ) meaning ‘ordinary’ whilst khaa (ข้า)
is
rajasap
for ‘I’, yet
literally also means ‘slave’ and ‘servant’, akin to khahphachao (ข้าพเจ้า),
i.e. ‘I, servant of your Lord’.
See also
RANKS CIVIL SERVICE
and
POSTAGE
STAMP.
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Rajakit Winitchai (ราชกิจวินิจฉัย)
Thai. ‘Royal deliberation
engagement’. Name of a
phlabphlah,
i.e. a royal pavilion used as a temporary quarters, located in
Bangkok
and
built in the reign of King
Rama V.
READ ON.
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rajakumaan (ราชกุมาร)
1.
Sanskrit-Thai. ‘Prince’. In Sanskrit it is pronounced raajakumaar
and in English it is usually transliterated
rajakumar, but the pronunciation is raajakumaan, as the final
consonant ร is at the end of a word or
syllable pronounced as N.
See THAI CONSONANTS.
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Sanskrit-Thai. ‘Princess’.
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Rajamangala National Stadium
The
biggest stadium in Thailand and the main stadium inside the Hua Mahk
Sports Complex, which is administered by the Sports Authority of
Thailand (fig.).
READ ON.
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rajanikun (ราชนิกุล)
Thai. A member of the royal family.
See also
rajasakun.
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rajapisek (ราชาภิเษก)
Thai.
‘Coronation’. In religious context the term refers to a scene in the life of
prince Siddhartha when he succeeded his father
Suddhodana as king
of the
Sakya clan,
after his marriage with princess
Bimba.
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rajaput (राजपूत)
Hindi.
Term that derives
from
the Sanskrit word
rajaputra, and which means
‘son of a
raja’, i.e. ‘son of a king’. The
term is nowadays mainly used for a number of inhabitants of the northern Indian
state of Rajasthan, i.e. the ‘Land of the Rajas’, who claim to be
Rajput, i.e.
descendants of the ruling
Hindu warrior classes of North India,
that ruled the area between the 6th and 20th centuries AD. The Thai term
rajabut
derives from it.
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rajaputra (राजपुत्र)
Sanskrit.
‘Son of a
raja’, i.e. ‘son of a king’.
See also
rajaput.
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rajarot (ราชรถ)
Thai. Royal triumph,
battle or funeral cart (fig.), generally a coach.
It is traditionally also the type of vehicle used by the
protagonists in the
Ramakien,
and is hence also seen in murals and art (fig.),
including in
Khon.
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rajasakun
(ราชสกุล)
Thai. ‘Royal
surname’.
System
initiated by Royal Decree in 1912 AD, by the
prolific
king
Rama IV
(fig.),
who had 82 children himself, allowing all royal descendants to use
certain royal names as surnames, thus indicating that they are a member
of that specific royal family, regardless of how remote that lineage may
actually be.
It is similar to
rajanikun
and
sometimes transcribed rachasakun,
rajasakul or rachasakul.
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rajasap (ราชาศัพท์)
Thai. Special vocabulary or respectful terms that should be used when speaking to
or about members of the royal family, the
Buddha,
monks and religious things. See also
song.
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rajasie (ราชสีห์)
Thai. A heraldic
lion which, for one, occurs on the coat of arms of
the Ministry of the Interior.
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rajatilaka (राजतिलक)
Sanskrit. Name of a kind of
tilaka used for kings on their
accession to the throne, usually applied as a single vertical red line.
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rajatinanaam (ราชทินนาม)
Thai. A title bestowed by the king. Compare with
bandasak.
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rajatiraat (ราชาธิราช)
1. Thai.
‘King of Kings’. A historic drama relating the wars between Thailand,
Burma and the
Mon empire.
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2. Thai.
‘King of Kings’. A title given to certain Thai monarchs,
such as King
Rama IX
and King
Rama X,
the latter actually taking the title
Prom
Rajatiraat,
i.e.
‘Greatest
King of Kings’.
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Rajavora Maha Vihaan
(ราชวรมหาวิหาร)
The highest title given to a temple under royal auspices. There are
only a few temples in Thailand on which this title was conferred. These include
Wat Suthat
Thepwarahrahm Rajavora
Maha Vihaan,
Wat Saket Rajavora
Maha Vihaan,
Wat Mahathat Yuwaraja Rangsarit Rajavora
Maha Vihaan,
Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mang Khalahrahm
Rajavora
Maha Vihaan and
Wat Arun Rajawarahrahm Rajavora
Maha Vihaan, all in
Bangkok, and
Wat
Phra Phutthabaat Rajavora
Maha Vihaan in
Saraburi.
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Rajayatana Tree
Pali-English. Name of the Wild Mango, a
tree with the botanical designation Buchanania latifolia. In
Buddhism,
it is the tree under which the
Buddha
meditated during the seventh week after his
Enlightenment.
In Thai it is known by several names, including
ma muang maengwan. This deciduous tree produces
almond-flavoured seeds that are edible to humans that are used as a cooking
spice in India.
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Rajendravarman (រាជេន្ទ្រវរ្ម័ន)
Khmer.
Ruler from Sambapura, purported to have been
ruling in the
Angkor
area during the latter half of
the 8th century AD.
See also
Rajendravarman II.
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Rajendravarman II (រាជេន្ទ្រវរ្ម័នទី២)
Khmer.
Ruler of the
Khmer
Empire from 944 to 968
AD. See also
Rajendravarman.
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Rajput (राजपुत्र)
A term derived
from the words
rajaput
and
rajaputra, and
used mainly to refer to certain inhabitants of the northern
Indian state of Rajasthan, i.e. the ‘Land of the
Rajas’, who claim to be descendants of the ruling
Hindu warrior classes of North India,
that ruled the area between the 6th and 20th centuries AD.
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ra-kah (ระกา)
Another Thai term used for
cock or rooster (fig.)
besides the general term gai or kai (ไก่).
It is mainly used when referring to the animal in the zodiac (fig.),
i.e. the year of the cock.
See also POSTAGE STAMP.
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ra-kam (ระกำ)
Thai. A palm with a height of up to seven meters which bears
fruit throughout the year. The
snake-like pattern of its skin gives it the
nickname snake fruit. The nutritious fruit is packed in thick large bunches at
the top of the trunk, and tastes between a
banana and a
pineapple,
but has a sour aftertaste. There is a variation with the Thai name
sa-la, but these are slightly
longer and less bulbous in shape than the ra-kam. The fruit has the
scientific names Zalacca and Salacca, and in Indonesia and
Malaysia both variations are known by the name salak.
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rakhang (ระฆัง)
Thai
for a large ‘bell’, especially a temple bell, whereas hand bells and
smaller bells are called krading (กระดิ่ง), small temple bells
kradeung (fig.)
and small bells tied around the neck of domestic animals are known as
phruan (พรวน). Temple bells are either kept in the
ho rakhang (fig.),
or lined up around a temple building (fig.)
to allow visitors to strike them, as this is believed to bring
a long life and good luck. Striking them three times, symbolizing the
Trairat or
Triple Gem, is a
way of sharing ones love and good
karma with the world. Near the bells a wooden mallet will usually be available,
typically a
bamboo root with a L-shaped end. This is used to hit the
bell as most temples won't allow people to push the sometimes heavy
bells. Most temple bells have the name(s) of their donor(s), a sacred
text or a prayer written on them, and hitting the bell will send this
text out in the world, a principle similar to Tibetan
prayer wheels
(fig.). Some
believe the number of times the bell is struck is also important to
receive
boon. When
the bell in the belfry is rang it is to call the monks and novices to
the
ubosot. See also
Wat Rakhang,
TRAVEL PICTURE,
and
THEMATIC STREET LIGHT.
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Rakshasa
(राक्षस)
Sanskrit. A demon of darkness with a violent nature who dwells on
burial grounds waking up the dead and frequently torments humans in several
ways. In the
Ramayana,
Ravana is the leader of the Rakshasas. In the
Ramakien he is known as
Totsakan.
MORE ON THIS.
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Rama
(रम, ราม)
1.
Sanskrit. ‘He who charms’ or ‘the beloved one’,
but also ‘joy’. The hero in the Indian epic
Ramayana and its Thai version the
Ramakien. He is the seventh
avatar of the Hindu god
Vishnu and the son of king
Totsarot and queen
Kao Suriya.
His
shakti or consort is
Sita (fig.). In Thai,
he is called
Phra Ram (fig.).
MORE ON THIS.
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2.
Sanskrit-Thai. Crown title for the kings of the Thai
Chakri dynasty.
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Rama I
(พระราม ๑)
Crown title of
Phra Phutta Yotfa
Chulalok
(fig.), the first monarch of the
Chakri
Dynasty in Thailand.
This title was posthumously conferred by King
Phra Nang Klao,
the third monarch of the dynasty who introduced the system of crown
titles. In the West he is known as King Yotfa, formerly general
Chao
Phya Chakri (fig.),
who founded the dynasty of his name in 1782 after seizing power from
King
Taksin.
He moved the Siamese capital from
Thonburi to
Rattanakosin,
where his statue (map
- fig.)
today stands at he
Memorial Bridge (fig.),
and is author of the most complete Thai version of the Indian epic
Ramayana called
Ramakien, adapted and written in
1785. He ruled until
1809 when he died at the age of 73, leaving 42 children. He was born with the name
Thong
Duang and
as the elder brother
of
Boonma.
Though in Thai his title is literally
Phra Ram Neung, it is usually
referred to as
Radjakaan Tih Neung,
i.e. the ‘First
Reign’, after his
time in power. He is also called
Phra Pathom Boromaha Kasatriyatiraat,
a title meaning the ‘First
Great King’, i.e. of
the
Chakri Dynasty.
He was born in
Ayutthaya
on 20 March 1737, a Wednesday,
and passed away in the
Grand Palace
in
Bangkok
on 7 September 1810, aged 73.
The Phra Phutta Yotfa Camp
housing
the
13th
Border Patrol Police Department, a subdivision of the
Royal Thai Police,
in
Kanchanaburi
(map
-
fig.)
is named after this King, and
Buriram has a
memorial depicting
Phra Phutta Yotfa Chulalok
riding his
war elephant
(map
-
fig.).
See also
list of Thai Kings.
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Rama II
(พระราม ๒)
Crown title of
Phra Phutta Leut
La, the second King (fig.) of the
Chakri dynasty
(fig.).
The title was posthumously bestowed by King
Phra Nang Klao,
the third monarch of the dynasty who introduced the system of crown
titles. He was the son of King
Phra Phutta Yotfa
Chulalok and ruled
from 1809 to 1824,
when he succumbed after a lengthy illness, leaving 73 children. He
was born with the name
Itsarasunthon. Though in Thai his title is
literally
Phra Ram Song, it is usually
referred to as
Radjakaan Tih Song, after his
reign. His
royal emblem is known as
Krut Yut Naak
and consists of a
garuda
holding
a three-headed
naga with two
tails, of which one is held in either hand (fig.). See also
list of Thai Kings.
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Rama III (พระราม ๓)
Crown title of
Phra Nang Klao,
the third monarch of the
Chakri dynasty
(fig.). He
was born on Saturday 31 March 1787, ascended the throne in 21 July
1824
as
Chetsadabodin
(fig.) and ruled until
his death on 2 April 1851. He introduced the use of the crown titles
Rama, i.e.
‘the Beloved One’,
for the
rulers of the Chakri dynasty and
bestowed himself with the title Rama
III (fig.), while conferring the titles
Rama I and
Rama II posthumously on his
predecessors. He was the first son of Rama II, but because he was
born to a non-royal concubine he was denied the title of
Chao Fah,
‘Lord of the Skies’. Though in Thai his title is
literally
Phra Ram Sahm, it is usually
referred to as
Radjakaan Tih Sahm, after his
reign. He had 51 children with various consorts, but since he hadn't
named a successor at the time of his death, the throne passed to his
half-brother Prince
Mongkhut (fig.). See also
list of Thai Kings.
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Rama IV
(พระราม ๔)
Crown title of
Phra Chom Klao
(fig.)
the fourth monarch of the
Chakri dynasty and half-brother to
Rama III.
In the West he is known as King
Mongkhut (fig.).
He lived for 27 years as a Buddhist monk before ascending the throne
on 15 May 1851. During his
priesthood he studied
Sanskrit,
Pali, Latin
and English, history and several western sciences, including astronomy. Interested by western ideas he modernised his realm and
established diplomatic
relations with the then Superpowers (fig.). To avoid colonisation
commercial treaties were signed, though with very favourable conditions for the West.
By
presenting himself as a friend rather than a foe and approaching the Superpowers
with gifts instead of weapons
King
Mongkhut
(fig.)
succeeded in averting an imminent colonization, at least temporarily. Due to the
establishment of several allies, none of the Superpowers dared to attack or
invade
Siam
for fear of a conflict with each other. The law forbidding subjects to look
into the face of the
King was done away with, as well as the system of forced labour for the state.
On 1 October 1868, his own birthday, Mongkhut (fig.) died of
malaria,
which he contracted on an expedition to
Khao Sahm Roi Yot near the Gulf of
Siam
in order
to observe a solar eclipse
which he −as an amateur astronomer− accurately predicted, leaving 82 children and 35
wives. It is said that on his deathbed, before
succumbing, he reiterated the virtues of the
dhammaracha
and uttered the
same words as spoken by the Buddha himself when he died, likewise on his own
birthday.
His
royal emblem (fig.)
consists of the
Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut or
‘Great Crown of Victory’, a royal
chadah, i.e. a Thai style of
conical crown (fig.),
flanked by two multi-layered parasols known as
chattra (fig.),
which are a symbol of kingship, and accompanied by some
flame-patterned
kranok motifs (fig.).
He ordered the construction of
a complex of buildings on
the top of the 92 meter high
hill Khao Samon
in
Phetchaburi.
The hill is
nicknamed Khao Wang (fig.),
i.e. ‘Palace
Mountain’, as besides
a large
prang and
the
Phrathat
Chom Petch (Jom Pet)
chedi
that encases an
older
stupa,
it also includes
the Phra Nakhon Khiri
Palace (fig.),
as well as
a royal hall. Today, adjacent to the local
City Pillar
in downtown Phetchaburi, is the King Mongkhut Memorial Park (fig.), with
at the northern end of a large field called
Sanam Luang,
i.e. ‘Royal Field’,
akin to the
Phra
Meru
(fig.)
field in front of the royal palace in
Bangkok, is a
monument dedicated to this monarch and featuring his statue (fig.). Though in Thai his title is literally
Phra Ram Sih, it is usually
referred to as
Radjakaan Tih Sih, after his reign.
Rama IV Road (fig.)
in
Bangkok is named after this King, as well as the
King Mongkhut's Institute of Technology (map
- fig.)
and the King Mongkhut's
Institute of Science. See also
list of Thai Kings.
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Rama V
(พระราม ๕)
Crown title of
Chulachomklao, the fifth monarch of the
Chakri dynasty
(fig.). Born on 20 September
1853 the oldest son
of King
Mongkut and
Queen Debsirindra (Rampheuy
Phamaraphirom). In the West he is known by the name
Chulalongkorn
(fig.). He was crowned on 10 November 1868
(fig.) at the age of 15 and ruled under the
regency of
Chao Phraya
Borom
Maha
Sri Suriyawongse
(fig.)
until 1873. Educated by European private teachers he continued with reforms after the western model. Public schools were established and modernisation
implemented, including the construction of a railway network. Under his rule slavery was
abolished (fig.) and a modern judicial and
prison system was
established. During the expansionist aims of the colonial Superpowers Chulalongkorn was compelled under pressure of a possible military intervention to make more concessions and gave up substantial parts of Siamese territory. The colonial threat necessitated Rama V precisely demarcating the borders of his realm, forcing
him to centralise administrative power and incorporate the still remaining smaller
vassal states into Siamese territory.
He died on 23 October 1910 and had 97 children
(fig.),
or 77
not counting miscarriages and those who died at birth or soon after. Though in
Thai his title is literally
Phra Ram Hah, it is usually
referred to as
Radjakaan Tih Hah, after his reign. See also
Sawang Watthana,
and
list of Thai Kings.
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Rama VI
(พระราม ๖)
Crown title of
Wachirawut (fig.), the sixth
monarch of the
Chakri
Dynasty
(fig.).
He
was born on Thursday 1 January 1880 as the
oldest son of
King
Chulalongkorn
with Queen Saowapha. With
crown
prince
Wajirunhit's
(fig.) untimely death
in
1895 at the age of seventeen his
half-brother, Prince Wachirawut was appointed as the new successor to the throne by
King Chulalongkorn,
at the age of thirteen. After the death of
Rama V, who had a total of 77
children, he ascended the throne in 1910.
He implemented more reforms, especially in the field of education and administration,
such as
the introduction of the
Krut Trah Tang Hahng
(fig.). Educated in the West, he introduced the use of surnames for his
subjects and encouraged them to adopt more western ways, such as western clothes
and hair styles. He
stimulated patriotism
(fig.)
and promoted nationalism on
a large scale. In 1911, he established
the
Thai Scouting organization,
locally known as
look seua
(fig.)
and in 1917, he
founded
the
Chulalongkorn University (fig.).
In the same year, he changed the Siamese flag,
then a
White Elephant on a red field
(fig.),
for the present red-white-blue-white-red,
horizontally striped banner,
known as
thong trai rong
(fig.),
with its colours
symbolizing
the Nation (red),
the Monarchy (blue), and
Religion (white). His regime was rather extravagant and when he died nearly
childless on 25 November 1925
–he had a daughter
(Princess
Phetcharatana Rachasuda)
at the last moment– the treasury was empty.
Though in Thai his title is literally
Phra Ram Hok, it is usually
referred to as
Radjakaan Tih Hok, after his reign.
His
royal emblem (fig.)
consists of a
wachira
(fig.),
that emits a halo-like
rasmi
(fig.)
of thunderbolts (wachira)
and which both are a reference to his name, as well as his power.
The wachira is placed on top of a double
gilded
phaan, i.e. a bowl or dish with a
base or foot (fig.),
and flanked by two multi-layered parasols known as
chattra (fig.),
which are a symbol of kingship. Under his successor, King
Rama VII, the double phaan was
adapted into a part of the emblem of the
Thai Constitution (fig.),
as if saying that the king's power was replaced by the Constitution
indeed, when King
Prajadhipok
(fig.)
in 1932 became the nation's first constitutional monarch.
His
statue stands at the entrance of
Lumphini Park
(map
-
fig.)
and the
Rama VI Bridge
(map
-
fig.) is named after him.
In Thai,
Rama VI is known by the name Phra
Mongkutklao. See also
King Vajiravudh Museum (fig.)
and
list of Thai Kings.
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Rama VI Bridge
Name
of a railway bridge over the
Chao Phraya River in
Bangkok, named
after King
Rama VI,
during whose reign it was
constructed, as the first bridge ever to cross the Chao Phraya River, in
order to link the northern and eastern rail line network with that of
the South. It has 5 spans and with a total length of 441.44 meters, it
is the longest railway bridge in the nation, connecting Bangkok's Bang
Sue district with Bang Phlat on the West bank. Though construction
started in December 1922, it wasn't officially opened until 1 January
1927. During World War II, the bridge was heavily damaged. In 1953, it
was finally repaired, after which a plaque was added with the date
BE
2496.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS
and
MAP.
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Rama VII (พระราม ๗)
Crown title of
Prajadhipok
(fig.),
the seventh monarch of the
Chakri dynasty
(fig.)
who in 1925 succeeded the late King
Wachirawut.
During
his rule absolute monarchy came to an end. Because of the enormous breach his predecessor had made in the treasury the economy was stagnant.
This in combination with the existence of an oligarchic system eventually led to
the coup d'état in 1932 followed by the introduction of a constitutional
monarchy. At this time Rama VII
(fig.)
was diligently working
on a new constitution that might have worked better than the so-called democratic system that was imposed by the
leaders of the conspiracy. But in spite of this, Rama VII
on
24 June 1932 conferred, and
on
10 December
1932 signed, the first
Thai Constitution
(fig.),
that would bring an end to more than seven hundred years of
absolute monarchy
(fig.).
He eventually abdicated in 1935
and spent the rest of his life abroad, mostly in Surrey, just
outside of London.
Though in Thai his title is literally
Phra Ram Jet, it is usually
referred to as
Radjakaan Tih Jet, after his reign.
His royal emblem (fig.)
consists of
Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut,
i.e. the ‘Great Crown of Victory’, above the
discus-and-trident
emblem of the Royal House of
Chakri (fig.),
and a rack with arrows, which is known as
Prajadhipok
Saktitejana. On the flanks are two
kreuang soong,
i.e. long-handle
talapat and in between are two flame-patterned
kranok motifs (fig.).
This emblem also appears on his Privy Seal (fig.),
which is part of his
Phra Rachalanjakon.
In Thailand
he is known by the name
Pokklao.
He was born in
Bangkok on Wednesday 8 November 1893 as a son of King
Chulalongkorn
and Queen Saowapha
Phongsri (เสาวภาผ่องศรี) and died in Surrey
from heart failure on 30
May 1941. In 1993, a Thai postage
stamp was issued to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth
(fig.)
and again in 2013
to commemorate his 120th
anniversary (fig.). See also
King Prajadhipok Museum and
list of Thai Kings.
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Rama VIII (พระราม ๘)
Crown title of
Ananda Mahidol (Anantha Mahidon),
the eighth monarch of the
Chakri
Dynasty
(fig.),
who was born
on 20 September 1925 as the son
of the brother of the childless
King
Prajadhipok.
In 1935,
he succeeded
Rama VII,
when the latter
abdicated.
He was however just ten years old
(fig.) and
still at school in Switzerland,
and it was not until after WW II
that he would return to Siam as Rama VIII.
In
1946, some months after his return, the young
King was found shot dead in his bed, a mystery that was never officially resolved. In commemoration of this
King, the
Rama VIII Bridge in
Bangkok (map
- fig.)
and an adjacent park was named
after him, while
his statue was erected nearby on the
Thonburi
side of the
Chao Phraya River
(map
-
fig.).
Wat Suthat
in
Bangkok
(map
- fig.)
is identified with the Eight Reign and here an annual merit-making
ceremony for the late King takes place
on 9 June, the date of
his death, while the base of the principal Buddha image contains the ashes of
this young monarch and the court yard's northwestern corner has his statue (map
-
fig.).
Both the bridge (fig.)
and King Rama VIII are depicted on 20 baht banknotes, issued after
the construction of the bridge. He was succeeded by his younger brother
Bhumipon Adunyadet.
Ananda Mahidol was never crowned as King, but his brother
posthumously gave him the full royal title of the
chat, the nine-layered parasol. Though
in Thai his title is literally
Phra Ram Paet, it is usually
referred to as
Radjakaan Tih Neung, after his Paet. See also
list of Thai Kings.
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Rama VIII Bridge
Name
of a cable-stayed bridge over the
Chao Phraya River in
Bangkok, named
after
Rama VIII, whose statue is erected
adjacent to the bridge, on the
Thonburi
side (fig.).
It officially opened on 20 September 2002 and consists of a single pylon
topped with a stylized
golden lotus
bud, and from which golden suspension cables
extend to the road surface. The bridge is 300 meters long, but including
the approach spans it is 2,450 meters, and has two lanes in each direction, as well as
footpaths for pedestrians. Nowadays, the bridge is at night illuminated
in the royal colour yellow,
which reflects in the river, turning it gold
(fig.). It is depicted on the back of the 20
baht
banknote
issued between 2005 and 2009 (series 15), together with a portrait of Rama VIII. In Thai
known as
Saphaan
Phra Ram
Paet (สะพานพระราม ๘).
See MAP.
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Rama IX
(พระราม ๙)
Crown title of
Bhumipon Adunyadet, the ninth
King
of the
Chakri dynasty and Thailand's longest reigning monarch. He succeeded his older brother
Ananda after the latter was found
shot dead in his bed,
but he wasn't
formally crowned King (fig.) until after his marriage (fig.) to
Sirikit Kitthiyag.
Though he ascended the throne on 9 June 1946, he wasn't crowned
until 5 May
1950, after
the royal wedding
of
28
April
1950.
In Thai, his crown title is literally
Phra Ram
Kao, though it is usually referred to as
Radjakaan Tih
Kao, after his reign.
King
Rama IX's
Footprints are enshrined in a hilltop pavilion called
Sala
Roi
Phrabaht (fig.)
in
Chiang Rai.
See also
the number
nine
and
list of Thai Kings.
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Rama IX Bridge
Name
of a cable-stayed bridge over the
Chao Phraya River
in
Bangkok, named after King
Rama IX, in honour of his 60th
birthday. It connects the districts Yahnahwah with Rat Burana, as a part of the Chaleum Maha Nakhon
Expressway. When it was first opened in 1987, it was the largest bridge,
as well as the first cable-stayed bridge in the kingdom. It is 41 meters
high (fig.), 782 meters long, with an approach span of 1,127 meters on the Yahnahwah
side and another 782 meters on the
Thonburi
side, bringing the total length to 2,716 meters. The
bridge is 33 meters wide and has six lanes, as well as footpaths for
pedestrians on each side. It has
yellow pylons and cables, representing the colour for Monday and the personal colour of the
King,
who was born on a Monday
(see
sih prajam wan).
In Thai known as
Saphaan
Phra Ram
Kao (สะพานพระราม ๙).
See MAP.
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Rama IX Golden Jubilee Monument
See
Sum Chaleum Phra Kian Kanchana Phisek.
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Rama X
Crown title of
Vajiralongkorn, the tenth
King
of the
Chakri dynasty and Thailand's monarch
since his
ascension on 1
December 2016, 50 days after the death of his father and
predecessor
King
Bhumipon Adunyadet
on 13
October 2016, though with the ascension being retroactive to October
13th.
See also THEMATIC STREET LIGHT
(1) and
(2).
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Ramachandra
(रामचन्द्र)
1.
Sanskrit. Another name for
Phra Ram or
Rama, the seventh
avatar of the god
Vishnu,
and the hero from the Indian epic
Ramayana, in Thailand
called
Ramakien.
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2.
Sanskrit. Another name for the crown title
Rama.
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Ramakien (รามเกียรติ์)
Thai.
‘The honour of
Rama’. Thai version of the Indian
epic
Ramayana rewritten in 1785 by
Rama I,
the first monarch of the present
Chakri dynasty. Depictions of characters and scenes
from the Ramakien are found all over Thailand, represented in art,
music and the nomenclature.
The
story relates the birth of prince Rama
in the Kingdom of
Ayutthaya (fig.), and his later marriage with
Sida, the daughter of
King
Janaka.
Sida is kidnapped by the demon
King
Totsakan (fig.)
who abducts her to
Longka, the present Sri Lanka. Then follows the account of the lengthy battle
between Rama and the ten-headed Totsakan, in which Rama is assisted by mythical half-man half-animal characters, including the courageous monkey-god
Hanuman (fig.), always depicted in white. The battle brings the defeat of Totsakan and the salvation of Sida, after which Rama returns as
King.
The Thai version
includes incidents and details not found in the Sanskrit original,
such as the appearance of
Suphanamatcha.
The epic in Thailand had –and still has– great importance and
influence onto its culture and art. See also
Khon,
Pha Lak Pha Lam
and
Reamker.
MORE ON THIS.
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Raman (รามัญ)
Thai.
Another name for
Mon or a Peguan,
a person from
Pegu.
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ramanah (รำมะนา)
Thai. A kind of flat, one-sided
drum.
See also POSTAGE STAMP.
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Ramasoon (รามสูร)
Thai. The god of thunder. His weapon is an axe
(fig.) and
he is the companion of
Mekhala, the goddess of lightning
(fig.).
He is
born in the storm clouds and has rain as his cloak. He asked
Rahu,
the god of darkness
(fig.), to create a
murkiness of black clouds to help
conceal himself, in order to try and capture Mekhala, his opponent.
In Thai
Khon,
he is typically depicted with a green complexion (fig.), yet in
Khmer
Apsara Dance,
his face is green but he may otherwise be
depicted in
a different colour.
See also
TRAVEL PICTURES (1),
(2) and
(3), as well as
POSTAGE STAMPS.
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Ramathep (รามเทพ)
See
Tao Ramathep.
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Ramathibodi (รามาธิบดี)
1. Name of King
U-Thong of
Ayuthhaya, also
Ramathibodi I. See also
list of Thai Kings.
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2. Thai. A title introduced for the Kings of the
Chakri
Dynasty (fig.),
by King Vajiravudh,
(Phra
Mongkutklao),
the sixth monarch of the
dynasty with the crown title
Rama
VI, who called himself Ramathibodi VI.
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Ramathibodi I (รามาธิบดีที่
๑)
First King of the
Ayuthhaya
period, also named King
U-Thong,
who ruled from
AD 1350 to
1369. See also
list of Thai Kings.
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Ramayana
(रामायण)
Sanskrit.
‘Story
of
Rama’. Indian
epic
drama written around 400-200 BC, narrating
the story of Rama, the abduction of his wife
Sita
(fig.)
by the demon King
Ravana
of
Lanka and the struggle for her release. In Thailand,
the story was rewritten and renamed
Ramakien,
and in Laos the local version is called
Pha Lak Pha Lam,
while in
Cambodia
it is known by the
Khmer
name
Reamker
(fig.).
MORE ON THIS.
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rambutan
A sweet fruit in a hairy red rind (fig.).
The flesh is white, succulent and has a large seed. They are
widespread
in all Southeast Asian countries, and Thai rambutans are grown particularly in the
East and South. Its season is from April to September. In Thai they are
called
ngo, meaning
‘hair’, and the
most popular varieties are ‘ngo rong rien’ and ‘ngo si chompoo’.
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Ramkhamhaeng (รามคำแหง)
Thai. ‘Rama the brave’.
King of
Sukhothai
from
1279 to 1298 and one of the three kings of the
Lan Na Kingdom
(fig.),
as well as the designer of the Thai script (fig.).
READ ON.
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ram kaen (รำแคน)
Thai. ‘Long drum dance’. A Thai
folk dance from
Isaan,
in which the male participant dances with a
kaen,
i.e. a
bamboo
mouth organ
(fig.).
Also transcribed ram khaeng.
See
also POSTAGE STAMP.
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ram klong yao (รำกลองยาว)
Thai. ‘Long drum dance’. A
Thai folk dance in which the male participant dances with a long
hand-held drum called
klong yao (fig.).
See also POSTAGE STAMP.
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ram krathop mai (รำกระทบไม้)
Thai.
‘Wood impact dance’
or ‘hop on wood’. Another name for
ram krathop saak.
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ram krathop saak (รำกระทบสาก)
Thai.
‘Pestle impact dance’.
A traditional
dance, that
involves
two
wooden blocks
or slaths placed on the floor
parallel to each other at distance, and
two
bamboo
poles, that are
placed across on the set on the floor. The end of the top
poles are held by
people sitting on their knees or
cross-legged, one at
each end, and who move and beat the top poles
rhythmically,
by sliding and
clashing them
against each
other, as well
as on the poles or wooden blocks or
slaths on the floor,
in coordination with one or more
dancers, who step or jump over and in between the poles in a dance and
on the rhythm of the clashing poles, and usually accompanied with music or song.
Sometimes multiple sets of bamboo poles are used, either placed next to
each other, with an extra set of wooden blocks or
slaths
on the floor, or placed
crosswise on top of the initial set
of bamboo poles below.
Also known as
ram krathop mai and ten krathop sahk
(เต้นกระทบสาก). In English, it may be referred to as Clashing Bamboo
Dance or just Bamboo Dance, and in
The Philippines a similar dance is called Tinikling.
See also
saak
and
POSTAGE STAMPS (1)
and
(2).
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ram muay (รำมวย)
Thai.
A
ceremonial dance
preceding official matches in honour of the trainers and
the guardian spirit of Thai boxing.
The
muay thai
boxers
wear a loop-shaped headband
(mongkon) and
coloured armlet
(pah prachiad) on their biceps,
which may contain a protecting
amulet
or Buddha image
(fig.).
The practice is as old as the sport itself (fig.),
which dates from
the
Ayutthaya
Period.
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ram peung (รำพึง)
See
paang ram peung.
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Ramphai Phannih Sawatdiwat (รำไพพรรณี สวัสดิวัตน์)
Thai. Name of the wife of Prince
Prajadhipok,
who in 1925 became Queen
Consort of
Siam,
when her husband
ascended the throne as King
Rama VII.
READ ON.
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Ramphasarih (รำภาสะหรี)
Thai. Name of a character from the story
Phra Aphaimanih
(fig.).
She is the daughter of
the governor who controlled an outpost of
Langka, and
is described
as very beautiful and with a skin white as cotton. However, despite her
beauty, she was still unmarried at the age of 24, because she was afraid
of getting pregnant and having to give birth. When her father
was killed in battle against
Sri Suwan,
she became the
outpost's
new
ruler.
Nang Laweng (fig.), the
daughter of the King of Langka, honoured her as a sister for her
braveness and skills, and made her a partner in their allied war against
Sri Suwan, over whom they eventually triumphed.
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ram pheuy (รำเพย)
Thai. Name for
a large evergreen shrub or small tree, that grows to 7 meters tall and
with the binomial name Thevetia peruviana, named after a French
missionary who collected plants in South America. This evergreen bears
yellow to dark yellow, trumpet-like flowers and its fruit consists of a
large seedpod that bears some resemblance to a Chinese lucky nut. The
sap and the seed of the Yellow Oleander are toxic and it has recently
become a popular method of self-harm in northern Sri Lanka, with
thousands of cases each year. The seeds contain cardiac glycosides that
cause vomiting, dizziness and cardiac dysrhythmias. In Sri Lanka it has
a fatality rate of at least 10%. It is also known as Lucky Bean, Lucky
Nut, Yellow Oleander, Trumpet Flower and Be-still Tree.
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Rampheuy Phamaraphirom (รำเพย
ภมราภิรมย์)
Thai. Name of
the second consort of King
Mongkut, i.e.
Rama V.
She was born Princess
Ramphoei Siriwong (รำเพย ศิริวงศ์) and later became known as Queen
Thepsirin (เทพศิรินทร). She is the mother of
Prince
Chulachomklao, who later became
King
Rama V,
as well as of Prince
Chaturanradsamih,
Princess Chanthonmonthon
(จันทรมณฑล),
and Prince
Bhanurangsi Savangwongse.
She was born on 17 July 1834 AD in
Bangkok,
where she also died untimely on 9 September 1862, aged only 28. Also transliterated
Ramphoei Phamaraphirom. See also
ram pheuy and
Wang Burapha Phirom.
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ram tha (รำท่า)
Thai.
‘Dance pose’. Term used in
Khon,
i.e. Thai
classical dance
(fig.),
to refer to the different postures of the body in combination with
mudras,
i.e.
the movements
of the hands, which jointly
represent
different situations,
thoughts
and feelings
demonstrated in the story,
each
with
an
exact specified
meaning, akin to sign
language. Sometimes also
called ram thai tha (รำไทยท่า),
i.e.
‘Thai dance pose’.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS.
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ram thian (รำเทียน)
Thai.
‘Candle dance’. A folkdance in which participants move their hands in an elegant manner in the air
while holding burning candles.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS.
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ram wong (รำวง)
Thai.
‘Circle dance’. A folkdance in which participants move their hands in an elegant manner in the
air.
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ranaat ek (ระนาดเอก)
Thai. A xylophone-like
instrument that sets the high tones in a traditional Thai orchestra. It is the
counterpart of the
ranaat thum (fig.),
which sets the bass tones. It is somewhat boat-shaped and may at
times be copiously decorated (fig.).
In contrast to the ranaat thum, which is
flat-bottomed
with
fous small legs,
the ranaat ek has just one
large stand in the centre, which makes the instrument stand some
distance above the ground. A legendary musician skilled at playing
the ranaat ek was
Luang
Pradit Phairo
(fig.). See also
ranaat ek lek.
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ranaat ek lek (ระนาดเอกเหล็ก)
Thai. A
kind of
angulated xylophone
that in the
pih phaat,
i.e. a
Thai
music ensemble that features mainly wind and
percussion instruments,
is set up
next to the
ranaat ek (fig.).
It is
very similar to the
ranaat thum lek,
but has 21 bars, whereas the latter usually has only 17
(fig.).
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ranaat thum (ระนาดทุ้ม)
Thai. A
kind of flat-bottomed
xylophone,
somewhat
boat-shaped,
like the
ranaat ek, but
with just four small legs, one in each corner, whereas
the ranaat ek has just one
large stand, in the centre (fig.).
This
kind of xylophone
sets the bass tones in a Thai music ensemble, whereas the ranaat ek
ets the
high tones.
See also
ranaat thum lek.
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ranaat thum lek (ระนาดทุ้มเหล็ก)
Thai. A
kind of Thai-style xylophone
that in the
pih phaat,
i.e. a
Thai
music ensemble that features mainly wind and percussion
instruments,
is set up next to
the
ranaat thum.
Whereas the latter is somewhat boat-shaped (fig.),
the ranaat thum lek is more angulated in shape and its legs are a bit longer,
causing it to be raised a little higher from the floor tan the ranaat thum. It
is very similar to the
ranaat ek lek (fig.),
but whereas the latter has 21 bars, the ranaat thum lek has 17.
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rangbuab (รังบวบ)
Thai. ‘Nest
gourd’ or ‘hive gourd’. A name for
luffa.
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rang mai dip (รังไหมดิบ)
Thai. Cocoon of the
silkworm
from which
silk is
made. The cocoons are sun dried for a couple of days to kill the larva
after which the silk is taken off the cocoons by
boiling. Yellow cocoons are
from the Thai silkworm and white from the Chinese. One cocoon contains roughly
900 meters of silk yarn.
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rang nok (รังนก)
Thai
for ‘bird's nest’. The term includes both true bird's nests and
certain dishes that resemble bird's nests. In addition, it is a Thai
designation for
swallow's nests.
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rangoli (रंगोली)
Hindi
name for a holy decorative design, which is drawn on the floor during
certain Hindu festivals and meant as a sacred welcoming area for
deities. It can be made from −often coloured− sand, granulated
rice or
flour and its form, which is often circular in shape, may vary
from a simple geometric design without colour to an elaborate pattern of
different shapes and even portraits in numerous colours. Sometimes other
materials, such as flowers or petals, are used.
回
Rangoon Creeper
Common name of a vigorous,
evergreen, scandent vine, with the botanical designations Quisqualis
indica and Combretum indicum. It can grow well over 10 metres long and
is in constant bloom, bearing clusters of spike flowers that change
color over time from white to pink, into red. The fruit is 3 to 3.5 centimetres long,
ellipsoidal and has five prominent wings.. The fruit is
3 to 3.5 centimetres long,
ellipsoidal and has five prominent wings. It is usually found growing on
fences and along exterior walls.
In Thai, this vine is called
lep meua nang,
i.e.
‘lady
fingernails’.
It is also called Chinese
Honeysuckle and nicknamed Drunken Sailor.
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rang pheung oun thod (รังผึ้งอ่อนทอด)
Thai.
‘Fried
bee larvae nest’. Fried honeycombs that contain the larvae of
bees. This snack is considered a delicacy by some, especially in
northern and northeastern parts of Thailand. The honeycombs are wrapped
in banana leaves and grilled over a charcoal fire, blending the melting
honey with the larvae and giving the snack a unique flavour (fig.).
The honeycomb and larvae are eaten together as a
whole, like a cake. Local markets, especially forest markets, often have
a wide variety of fried honeycombs of different bee species on offer, as
well as of certain wasp species. Additionally, the larvae are also sold
separately, i.e. taken out of the honeycomb and wrapped in banana leaf (fig.).
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Rangsit Prayoonsak (รังสิตประยูรศักดิ์)
Thai.
Name of a prince
of the
Rattanakosin
Period, who was born
on 12 November 1885
as a son of King
Rama V, i.e. the 52nd child of King
Chulalongkorn
with his consort Chao Chom Manda
Neung.
He was
founder of the Public Health
Ministry and
President of the Regency Council
from
1946 until his death,
and with the title of
Krom Phraya
Chainat
Narenthon, i.e.
Prince of
Chainat.
He was also a great collector of antiques
and art works. He died on 7 March 1951 of an heart attack
while at his residence
Wang Witthayu in
Bangkok
and was succeeded as
Prince Regent of
Siam
by
his cousin Prince
Phitayalahp Phrithiyakorn
(fig.).
At his death, he was the last surviving son of King Chulalongkorn.
Rangsit District and the Rangsit Canal in northern Bangkok are named
after this prince. His name is often also transcribed Rangsit
Prayurasakdi, i.e. literally from Thai writing, but contrasting the
correct pronunciation.
See also POSTAGE STAMP.
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Ranong (ระนอง)
Thai. Name of a province (map)
and its capital city, located in the Southwest of the Thai peninsula,
along the Andaman Sea.
READ
ON.
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Raphanasoon (ราพณาสูร)
Another name for
Totsakan
or
Ravana.
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Rashtrapati Bhawan (राष्ट्रपति भवन)
Hindi. ‘Presidential Palace’, i.e.
the official residence of the President of India, located on
Raisina Hill (fig.)
in the Indian capital New Delhi,
where also the most
important Government buildings are
located.
Its
entrance is guarded by a metal
fence held in place by decorative stone posts, that are adorned with
figures of
elephants.
The main building has a
large central dome and in its front stands a huge pillar,
which is referred to as the Jaipur Column.
Rajpath, i.e. the main boulevard, splits the Secretariat Building into two,
creating a North and a South section, and it aligns the Presidential Palace with India Gate, a prominent
nearby landmark in New Delhi (fig.).
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rasih (ราศี)
Thai for
zodiac. See also
Chinese zodiac.
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rasmi
(रश्मि)
Sanskrit.
‘Beam of light’. A term referring to
both the halo around Buddha images (fig.),
and the flame (fig.) that emerges
from his
ushnisha
(fig.).
It symbolizes the Buddha's superiority. It may sometimes also be
used on other deities, such as the Vedic sun god
Surya
(fig.).
Also transcribed rasmie, rasmih or rasmee. Compare
with
the Thai word
radsami.
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rat
First animal of the
Chinese zodiac (fig.), as the first year of the animal cycle. According to its
astrological aspects it represents persistence, but
also irresoluteness. Those born in the Year of the Rat are said to
enjoy travelling and to have gained empiric wisdom. However, though
absolute in their speech, they may also be arrogant.
While in
Thailand, people born in the
Year of the Rat according to the Chinese zodiac,
worship to
Buddha images
seated in the
pahng proht Alavaka yak
(fig.)
pose, while the rat also
features on certain Thai postage stamps, including the Zodiac Year
of the Rat Postage Stamp issued in 2008 (fig.)
and the
Songkraan Day Postage Stamp issued in
1996 (fig.).
However, certain species of field rat are
also caught and eaten
by some Thai people (fig.).
Beside the above, the rat is considered the mount of the Hindu god
Ganesha.
According to legend, Ganesha's rat was
originally the elephant-faced
asura
Gajamukhasun, who fought with
Ganesha, was defeated and then disguised himself as a rat and ran
away. However, Ganesha caught him and used him as his
vahana. When riding the
rat, Ganesha is also referred to as
Akhuratha
(fig.). In the
Indian town of Deshnoke, there is a rat temple that is home to
circa 20,000 rats, considered to be holy, and are worshipped. Some
anthropologists believe that the rat became Ganesha's vehicle (fig.) after
ancient tribal elephant worshippers defeated other tribes who
worshipped rats. Another theory is that the rat is the mount of Ganesha, also known as the god of obstacles, because it is able to
gnaw through obstacles.
See also
Brown Rat and
Bamboo Rat.
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rat (รัตน์)
See
rattana.
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Ratchaburi (ราชบุรี)
Thai.
‘Royal city’. Name of a province (map)
and its capital city of the same name in West Thailand.
READ ON.
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Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center
Name of a place
on
Ratchadamnoen Avenue in
Bangkok's
khet
Phra
Nakhon
for artists to exhibit their contemporary artworks. In addition, the
gallery also serves as a learning center of all contemporary arts’
disciplines. Within the same building is also the
ASEAN
Cultural Center (fig.).
See MAP.
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ratha (रथ)
Sanskrit for ‘chariot’. The word is related to the Thai word
rot. See also
Akhuratha.
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Rati (रति)
Sanskrit for ‘love’, ‘affection’, ‘pleasure’, and ‘delight’. It is the
name of the consort or
shakti (fig.)
of
Madana, i.e.
Kama.
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Ratnasambhava
(रत्नसंभव,
รัตนสัมภว)
Sanskrit-Thai.
‘Born jewel’. In
Mahayana
Buddhism, the transcendental buddha or
dhyani buddha of the southern
universe. He has a yellow or golden complexion and performs a
varada
mudra,
a sign of mercy. His mount is a horse. On
mandalas, he may hold a
chintamani jewel.
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ratri (रात्रि)
Sanskrit term for ‘night’ or
‘darkness’, i.e. ‘darkness of night’. The Thai expression ratrisawat
(ราตรีสวัสดิ์), i.e. ‘goodnight’, is derived
from it.
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rattana (रत्न, รัตนะ, ရတနာ)
Sanskrit-Thai-Burmese. A gem, semiprecious or precious stone. Often
translated as ‘jewel’. In Burmese, the term may also be
pronounced
yattana
and can besides
‘gem’ also be translated as ‘treasure’. It may appear in Buddhist names,
especially of temples, where it usually refers to either all or one
of the
Rattanatrai,
i.e. the ‘Triple Gems’ or ‘Three
Jewels’,
that is to say the
Buddha, his teachings (dhamma)
and the
Sangha. A synonym sometimes used is jindah (จินดา), as
in
Chedi Tham Jindah. Also
rattanah and
rat.
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rattanah (रत्ना, รัตนา,
ရတနာ)
See
rattana.
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Rattanakosin (รัตนโกสินทร์)
1. Thai. ‘Jewel of
Indra’.
Bangkok, distinguished
from Thonburi. It
refers to the area on the right bank of the
Chao Phrya
River in general, but in reality relates merely to the area between
the river, with the western city wall
at what today is
Thammasat
University (fig.),
and
Khlong Rop Krung. This corresponds
more or less with the
khet today known as Phra Nakhon, though the
present-day district also includes the area to the North of the
former frontier, i.e. the area between Khlong Rop Krung and Khlong
Phadung Krung Kasem, which in the East borders Rachadamnoen Nok Road
and in the West the Chao Phrya River. Rattanakosin is where the City
Hall is located and
Phra Rachawang
with the adjacent
Wat Phra Kaew are built, and
is hence sometimes translated as the ‘Residence
of the
Emerald Buddha’. It is often referred to as Koh Rattanakosin
(เกาะรัตนโกสินทร์),
i.e. the ‘Rattanakosin
Island’, due to the fact that it is surrounded by the water of the
Chao Phrya River on one side and that of Khlong Rop Krung Canal on
the other. Rattanakosin was in the past defended (fig.) by 14 forts that
were built on its surrounding frontiers. Of these strongholds today
only two survive, i.e.
Pom Phra Sumeru
and
Pom Maha Kaan
(fig.).
In 1982, a set of postage stamps was issued to commemorate
the bicentennial
of
the foundation of Rattanakosin,
featuring an aerial view of the Grand Palace and the Temple
of the Emerald Buddha, as well as all
the rulers of the
Chakri
Dynasty
(fig.).
To commemorate this
bicentenary, also
a memorial in the form of a
large gilded metal
sheet (fig.),
shaped akin to
leather cowhide sheets used in
nang yai
shadow play (fig.),
and which
bears the carved image of the
emblem that was designed for the bicentenary of the
city's foundation in 1782 AD. It
is
erected on poles that symbolize the two handles of genuine
shadow play sheets at
the southern end of
Lahn Khon Meuang,
in front of Bangkok City Hall.
The emblem of the 200th anniversary (fig.) consists of two angels (thep)
facing each other whilst performing a
thepanom
gesture,
i.e. a
wai
gesture by
clasping
their hands, which
symbolizes Bangkok as the city of angels. These angels are seated
inside a
decorative frame
akin to a
reuan kaew or
crystal palace
and
underneath a triple-arched edifice called
sumwimaan
and which symbolizes the
one that once enshrined
Phra Siam Thewathiraat
(fig.),
the
guardian spirit of the nation,
in the
Grand Palace.
See also
Rattana Pura.
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2.
Thai. Period of the
Chakri
Dynasty. Also called
Rattanakosinsok.
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Rattanakosin Drum Tower
Name of a historical monument in
Bangkok's
Rattanakosin
area, in Thai simply referred
to as
ho klong, i.e.
‘drum
tower’.
READ ON.
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Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall
Name of a decorative museum on
Ratchadamnoen Avenue in
Bangkok's
khet
Phra
Nakhon,
with multimedia exhibits in which
pictures, sculptures, and other objects of interest related to the
Rattanakosin
Era are on display.
See MAP.
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Rattanakosinsok (รัตนโกสินทรศก,
รัตนโกสินทร์ศก)
Period of the
Chakri dynasty.
In 1889, it was officially declared by King
Chulalongkorn
that the era started in 1782,
with Year 1 beginning on 6 April 1782, i.e. the date of the accession of King
Rama I. Also called
Rattanakosin
Era, which is often abbreviated RE and in Thai as
RS (ร.ศ.), and sometimes
transliterated Rattankosinthorasok.
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Rattana Pura (ရတနာပူရ)
Burmese. ‘City of Gems’. The
official name of
Inwa,
which is also known as
Ava,
an ancient royal city located about 20 kilometers southwest of Mandalay.
Also pronounced
Yattana Pura.
See also
Rattanakosin
and
Yattana Pontha.
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Rattanatrai (รัตนตรัย)
Thai.
‘Triple Gems’ or ‘Three Jewels’. Term for the
Buddha, his teachings (dhamma) and the
Sangha. Also
Trairat.
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Ratthathammanoon (รัฐธรรมนูญ)
Thai
for ‘Constitution’. The term is composed of the words rat (รัฐ),
thamma
(ธรรม) and ma-noon (มนูญ),
meaning ‘State’, ‘Law’ and ‘satisfactory’, respectively. The charter is
written in a folded book, reminiscent of
bai lahn, Buddhist manuscripts (fig.)
that contain religious writings, including the Buddhist Law or
Dhamma. This folded book is placed on top of a gilded
phaan, i.e. a bowl or dish with a
base or foot (fig.),
which in turn is placed on another, somewhat larger, phaan. These three
objects have become symbol for the Constitution and are found on the
Democracy Monument (fig.),
and as an emblem on
Parliament
House (map
-
fig.), etc. It was coined on the former
emblem of King
Wachirawut, whose royal insignia in
part consisted of a
wachira
(fig.)
with a
halo-like
rasmi
of thunderbolts,
placed on top of a double gilded phaan
(fig.).
By replacing the wachira, the King's personal symbol,
which referred to both his name and power, by the book of the Constitution, also his supremacy
was in a way replaced by the Constitution, both symbolically
and actually, when his successor King
Prajadhipok
(fig.),
under duress became the nation's first constitutional monarch. The book is of a golden colour and topped by a
Garuda (fig.),
the official Emblem of State. On the side it has three white dots,
applied with wet talcum powder by a Buddhist monk as a traditional
blessing, and referring to the
Triple Gem. The Thai Constitution was
conferred on 24 June 1932 by
King
Rama VII, thus ending the
Absolute Monarchy and initiating the
transition to a Constitutional Monarchy. See
also
Prisdang Chumsai.
MORE ON THIS.
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Ravana
(रावण)
Sanskrit. ‘He who makes cry’ or ‘he who causes to wail’. The demon king of
Lanka and the leader of the
Rakshasas.
He is the enemy of King
Rama in the
Ramayana and is usually depicted with ten heads and sometimes with twenty arms. In the
Ramakien he is known as
Totsakan. Also called
Raphanasoon.
MORE ON THIS.
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ravanahatta
Name
of an ancient Indian stringed instrument played with a bow, and used by
wandering street musicians, often gypsies or pilgrims, particularly in
the Indian states Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is probably the earliest
instrument played with a bow and some believe it is the precursor of the
violin. It consists of a hollow
bamboo cylinder attached to half a
coconut
shell, of which the mouth is covered with goat hide, and two
principal strings. Typically, the bow often has small jingle bells
attached to it. The instrument is somewhat reminiscent of the Chinese
erhu, the
Thai
so uh,
so duang
and
saloh, and the Cambodian
tro.
In the past, this instrument was played by kings and princes and its
name is derived from
Ravana, the
legendary demon king of
Lanka.
Also known by a range of other names, including ravanhatta and
ravanstron.
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Ray Ngan Bain U Shin Gyi (ရေငံပိုင်ဦးရှင်းကြီး)
Burmese.
‘Lord of the Sea’. See
U Shin Gyi.
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Rayong (ระยอง)
Thai.
Name of a
province (map)
as well as of its capital city in East Thailand,
on the north coast of
the Gulf of Thailand.
READ ON.
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RE
Abbreviation for
‘Rattanakosin
Era’,
in Thai known as
Rattanakosinsok
and which officially
started on 6 April 1782 with
the accession of King
Rama I.
See also
BE.
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Reamker (រាមកេរ្តិ៍)
Khmer.
‘Glory of
Rama’.
Name of the local adaptation in
Cambodia of the Indian
epic
Ramayana,
i.e. the Khmer or Cambodian counterpart of the Thai
Ramakien,
and which likewise includes incidents and details not found in the
Sanskrit original narrative,
such as the appearance of
Suphanamatcha
(fig.),
who is known in Khmer as Sovanna Maccha. As in
Thailand
and
Laos,
the epic in Cambodia had –and still has– great importance and influence
onto Khmer art and culture.
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Rear
Palace
Concise title,
as well as the name of the residence of a Siamese third King, fully
known as
Krom Phra
Rachawang Bowon Sathaan Phimuk.
In Thai called
Wang Lang.
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reclining Buddha
One of the four positions of the
Buddha
in
iconography, usually referring to the
death or
Mahaparinirvana
of the Buddha, though it may also refer to a scene in the Buddha's
life, when he miraculously enlarged himself in order to meet with a
haughty giant, who intended not to bow for the Buddha due to his
assumed superiority and greater posture. When the Buddha, who knew
of the giant's arrogance then miraculously enlarged himself, the
giant was humbled and disgraced, changed his attitude, and
eventually became a follower of the Buddha. Besides this,
Buddha images
are often made in an enormous size, or
alternatively erected in large numbers, as it is believed that each
Buddha image radiates a fraction of the
Buddha's
Enlightenment,
that is reflected onto anyone in its vicinity. In
Myanmar,
large reclining Buddha images only refer to the Buddha's demise or
Mahaparinirvana
when the Buddha's
head is laid to the North, without support under it and with the
eyes closed. Yet, despite the large number of giant reclining Buddha
images in
Burma, most
reclining Buddha images found in Myanmar are of a different type,
namely: supporting the head with the hand or a cushion and with the
head laid in the East, it is called Paung Laung Buddha, while if the
head is laid toward the West, it is referred to as Tharaban Buddha,
and if the head is laid in the South it is known as Tha Lyaung
Buddha. The most well-known image of a reclining Buddha
in Thailand is found at
Wat
Poh in
Bangkok (map
- fig.).
The largest reclining Buddha in Thailand has
a length of 26
wah,
1
sok,
and 9
niw, or about 53 meters, and
is known as
Somdet Phra Sakayamuni Sri Sumet
Bophit,
located at
Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang (วัดบางพลีใหญ่กลาง)
in
Samut Prakan.
The largest reclining
Buddha in the world is named Win Sein Taw Ya (fig.)
and is located at Win Sein Monastery near the
Mon city of Mawlamyine in Myanmar. It is a stunning 180 meters long.
In Thai, reclining Buddha
statues are referred to as
Phra Phutta Saiyaat. See also
pahng saiyaat
and
iryapatha.
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Red Avadavat
Common name for a passerine bird in the family Estrildidae, i.e. weaver
finches, with the scientific designation Amandava amandava, and also
known by the common designations Strawberry Finch and Red Munia. There
are three subspecies, which occur in a huge range extending from
Pakistan and southern Nepal, through much of Southeast Asia, to
Indonesia. Its habitat is near marshes, swamps and bodies of water, but
it also visits open fields and grasslands while foraging. The male has a
reddish face and lower breast, and a brownish belly and upperparts,
whilst the tail is black. It has a black eye-stripe and a row of white
spots that form a line underneath its eyes, as well as white spots all
over the side of its body and on its wing feathers. The bill is
reddish-orange with a black streak on two-thirds of the upper mandible,
while the legs and feet are pinkish-grey. Females are similar, but
duller and they have less white spotting on the feathers.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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red bayberry
See
yang mei.
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Red-billed Blue Magpie
Common name for a species of long-tailed bird in the
crow family Corvidae and which has a
number of subspecies, including Urocissa erythrorhyncha erythrorhyncha,
Urocissa erythrorhyncha alticola and Urocissa magnirostris. It has a
black head, neck and breast, with a large creamy white, mane-like spot
on the crown, that may somewhat taper towards the back of the neck and
has some blue spotting above. In Urocissa erythrorhyncha erythrorhyncha
this mane-like spot is more extensive, bluish grey, and somewhat greyer
above. Its upperparts are greyish blue, with somewhat brighter wing
primaries, whilst the underparts are greyish cream (fig.). The upperside of the
tail is a also a little brighter blue and ends in a broad white tip,
whereas the underside of the tail is greyish cream, with black bars from
below the vent to halfway down the tail (fig.).
The Red-billed Blue Magpie has a thick, bright, orange-red bill and its
legs and feet, as well as a ring around the eye can vary from dark
yellow to orange-red.
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Red-billed Leiothrix
Common name for a colourful, 15.5 to 16 centimeter tall bird in the
Timaliidae family, with the scientific designation Leiothrix lutea and
related to the
Silver-eared Mesia (fig.).
There are several subspecies, but the nominate race has a olive to
golden crown, a yellow face, and a dark to blackish submoustachial,
while the throat is also yellow and the breast is golden to orange-rufous.
The undersides are pale grey and yellowish. As its common name suggests
it has a red bill, though the base of the bill is darker, almost
blackish. It has a patterned wing with black, yellow and dark orange or
red patches, depending on the race. Females are similar to males, but
have a greener crown, greyer face and are paler below (fig.).
In the wild, this species is found in India, the
Himalayas,
Myanmar, and
southern
China. In
Thailand,
where the Red-billed Leiothrix is found only in captivity, it is called
nok karong thong pahk daeng.
In English, it is also referred to by the names Pekin Robin, Pekin
Nightingale, Chinese Nightingale, Japanese Nightingale and Japanese
Robin or Hill Robin, the last two being misnomers as this Old World
babbler is not native to Japan.
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Red-bordered Ground Beetle
Name for a
ground beetle in the Carabidae family, with the scientific designation Mouhotia batesi.
READ ON.
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Red-breasted Parakeet
Common name for a colourful parakeet with the scientific designation
Psittacula alexandri, an appellation confusingly reminiscent of that of
the related
Alexandrine Parakeet, which has the
binomial name Psittacula eupatria. Its appearance however is more
comparable to that of the Grey-headed parakeet, which is known by the
Latin deisgnation Psittacula finschii, yet is distinct by a pinkish-red
breast (fig.) and some yellowish-lime colouring on the wings. The Red-breasted
parakeet (fig.) has a greyish-blue head with a black throat patch and a narrow
black line between the eyes. It plumage is overall green and males have
a red beak (fig.), whereas that of females is black
(fig.).
The legs of both sexes are grey. Though very rare in Thailand, it does
occur in the wild, even in urban areas (fig.). In
Thai, this bird is known as
nok kaek tao.
See also POSTAGE STAMP
and
WILDLIFE PICTURES (1)
and
(2).
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Red-claw
Marsh Crab
See
Poo sahaem kaam daeng.
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Red Collared Dove
Common
name for a small pigeon, with the binomial name Streptopelia
tranquebarica. It is a resident breeder in Thailand, where it can be
found in drier, open country, scrub and cultivation, as well as
occasionally in cities and parks. The male is brownish vinous-red, with
a pale bluish-grey head and a black neck-bar or collar. Its rump and uppertail-coverts are grey, and its tail is rather short and square,
with broadly white-tipped outer feathers and whitish undertail coverts (fig.).
The female has a similar pattern, but its body and wing coverts are
mostly brownish, and it has less grey on the head (fig.). Females are somewhat
reminiscent of the
Eurasian Collared Dove (fig.),
but are overall darker. Also known as Red
Turtle Dove and in Thai as
nok khao fai.
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Red Dwarf Honeybee
Common
name of one of eleven known bees in the genus Apis (honeybees). It is a
very small-sized species of bee (fig.), which makes small, single comb nests,
often no larger than 15 to 20 centimeters wide. They build their nests
usually fairly low down in bushes, or in the open, suspended from a
branch or rock surface (fig.).
It has the scientific name Apis florea, and is one of two species placed
in the subgenus Micrapis (dwarf honeybees), the other one being the
Black Dwarf Honeybee
(Apis andreniformis -
fig.). Until 1991, the two species were
listed together. Apis florea is distributed throughout Thailand, but in
contrast to Apis andreniformis, it has not been found in the southern
Malay peninsula, Borneo, the Philippines or the surrounding islands, or
Indonesia, with the exception of Java, where they were likely introduced
with human assistance. On the other hand Apis florea has been recorded
as far West as Sudan, a presence which is probably the result of
human-assisted introduction. In any case, records that derive from
research on the species may also be inaccurate due to the fact that it
was earlier listed along with Apis andreniformis. See also
feng.
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Red-eared terrapin
Common
name of a semi-aquatic turtle originally from the southern United
States, where it is called Red-eared Slider, but which became widespread
in various areas of the world due to its popularity in the pet trade.
Their attractive hatchlings (fig.)
grow rapidly and, quick to bite at anything that resembles food, these
omnivorous pets often end up being released into the wild, Buddhist temple ponds
(fig.) and city parks. With reproduction ideal under tropical conditions, they
are quickly spreading through much of the region and they have now
become by far the most conspicuous turtle in Southeast Asia. They are
characterized by a red to orange elongated mark at each side of the head
and yellow stripes and bars on the head, legs and tail. Their carapace
is bright olive green in juveniles, but changes to dark olive brown in
adults. The plastron is deep yellow with dark spots on each scute (fig.).
Compared to females, adult males are slightly smaller, less domed and
have elongated nails on their front feet. In
Thai it is called
tao kaem daeng and
tao yipun, meaning ‘red-cheeked
turtle’ and ‘Japanese turtle’ respectively.
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redented chedi
A feature in Thai
temple
architecture in which the
angle of each vertical level of a
chedi is recessed
from the adjoining one, akin to a
yo mum floor
plan. Instead of a normal corner with
a single angle, each of the four corners
is
broken up and made into 3 adjacent angles in order to
increase the beauty to the structure. Since the recess basically
turns one corner into three corners, a rectangular building with 4
corners will thus in fact have 12 corners, i.e. 4 corners of which
each has 3 angles, and such characteristics are thus in Thai called
yo mum mai sip song (ย่อมุมไม้สิบสอง), literally ‘twelve redented
short corners’. The word mai (ไม้)
is in this context used as
the term that refers to the Thai architectural style
in which corners of a base, pillar, or top, are redented, i.e.
dented or formed like the teeth of a saw. Though the most common
form of redented chedi or
prang
features three angles at each of the structure's four corners, there
also exist styles with recessed corners with another number of
angles, and those are in general referred to as
yo mum (ย่อมุม), i.e. ‘redented corners’ or ‘indented corners’,
a term that can further be specified by adding the total
number of angles.
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Red Ginger
An evergreen herb growing to a height of one meter and
consisting of long sharp leaves that emerge from its inedible root and with a
scarlet red bracts, that look like the bloom, but the true flower is
a small white flower that grows on its top (fig.). Its Latin name is Alpinia purpurata and is
related to the family of edible gingers. In Thai
khing daeng.
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Red-headed Blister Beetle
Common name for a species of oil
beetle in the family Meloidae and with the scientific designation Epicauta
hirticornis. It is overall black in colour, with whitish rings towards
the lower abdomen, and an off-white to pale yellowish-orangey horizontal
line across the sides of the upper abdomen, which is only fully visible
in flight. Apart from the black antennae, mandibles and eyes, it has an
orangey-red head. Whereas the black body and wings are shiny, its black
elytra are matt and seemingly lined with a fine white border. Also
commonly known as Red-headed Slender Oil Beetle, and in Thai called
duang nahm-man lang dam (ด้วงน้ำมันหลังดำ), i.e. ‘black-backed oil
beetle’. See also
Blister Beetle.
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Red Hot Cattail
Name
for the Chenille Plant, an attractive, constant blooming, to three
meters high, flowering shrub, with the botanical name Acalypha hispida,
and belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. It is also known by the names
Philippines Medusa, Red Cattail, and Foxtail. In Thai, it is called
hahng
kra-rohk
daeng (หางกระรอกแดง), which means ‘red squirrel's
tail’. All the above names refer to this shrub's furry flowers, that
range in colour from bright red to purple, and grow in clusters along
small spikes of hanging flowers called catkins, which gave rise to the
name Red Hot Cattail. This shrub needs full sun to flower. Also
spelled Red-hot Cat's Tail.
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Red Junglefowl
See
kai pah.
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Red Lacewing
Common name for a species
of butterfly with the binomial name
Cethosia biblis.
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Red Lahu
A subgroup of the
Lahu tribe. Also known by
the name of
Lahu Nyi, and by the Thai as
Mussur Daeng.
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Red Leafhopper
Common name for an insect with the
scientific designation Bothrogonia indistincta and belonging to the
family Cicadellidae. This pinkish red leafhopper is widely distributed
in mainland South and Southeast Asia, including in Thailand, where it is
called phlia jakkajan daeng (เพลี้ยจักจั่นแดง), but usually hides under
leaves.
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Red Munia
See
Red Avadavat.
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Red-naped Ibis
Common
name for a bird in the ibis family, with the scientific designation
Pseudibis papillosa, and also commonly known as Indian Black Ibis or
simply Black Ibis. It is found on the Indian Subcontinent, and though
its habitat includes lakes, marshes, riverbeds and irrigated farmland,
it is less aquatic than many other ibis species. It appears largely
blackish, though it is rather dark brown with a green and purple gloss.
It has reddish legs and a patch of crimson on the nape of the black
naked head, and a white shoulder patch, which is best visible during
flight. Whilst the wings are
largely blackish, the belly is a pale pinkish-brown
(fig.). Like other ibises, it has a stout down-curved bill. It nests in
trees and breeds from March to October in northern India. Immature birds
are brown and have a feathered head.
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Red-necked Keelback
Common name
of a colourful
snake, with the scientific
designation
Rhabdophis
subminiatus.
READ ON.
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Red Palm Weevil
See
duang maprao.
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Red Pierrot
Name of a species of small butterfly with the scientific
designation Talicada nyseus. It is found in South Asia and Southeast Asia and
belongs to the family Lycaenidae i.e. the family of Blues. On the
upperside, this striking butterfly has
black wings with
black-and-white fringes, and large orange patches on the hindwings, which have
short,
black, white-tipped tails.
On the underside, the wings are mostly white with black spots, and a
reddish-orange band with white spots, that more or less correspondents with the
orange patches of the upperside. Above, its
body is mostly black, with diffuse white rings at the end of the abdomen, while
below it is white. It has black antennae with white tips and white ringed
shafts. The
pupa or
dakdae
of this species is
cream-coloured, with rows of black spots along the back and sides, and is
covered with short soft bristles.
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Red Powder-puff
Epithet for the
Calliandra
haematocephala,
which is also commonly called Blood-red
Tassel-flower and Pink Powder-puff, with tassel-like flowers that can be either
white with
pink or red. This
up-to-five meter tall
shrub belongs to the family Fabaceae and the subfamily Mimosaceae,
and is related and very similar to the
Calliandra surinamensis
or
Pink Tassel-flower.
In Thai, the Red Powder-puff is known by the names phu jomphon (พู่จอมพล),
phu naay phon (พู่นายพล), and sometimes phu chomphu (พู่ชมพู),
though the latter term is in some Thai literature also used for the comparable Persian Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin).
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Red
River
Name of a 1,149 km long river that flows
from the mountains south of Dali (fig.),
in
China's
Yunnan
province, to the Gulf
of Tonkin in
Vietnam,
and forms a part of the border between China
and Vietnam (map), which it enters at the town of Lao Cai (map
-
fig.),
at the
confluence with the Nam Thi (Nậm Thi) River (map), near the Chinese town Hekou (河口),
which literally means ‘estuary’ (fig.).
The river's main tributaries are the Black River and the Lo (Lô) River, swelling
it to a very broad waterway by the
time it flows past the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, after which its many
distributaries make it into a delta.
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Red Saraca
Common name for a tree, with the botanical designations Saraca
declinata and Saraca cauliflora.
READ ON.
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Red-shanked Douc Langur
Name for a colourful and attractive species of leaf monkey
native to Indochina, especially
Vietnam,
Laos and
Cambodia.
It has the scientific name Pygathrix nemaeus and the Thai name
kaang ha sih, meaning ‘five-coloured langur’ and referring to its five different colours (fig.), i.e. a gray back, belly and head, a
black forehead, upper arms, hands and upper legs, a white beard, tail, bottom
and forearms, maroon-red throat and lower legs, and a yellowish face (fig.).
Even though they are known as ‘douc langurs’, this species is in fact more
closely related to the
Proboscis Monkey, than to any of the langurs. Especially
their large belly is reminiscent of this (fig.). They live in groups of up to a dozen
and more, in both mature rainforest and second growth forest, feeding on large
quantities of leaves and fruit. They are strongly arboreal, eating and sleeping
in the mid to upper levels of the canopy. There are several subspecies,
including the Pygathrix nemaeus nigripes, which arms and legs are black, and
which face has more blue-grey in it. Sometimes this species is simply called Douc Langur.
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Red Stemmed
Thalia
Name of an
aquatic plant with the botanical
name Thalia geniculata and also known by a variety of other common
names, such as Fire Flag, Alligator Flag, Hardy Water Canna, Giant Water
Canna, Greater Thalia, or simply Thalia or Water Canna, and known in Thai as
ton khlah nahm cho hoy (ต้นคล้าน้ำช่อห้อย),
which freely translates as ‘arrowroot water plant with a bouquet of
hanging flowers’. It is a large immersed plant in the arrowroot family
Marantaceae, that grows in swamps and wet ditches from a thick rhizome.
The broad bluish green canna-like leaves grow on reddish stalks and it bears
purple-white flowers that grow above the plant and hang from zigzag
stems.
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Red-tailed Rat Snake
Name
of a 170 to 240 centimeter long
snake with a dark green body, light green belly and a
brown to reddish-brown tail. Its head is green with a dark line running
through the large rounded eyes, separating the darker green top of the
head from the lighter green underside and chin. It has a distinctly blue
tongue. Its scientific name is
Gonyosoma oxycephalum and in
Thai it is known as
ngu khiaw
kaab
mahk (งูเขียวกาบหมาก),
i.e. ‘green
betel palm
spathe
snake’.
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Red-throated Barbet
Common name for a colourful, about 23 centimeter tall
bird, with the scientific name Megalaima mystacophanos in the family Megalaimidae. It is mostly green, with males (fig.) having a yellow forehead, a red
crown and red throat, a black supercilium and blue cheeks. In addition, the
upper breast has a horizontal blue bar, flanked by a red patch on either side.
Its large, strong bill is black, with several black protruding hairs between the
bill and the forehead, a feature typical with barbets. Females (fig.) are overall
green, with a greenish forehead and only faint coloured patches in the above
mentioned places. They lack the throat and breast patches and have only a very
narrow, near invisible, black supercilium. Red-throated Barbets are found in
subtropical to tropical moist lowland forests across parts of Southeast Asia,
including Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. In Thai
it is known as nok prodok kaang daeng (นกโพระดกคางแดง), meaning ‘red-chin
barbet’.
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Red-throated Flycatcher
Common name of a small passerine bird, with the scientific
name Ficedula parva. It is found across South, East and Southeast Asia, up to
eastern Europe.
Non-breeding males are largely brown above and whitish
below, with a grey head and a buff-grey breast and white throat. In the breeding
season, the male's throat is orange, with a grey border. Females are similar to
non-breeding males, but duller. The bill of both sexes is black and has a broad,
pointed shape, which is typical of aerial insectivores.
The Red-throated Flycatcher is about 13
centimeters tall. Also known as Red-breasted Flycatcher and
Taiga Flycatcher, and
in Thai named
nok jab malaeng kho daeng
(นกจับแมลงคอแดง),
i.e.
‘red-throated insect-catching bird’.
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Red-throated Thrush
Common name for one of the two subspecies or races of the
Dark-throated Thrush, the other one being the
Black-throated Thrush. This large, plump thrush
has the scientific designation Turdus ruficollis ruficollis and has a plain grey
back, and rufous-buff underwings, with adult males having a brick-red supercilium,
throat and upper breast, and rufous coloring in the tail, whilst adult females
and young birds lack the bib of adult males. Instead, adult females have have
dark streaks on the side of the throat and on the chestnut upper breast, as well
as a whitish submoustachial. The bill is pale yellowish with a dark tip. In
Thai, this bird is known as
nok deun dong kho daeng,
i.e. ‘red-necked jungle-walking bird’.
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Red Turtle Dove
Another name for the
Red Collared Dove.
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Red Velvet Mite
Common name for an arachnid in the family
Trombidiidae and also commonly known as Rain Bug. The species typically found in
southern Asia and parts of southeastern Asia is the Giant Red Velvet Mite, which
is also known as Giant Indian Velvet Mite, Rain's Insect, Scarlet Fly, and Bride
of the Seafarer, while scientifically, it is referred to as Trombidium
grandissimum. The latter can reach a length of up to two centimeters, which is
huge compared to any of its other family members, many of whom are up to a
hundred times smaller. Whereas it gets its the name Red Velvet Mite from its
appearance, the designations Rain Bug and Rain's Insect derived from the fact
that they tend to pop up from the soil during the rain and may appear in large
numbers after the monsoon. It is a predator, feasting on other invertebrates,
their larvae and their eggs. They posses strong, pincer-like mouthparts, and two
puny eyes at the end of stalks, though they are thought find prey by sensing
chemicals and vibrations. They are typically found in soil litter. In
Ayurveda,
the oil from these mites is used to treat paralysis and as an aphrodisiac dubbed
Indian
viagra.
See
also
List of Thai Insect Names.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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Red-vented Bulbul
Common name for a medium-sized passerine bird, that grows up
to about 23 centimeters tall and with the scientific designation Pycnonotus
cafer. It is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia, from India (fig.) and Sri
Lanka to
Myanmar and southern
China.
It has a short black crest, a dark blackish head, a brownish-grey body with a
scaly pattern above and a light grey belly, and a red vent. Its cheeks are more
brownish than the rest of the head, though there are several subspecies and
hybrids, some of which may have white cheeks or even a yellow vent.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES
and
TRAVEL PICTURES.
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Red-wattled Lapwing
Name of a wader with the binomial name Vanellus indicus. Its
body is white, whilst its wings and back are light brown with a purple sheen
near the shoulders. The primaries (the largest feathers on the edge of a bird's
wing) are black and the scapulars (shoulder feathers) white, forming a
distinctive white V-shape in flight. The head, chest and front part of the neck
are black with a red fleshy wattle in front of each eye. The bill is red with a
black tip and it has a large white patch behind the eyes. It has a short white
tail with a black bar towards the end, which is only visible during flight (fig.). Its
legs are yellow and long. In Thai, this bird is called
nok
kratae tae waed, which means ‘frivolously-bawling
tree shrew bird’ and refers to its loud
piercing call, that can go on for hours during the breeding season, even well
into the night, and that sounds like ‘did he do it’. When nesting, these birds
will divert predators using distraction displays, such as imitating the
inability to fly and give plaintive calls to entice the predator after
themselves, away from the nest. With the exception of
Isaan, this bird is found everywhere in
Thailand, most commonly in short and sparse vegetation near water (fig.).
See also
WILDLIFE PICTURES (1)
and
(2),
and
WATCH VIDEO.
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Red-whiskered Bulbul
Name of a crested passerine bird (fig.) with the scientific name Pycnonotus jocosus and originally endemic to subtropical and tropical Asia,
from
Pakistan through to Southeast Asia and southern
China.
It is commonly seen in urban areas (fig.) and wherever there are clearings in the
forest. It has brown upperparts and pale underparts with buff flanks, and at
shoulder level it has a dark patch running onto the breast. It is easily
recognized by its tall vertical crest and red patches above white cheeks that at
their base have a thin black line. The tail is long and brown with an orange
vent, and undertail-coverts and white feather tips. Red-whiskered Bulbuls feed
on fruit, nectar and insects. In Thai it is called
nok parod hua khohn, meaning ‘khon-masked
bulbul’ and referring to its crest,
which is apparently seen as reminiscent of the masks worn by
Khon actors
(fig.).
This singing bird is very popular as a pet, especially in the southern
provinces, where regular mass contests are held (fig.),
in which the birds compete with one another for the most beautiful song and
voice (fig.). Typically three rounds are held before a team of experts passes judgment.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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Red Yao
1. Name of a branch of
Yao, found
in southern
China,
especially around
Longsheng (fig.).
Members of this group have very long hair, which they coil up and then
wrap with a long piece of cloth, black for women and red for men. They
are mostly farmers and live primarily in mountainous areas.
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2. Name of a branch of
Yao, found
in northern
Vietnam, especially around Sapa.
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Reef
Stonefish
Common name for a species of reef
fish, with the scientific designation Synanceia verrucosa, and which is
listed as the most venomous fish in the world.
READ ON.
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reflexology
A therapy over 5,000 years old that originated in
China and
consists of pressuring and massaging certain points of the sole of
the foot, where more than 7,000 nerves converge. Specific points in the sole of the foot
correspond with other parts of the body and pressure or a massage carried
out on these exact spots is said to be able to cure over a hundred ailments.
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reincarnation
Rebirth. Belief that the soul after death moves to another
bodily form and lives on.
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relief lintel
In Thailand this usually refers to a stone
bas-relief on the
lintel above a doorpost or gate of ancient
temples in
Khmer style, but may also be a woodcarving or sculptured work above doors or windows
on other buildings.
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reliquary
Container in which a sacred relic is stored, such as a box,
case, tomb or sanctuary.
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reua
(เรือ)
Thai generic for ‘boat’.
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Reua Asurapaksi
(เรืออสุรปักษี)
Thai. Name of an escort barge that accompanies the
true
Royal Barges.
READ ON.
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Reua
Asuravayuphak (เรืออสุรวายุภักษ์)
Thai.
Name of an escort barge that accompanies the true
Royal Barges.
READ ON.
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Reua Dang (เรือดั้ง)
Thai.
‘Shield boat’. The name for a lesser barge used in the
Royal Barges Ceremony to
escort the procession on the outside
(fig.).
There are currently 22 of these vessels in use and each carries
around 30 people, mostly rowers, but also a helmsman, a master of the
vessel, four gunman and an officer. The oarsmen wear a black
jacket trimmed with red, striped black-and-red trousers, and a black hat
with a neck- and earflaps, also trimmed with red and with a golden naval
emblem and a golden spike (fig.).
Apart from the two last barges, the
outside hull, bow and stern
are
painted black, without any pattern, and the inside is red with yellow
edges (fig.).
Reua Dang number 21 (fig.)
and number 22 (fig.)
are positioned last in the row of this type of shield boats and are
painted gold. The Reua Dang fleet is followed by another kind of shield
barges that close the procession, and which are called
Reua Saeng. The paddles are also black. During processions the lesser escort
barges are fitted with a peaked roof in the middle of the vessel, where
the VIPs take place, and the bow and stern are adorned with a pair of
creamy-white tassels,
one on each side, and a golden, green-red,
pah thip-like
streamer made from
brocade,
in
the middle (fig.). Like most other barges that take part in the
procession, the roof is additionally topped with a cloth, which is red
with a broad golden frame (fig.).
In English, also referred to as Lesser Escort Barge.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua duan (เรือด่วน)
Thai.
‘Express boat’. Name for a type of large boat operated on the
Chao Phraya River in
Bangkok, where it is also known as river express, and in
Thai officially called Reua Duan Chao Phraya, i.e. ‘Chao Phraya Express
Boat’. These long boats operate a service similar to that of public
busses, following a regular route up and down the river, stopping at
certain wharfs on the route. The boat stops only briefly at each pier
where there are waiting passengers or if someone wants to debark,
allowing people to board onto the boat's platform in the back, whilst
the boat's conductor gives signals by a whistle to the driver in the
front. Until the arrival of the subway and the BTS, it was one of the
quickest means of public transportation in town, yet somewhat restricted
in service, as it runs only during daytime and only to certain parts of
the city along the river.
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Reua Ekachai Heun Haaw (เรือเอกไชยเหินหาว)
Thai.
Name of an escort barge that accompanies the true
Royal Barges.
It has a raised, backward-bent, gilded prow, that ends in an
almost horizontal,
kranok-shaped pinnacle. It is 29.76 meters
long and the outside hull is elaborately decorated with
gilded lacquer,
i.e.
laai rod nahm on a black lacquer
undercoat, which at the front, below the bow, has what looks like the
head of a
makara (fig.),
reminiscent of the bow of a former Royal Barge (fig.).
The prow is said to be its horn (fig.). At its broadest point it is 2.06 meters wide, and can take 38 rowers and
two helmsmen (fig.).
This barge was built during the reign of King
Rama I, but was damaged in 1944, in an explosion during
WW II, after which the bow and stern were replaced. It is today kept in
the
Royal Barges Museum (fig.).
It is a twin of
Reua Ekachai Laaw Thong and in
ceremonies they are habitually used together (fig.) to accompany
Reua Phra
Thihnang Suphanahong,
the King's personal barge (fig.). It can also be used a tow-boat of the king's
barge, if thats lack enough manpower to be rowed upstream.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Ekachai Laaw Thong (เรือเอกไชยหลาวทอง)
Thai.
Name of an escort barge that accompanies the true
Royal Barges. It has a raised,
backward-bent, gilded prow, that ends in an almost horizontal,
kranok-shaped pinnacle, and the outside
hull is elaborately decorated with
gilded lacquer,
which at the front, below the bow, has what looks like the head of a
makara (fig.),
reminiscent of the bow of a former Royal Barge (fig.).
The prow is said to be its horn. It is a twin copy of
Reua Ekachai Heun Haaw and was built as
a replacement for the former when that was damaged in an explosion
during WW II, though the original was later repaired. In ceremonies (fig.), they
are now habitually used together to accompany
Reua Phra
Thihnang Suphanahong,
the King's personal barge (fig.). It can also be used a tow-boat of the
king's
barge, if that would lack the manpower.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua ganya (เรือกัญญา)
Thai. A
kind of flat bottomed barge, used during some
ceremonies of state. See also
ganya
and
Royal Barges.
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reua hahng maeng pong
(เรือหางแมงป่อง)
Thai.
‘Scorpion-tail
boat’. Name for a type of boat from the past which in the back is curved
high upward, like the tail of a scorpion (fig.).
It has a large cabin covered with a rounded roof and its belly is made
from thick, durable wood, able to withstand collisions with rocks,
knolls and hillocks in shallow waters. It was a common means of
transportation to move up and down the river, before the arrival of the
railway, particularly near
Bangkok.
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reua hahng yahw (เรือหางยาว)
Thai.
‘Long-tail
boat’. Typically, a long shaped kind of boat that s powered by a truck
engine driving a propeller at the end of a long shaft. However,
similar motors, though usually with smaller engines, are also used
with a variety of other boats. The long shaft of these motors is
specially designed to avoid floating rubble and to overcome the
problem of
water hyacinths
that are often abundant or may even block the rivers and canals. Due to its design
the shaft can easily be lifted out of the water and cleared if the
propeller gets stuck. The downside however, is that these kind of
motors are generally rather noisy.
WATCH VIDEO.
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Reua Ih-Leuang (เรืออีเหลือง)
Thai.
‘Yellow boat’. Name of one of the two drum barges (fig.), used in the
Royal Barge Procession
and known in Thai as
reua klong. It is positioned in
between, yet behind the Tiger Barges
Reua Seua Kamron Sin (fig.)
and
Reua Seua Thayan Chon (fig.),
and
accommodates six musicians, who sing the
kaap he reua versed songs (fig.),
and play
the Javanese flute (fig.),
the
conch,
and
klong khaek drums (fig.). Its oarsmen use black paddles and are dressed in a white jacket
trimmed with blue, a blue
pahkaomah, blue trousers, and a
blue brimless hat trimmed with gold and with earflaps (fig.),
informally referred to as muak hoo krataai (fig.).
Despite its name, the hull of this barge is all-black. It is also
referred to as
reua klong nouk, i.e. ‘outer drum
barge’. See also
Reua Taeng Moh.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua
jaew (เรือแจว)
Thai. A small flat bottomed
paddle boat.
It is commonly used nationwide, especially on canals, often to sell
goods from, as on
floating markets. In that sense it is
the counterpart of the slightly larger
reua tae.
The word jaew is the name for a ‘long paddle’, as well as for a verb
meaning ‘to row with (such a) long paddle’, hence the boats name.
Nowadays it is often used with a small ‘longtail’ motor. It is characterized by a bulwark frame that surrounds almost
the entire boat above deck and which is supported by a rib-like
structure on the inside. Some models are rather flat, whereas others
are more curved, shaped like a banana or the rind of a slice of
melon.
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reuak (เรือก)
1.
Thai. Flooring and walls made from cleaved
krabok, i.e. a
bamboo cylinder which has been split with a knife and rolled open. It is
typically used in dwellings of hill tribe people and in some farmer
communities.
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2.
Thai. Flooring made from strips of wood tied together by rattan.
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reua khem (เรือเข็ม)
Thai.
‘Needle boat’. Name of a slim, needle-like paddle boat, with a length of
about 3 to 4
wah.
It is made of thin planks, traditionally with aromatic wood, i.e.
mayom
or
teakwood.
The sides of the boat rise only just above the waterline. There
is a
phanak
phing or backrest in the middle of the boat, identical to
those for monks in Buddhist temples (fig.),
as it is used by some members of the clergy on waterways during their
early morning alms round, called
bintabaat. There is place for just one
person, who needs to sit
with the legs stretched forward and is paddled like a kayak, using a
double bladed paddle.
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reua khut (เรือขุด)
1. Thai.
‘Digging boat’. Name for a dredger (fig.). Dredgers can be seen on rivers digging for
sand or
ore, or clearing bars to maintain the draught of the river for
navigation. On the important estuaries, such as that of the
Chao Phrya river, a fleet of large
dredgers using heavy equipment
incessantly clear the river bed, keeping the river open to shipping
traffic. See also
sandon.
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2. Thai. ‘Dugout boat’. Name for a dugout, any
wooden boat cut from a tree trunk in one piece, often a canoe.
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reua klong (เรือกลอง)
Thai.
‘Drum barge’. Escort barge used
in the
Royal Barge Procession,
that accommodates six musicians, who sing the
kaap he reua versed songs (fig.),
and play
the Javanese flute (fig.),
the
conch,
and
klong khaek drums (fig.),
for one. There
are currently two drum barges. One is named
Reua Ih-Leuang (fig.),
which sails in between, yet behind the Tiger Barges
Reua Seua Kamron Sin (fig.)
and
Reua Seua Thayan Chon (fig.);
the other is designated
Reua Taeng Moh (fig.) and is the main
music command
boat that sails out in front of the King's Golden Swan Barge
Reua Phra Thihnang Suphanahong (fig.).
The oarsmen of these two barges
wear a white jacket bordered with blue, a blue
pahkaomah
with white dots, blue
trousers, and a blue brimless hat trimmed with gold and with earflaps (fig.).
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua klong nouk (เรือกลองนอก)
Thai.
‘Outer drum barge’. Another name for
Reua Ih-Leuang (fig.),
the first of two drum barges used in the
Royal Barge Procession.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua ko lae (เรือกอและ)
Thai. Name for small boats
typified by their long projecting
bowsprit and their colourful decorative paintings. They are commonly
seen in the deep South of Thailand, especially in the province of
Narathiwat.
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Reua Krabi Prahp Meuang Maan
(เรือกระบี่ปราบเมืองมาร)
Thai.
‘Barge of the
monkey (krabi)
that defeated the city of the arch-fiend (Maan)’.
Name of an important escort barge in the
Royal Barge Procession,
which has the figurehead of
Hanuman
(fig.).
This barge
is 26.8 meters
long, weighs 5.62 tons, and has a black hull. The crew consists of
36 oarsmen and 2 helmsmen
(fig.),
besides a flagman, an officer, 2 pole-bearers, etc. The
oarsmen are
dressed in
pink trousers, a dark-blue to purplish shirt trimmed with gold, and
a red
Malabiang-helmet.
The oars are silver with a red handle.
The name of the boat refers to Hanuman's triumph over evil, when he
defeated
Totsakan
and burned
his city. It sails starboard in pair with
Reua Krabi Rahn Ron Rahp
(fig.).
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Krabi Rahn Ron Rahp
(เรือกระบี่ราญรอนราพณ์)
Thai.
‘Barge of the
monkey (krabi)
that fought the giant’.
Name of an important escort barge in the
Royal Barge Procession,
which has the figurehead of
Nilaphat
(fig.).
This barge
is 26.8 meters
long and has a black hull. There are
36 oarsmen,
which are
dressed in
white trousers, a dark-blue to purplish shirt trimmed with gold, and
a black
Malabiang-helmet,
and 2 helmsmen
(fig.).
The oars are silver with a red handle. The name of the boat refers
to the fact that Nilaphat,
together with
Ongkhot, beheaded the
yak or
giant
Vayupak,
after the latter had captured
Phra Ram and
Phra Lak.
This barge sails
port side
in pair with
Reua Krabi Prahp Meuang Maan
(fig.).
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua krachaeng (เรือกระแชง)
Thai. A kind of wooden boat from
the past which is shaped somewhat like half a walnut or watermelon.
On the deck there is a shed in the form of a half cylinder under
which the goods are stored, as well as an open shelter with a
slightly bent roof, that is used as a cabin for the crew. It can be
pushed by a pole or towed by
a tugboat called
reua yohng (fig.).
See also POSTAGE STAMP.
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Reua Krut Heun Het (เรือครุฑเหินเห็จ)
Thai.
Name for an important escort barge used in the
Royal Barge Procession,
which has the figurehead of a red-coloured
Garuda
placed over a small
canon whilst holding a
naga
in each of its claws and hands
(fig.).
The original barge was built in the reign of
Rama I,
but was destroyed in WWII. The surviving bow and stern were used to
built a new barge. The the current is
barge is 27.5 meters long
and weighs 7
tons. The outside hull is elaborately
decorated with
gilded lacquer, i.e.
laai rod nahm on a black lacquer
undercoat, and the shelter at the centre of the barge has a double roof
of which the first part is lower than the back part (fig.).
This barge is manned by 34 rowers and 2 helmsmen
(fig.).
The oarsmen are dressed in pink trousers, a dark-blue to purplish shirt
trimmed with gold, and a red
Malabiang-helmet.
The oars are silver with a red handle. Reua Krut Heun Het sails in pair
with
Reua Krut Tret Traichak
(fig.),
on the starboard or senior side of the drum barge Reua Klong Nai, whilst
the latter sails on the port side of the drum barge. From afar, both
Garuda escort barges
are confusingly similar to
the
Reua Asurapaksi
(fig.)
and
Reua Asuravayuphak (fig.)
escort barges,
and can from a distance best be distinguished by the fact that the
bird-like figureheads
(fig.)
of the latter two escort
barges have their arms in a downward pose (fig.),
whereas the arms of the figureheads on the prows of the Garuda escort
barges have their arms held up (fig.).
Sometimes
transcribed Ruea Krut Hurn Het.
See also
TRAVEL PICTURE
and
PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Krut Tret Traichak (เรือครุฑเตร็จไตรจักร)
Thai. Name for an
important escort barge used in the
Royal Barge Procession,
which has the figurehead of a pink-coloured
Garuda
placed over a small canon whilst
holding a
naga
in each of its claws and hands
(fig.).
The barge is 27.1
meters long and weighs 5.97
tons. The outside hull is elaborately
decorated with
gilded lacquer, i.e.
laai rod nahm on a black lacquer
undercoat, and the shelter at the centre of the barge has a double roof
of which the first part is lower than the back part.
This barge is manned by 34 rowers and 2 helmsmen
(fig.).
The oarsmen are dressed in white trousers, a dark-blue to purplish jacket
trimmed with gold, and a black
Malabiang-helmet.
The oars are silver with a red handle. Reua Krut Tret Traichak sails in
pair with
Reua Krut Heun Het (fig.),
on the port side of the drum barge Reua Klong Nai, whilst the latter
sails on the starboard or senior side of the drum barge.
From afar, both Garuda
escort barges
are confusingly similar to
the
Reua Asurapaksi
(fig.)
and
Reua Asuravayuphak (fig.)
escort barges,
and can from a distance best be distinguished by the fact that the
bird-like figureheads
(fig.)
of the latter two escort
barges have their arms in a downward pose (fig.),
whereas the arms of the figureheads on the prows of the Garuda escort
barges have their arms held up (fig.).
See also
TRAVEL PICTURE
and
PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua leuang yai (เรือเหลืองใหญ่)
Thai.
‘Big yellow boat’. Name for a kind of
barge, similar to the
Reua Dang (fig.)
lesser escort barges, but with a far lower bow. It is used to train and
coach new crew for the
Royal Barge Procession.
A similar training barge with a somewhat
taller prow is called reua rung prasahn saai (เรือรุ้งประสานสาย).
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reua mail (เรือเมล์)
Thai. ‘Mail boat’. Name for a
kind of small boat, that is used as a commuter boat for short distances
on canals and rivers, i.e. a kind of water taxi or water bus (fig.), similar to
the Venetian
vaporetto and
sometimes incorrectly referred to as a packet boat,
hence the
Thinglish
expression
reua
mail.
See also POSTAGE STAMP.
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reua mekhala (เรือเมขลา)
Thai.
‘Lightning boat’, named after
Mekhala, the goddess of lightning.
It is a wooden packet boat dating from the
beginning of the
Ayutthaya period. Nowadays many are reconditioned
to accommodate tourists for banquet cruises on the
Chao Phraya river. See also
rice barge.
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reuan (เรือน)
Thai. Old term still commonly used
for a ‘house’ or any structure or edifices with a roof, that can be used
to live or dwell in, as in
Reuan Thai,
the term used for
wooden houses built in traditional Thai style. The term is often used as
a compound with other words, as in
reuan jam, which
means
‘prison’. In certain contexts the
term may also mean ‘home’ or ‘family’.
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reuan jam (เรือนจำ)
Thai
for ‘prison’, which is run by the Department of Corrections (fig.).
Thai prisons are very different from those in the West, with both
individual cells (fig.)
and community
prison cells of 4 by 8 meters, which in some prisons may hold over 50 people, with
only enough sleeping mats for about half that many prisoners, with the
rest of them having to sleep on the bare floor. There are no beds nor
pillows, and no air-condition. Being that overcrowded, prisoners cannot
sleep on their back, but have to lie on their side, unless if they are
able to ‘buy’ extra space. Cells are either made of a low, concrete
wall, with prison bars on the upper part, or just bars and no wall, and
each cell has one toilet, but no privacy. A typical day in prison starts
at 6.30 am with a head count by the guards. Then the inmates are let out
of the cells for a quick shower and then receive breakfast. Those who
don't like to eat the
the government
food, may in some prisons be able to buy other food from places around
the prison grounds, with coupons that are issued and valued per day, as
prisoners are not allowed to touch money. During the week, most
prisoner are made to work either in an internal factory, workshop or
office. By 4 pm they are locked back in their cells and another head
count is then done, and around 9 pm the lights are switched off. In the
weekends there is no work, and no visitors are allowed. Cells have cell
bosses and everyone in the cell has to take turns in standing guard for
one hour during the night. Prisoners
are are only allowed one visitor per day, for a maximum of 20 minutes.
In their outward relations, when receiving visitors or when appearing in
court, convicts are compelled to wear pyjama-like prison clothes, of a
brownish to rusty-salmon colour.
The first modern penitentiary in Thailand based on international standards was the
Bangkok
Remand Prison, which was built in 1892 by
command of King
Rama V, after a visit to a prison in Singapore.
In popular speech, prisons are also referred to as kuk (คุก). See also
Corrections Museum
and
MAP Mae Hong Son Prison.
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reuan kaew (เรือนแก้ว)
Thai.
‘Crystal cover’ or ‘gem structure’. A decorative frame which is sometimes placed around a
Buddha image. At the bottom on each side is a
naga figure guarded by a
yak (fig.). Usually translated as
‘crystal palace’.
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reuan khanompang khing (เรือนขนมปังขิง)
Thai. ‘Gingerbread
house’. Name of a
western building style characterized by elaborately detailed
embellishments, sometimes combined with other architectural influences
of Thai, Moorish or Victorian origin. The name alludes to European
gingerbread which is typically decorated with ornate fretwork akin to the
architectural motifs used in this building style. The Gingerbread-style
spread into
Thailand during the reign of King
Rama IV, and
became popular
especially in
Phrae,
Thailand’s former teak capital which still has some twenty grand wooden
mansions, ornate remnants from over a century ago when the town was home
to several logging companies, such as the
East Asiatic Company
(fig.),
and foreigners, such as Louis T. Leonowens, son of
Anna Leonowens.
Houses in
this style in Phrae include the
Wongburi House
(fig.),
referred to in Thai as Khum Wongburi (คุ้มวงศ์บุรี) or Ban Wongburi (บ้านวงศ์บุรี);
Ban
Wichai Racha (วิชัยราชา); Ban Khatiyawara (บ้านขัติยะวรา);
Ban Wong Phra Thaang (บ้านวงศ์พระถาง); Khum Chao Luang (คุ้มเจ้าหลวง);
and Khum Chao Nanchaiwong (คุ้มเจ้าหนานไชยวงศ์).
Some famous landmark buildings in this style in other places of Thailand include the
Aphisek Dusit Throne Hall
(fig.),
within the compound of the
Vimanmek
Mansion
in
Dusit
(fig.);
Tamnak Phet,
an edifice
within the compound of
Wat Bowonniwet in Bangkok
(fig.);
Keng Buppha Praphat
(fig.),
a pavilion
within the compound of the
Bang Pa-in Summer
Palace
in
Ayutthaya (fig.); and the
Hua Hin
Railway Station (fig.).
See also TRAVEL PICTURE.
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Reuan Mai Rim Thalae (เรือนไม้ริมทะเล)
Thai. ‘Wooden
Palace on the Edge of the Sea’. Name of a royal residence on Koh
Si Chang commissioned by by King
Rama V
that initially was part of a much larger complex built in 1892 to serve
as a Royal Summer Palace and known as
Phra Chutathutrachatahn
(fig.).
The complex also included a three-storey high octagonal
golden
teakwood
mansion that served as the main
royal residence and which was initially was known as
Phra
Thihnang Manthatrattanaroht until
it in 1901 was
relocated to
Dusit
in
Bangkok
and renamed
Vimanmek
(fig.).
See MAP.
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reuan prasat (เรือนปราสาท)
Thai. ‘Ornamental
palace’. A funeral float, consisting of a highly festooned cart,
which is used to transport a corpse from the temple or home to the
cremation pyre. This traditionally happens in a procession in which
Buddhist
monks lead whilst holding a
sai sin connected to the coffin on the float
(fig.),
while important relatives and friends walk besides the monks, and others follow behind
it.
Reuan prasat are made of wood, paper and some other materials, and decorated with
figures from Buddhist religion and mythology, such as
thephanom (fig.)
and
nagas
(fig.).
The float is designed with the top spire able to fold back, allowing the
cart to pass under electrical wires when on route, whilst usually also an
aid walks along with a long stick to lift any wiring. In appearance, it is somewhat reminiscent of the
rajarot
(fig.), used
as a funeral cart for
royalty. The term is a combination of the words reuan, which translates
as
‘house’ or ‘structure’,
and
prasat,
which means
‘ornamental construction with a
needle-like spire’,
but is usually translated as
‘castle’ or ‘palace’.
it is mainly used in the countryside and less so in larger cities.
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Reuan Song Thai (เรือนทรงไทย)
Thai. Term
used for wooden houses built in
traditional Thai style, used
instead of or alongside the term
Reuan Thai.
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Reuan Thai (เรือนไทย)
Thai. ‘Thai House’. Architectural term used for wooden houses built in
traditional Thai style. They are well adapted for tropical climate and
usually raised on stilts. There are four main styles, one for each of
the four areas of Thailand, i.e. Central, North, Northeast and South.
Each style has its own characteristic features, but to outsiders they
are most easily recognized from the design of the roof, which is
distinctive for each of the styles and their corresponding areas. In
addition, traditional houses in the hot plains of Central Thailand often
have a large, centrally situated veranda, which out of the rainy season
acts mostly as an extension of the inner living area. The roofs are
decorated with an
antefix, an upright ornament on
each side of the lower edge of the roof and in Thai called
ngao (fig.),
which means ‘hook’.
The
Centre for Arts and Culture of the
Chulalongkorn
University
in
Bangkok is housed in a traditional
central-style Reuan Thai (fig.). Due to the cooler climate, northern traditional
houses have smaller windows than those elsewhere, and often are barred
with a series of vertical wooden planks across the window, that can be
closed off by a similar overlapping set of planks in a movable frame, that
can be slid
in front of the openings in order to shut the window at night, to
prevent insects attracted by light in the house from flying in, a system
also found in many northern-style temple buildings (fig.).
For strength the outer walls are in
general built sloping outwards towards the roof,
which at the ridge
usually has a decorative ornament in the form of a Saint Andrew's Cross,
i.e. X-shaped, and known as
kalae
(fig.).
The roofs of northeastern traditional
houses have
an upward pointing wooden pole or pin at the ridge and sometimes also
at the lower edge of the roof,
where normally the antefix or ngao of central traditional houses is
located, whilst southern traditional houses have a similar pole at the
top of the gable, but with a decorative triangular pattern of carved
wood on each side of the pole, i.e. between the top of the pole and the
roof, and which is known to southern
Muslims
by the
Yawi
name boowa
himoo tong (บูวะหิมูตง). In addition, the windows
and doors have a fan-shaped opening over them for light and ventilation.
The Cultural Studies Center in
Surat Thani
features four real-sized models of Reuan Thai houses of the four regions
of Thailand (fig.).
Also called
Reuan Song Thai.
See also QUADCOPTER PICTURE,
PANORAMA PICTURE, and
THEMATIC STREET LIGHT.
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Reuan Yod Borom Mangkalanusonih (เรือนยอดบรมมังคลานุสรณีย์)
Thai. ‘Supreme Auspicious
Pinnacled Edifice Monument’. Name of a
sala-like
edifice on the premises of the
Ananta Samahkom Hall.
READ ON.
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Reua Phali Rang Thawihp (เรือพาลีรั้งทวีป)
Thai-Pali. ‘Boat of Phali who governs a continent’. Name of an
escort barge that accompanies the true
Royal Barges.
It is 27.54 meters long and the bow has a figurehead that
represents
Bali (Phali), a dark green monkey (fig.) and the
initial regent of
Meuang Kheedkhin (ขีดขิน) in the epos
Ramakien,
until his brother
Sukrihp
usurped his throne. He stands over the barrel of a small cannon that
obtrudes from a round hole in the boat's lower bow. During processions
Phali also holds two red poles with golden-green pennants, one in each
hand, and the barge will be positioned at the starboard side of the
Reua Phra Thihnang Ananta
Nagaraat or Ananta Nagaraat Royal Barge, whilst a barge named after his
brother, i.e.
Reua Sukrihp Khrong
Meuang (fig.),
will be on the opposite, port side. At its broadest point the barge is
1.99 meters wide and 0.59 meters deep, and it can take 34 rowers and two
helmsmen (fig.). The outside hull is elaborately decorated with
gilded lacquer,
i.e.
laai rod nahm on a black lacquer
undercoat.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua phi lohk (เรือผีหลอก)
Thai. ‘Frightening ghost boat’. Name for a flat bottomed paddle boat
which can be either a dugout or a boat assembled from planks and used
for freshwater fishing on rivers and canals. The sides of the boat are
rather low, rising only just above the waterline. On one side of the
boat, a board which is painted white, is attached in a sloping manner,
leaning towards the water. On the other side of the boat a long net is
stretched over the full length of the boat, going up about one meter
from the side of the boat. At night, when
the fish see the white board in the middle of the dark, they are
frightened and will try to jump over it, but are caught by the net on
the other side and thus end up falling in the boat, an easy way of
fishing. This type of boat can still be seen used today, in the
amphur
Ban Mih of
Lopburi province and in the amphur Tahklih
of
Nakhon Sawan
province.
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Reua Phra Thihnang (เรือพระที่นั่ง)
Thai for
Royal Barge.
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Reua Phra Thihnang Ananta Nagaraat
(เรือพระที่นั่งอนันตนาคราช)
Thai.
‘Ananta
the
Naga-king
Royal Barge’. Name of one of the
Royal Barges, with a prow in the form of
Ananta, a seven-headed serpent and the
king of the nagas or
nagaraat
(fig.). The figurehead is
painted with
gilded lacquer and ornamented with
small mirrors, whilst the flanks of the outside hull are painted
dark green. This barge measures 42.95 in length and at about
two-thirds of its length towards the stern there is a small
mondop-style
ganya. During processions it is fitted with
seven multi-layered umbrellas called
chattra, i.e. four before the mondop-style
shelter and three behind it. At its broadest point the barge is 2.95
meters wide and it has a hull-depth of 76 centimeters, with a
draught of 31 centimeters. The crew comprises 54 rowers and 2
helmsmen (fig.). The present barge was built during the reign of King
Rama VI as a replacement of the former barge built during
the reign of King
Rama IV. In 2000, a postage stamp
was issued displaying this royal barge
on
the
Chao Phraya
River, in front of
Wat Arun (fig.).
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Phra Thihnang Anek Chaht Phuchong
(เรือพระที่นั่งอเนกชาติภุชงค์)
Thai.
‘Many
Phuchong-incarnations
Royal Barge’. Name of the oldest of
the Royal Barges, built during the reign of King
Rama V. The prow has no figurehead (fig.), but is covered all
over with a very intricate pattern of numerous ornamental
naga (phuchong) figures that are
carved into the bow, hence the name of this barge. The outside hull
is painted pink. It measures about 45.5 meters in length, with at
around
two-thirds of its length towards the stern a
ganya. During processions it is
fitted with seven multi-layered umbrellas called
chattra, i.e. four before the ganya and
three behind it. At its broadest point this barge has a width of
3.15 meters. The crew encompasses 61 rowers, two helmsmen (fig.), a
flagman, a signal-man, a chanter who sings during processions, and
two officers fore and aft. In 2001, a postage stamp was issued
displaying this royal barge
on
the
Chao Phraya
River, in front of
Wat Arun (fig.).
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Phra Thihnang Narai Song Suban
(เรือพระที่นั่งนารายณ์ทรงสุบรรณ)
Thai.
‘Narai
Mounted on (song)
the
Garuda (Suban)
Royal Barge’. Name of the newest of
the Royal Barges, built during the reign of King
Rama IX, to commemorate the 50th
Anniversary of His Majesty's Accession to the Throne (fig.) and by the Fine
Arts Department in cooperation with the
Royal Thai Navy. The
figurehead (fig.) is a replica of that of the former Royal Barge with the
same name and built during the reigns of King
Rama III and
Rama IV. To differentiate, the new
version is also called Reua Phra Thihnang Narai Song Suban
Radjakaan
Thih
Kao
(เรือพระที่นั่งนารายณ์ทรงสุบรรณ รัชกาลที่
๙). The outside
hull is painted red and the prow has a figurehead (fig.) of
Vishnu (also known as
Rama and Narai) standing on a red-coloured
Garuda
(fig.).
The barge is 44.3 meters in length and at its broadest point it has
a width of 3.20 meters. At about two-thirds of its length towards
the stern a
ganya. During processions it is
fitted with seven multi-layered umbrellas called
chattra, i.e. four before the ganya and
three behind it. The crew comprises 50 rowers and 2 helmsmen (fig.). In
1996, a commemorative postage stamp was issued to mark
the 60th anniversary on the throne of
King
Bhumipon Adunyadet,
displaying this royal barge on
the
Chao Phraya
River, in front of
Wat Arun (fig.).
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Phra Thihnang Suphanahong
(เรือพระที่นั่งสุพรรณหงส์)
Thai.
‘Golden Swan
Royal Barge’. Name of one of the
most prominent of Royal Barges (fig.). It was constructed
during the reign of King
Rama VI, and is a replication of
Sri
Suphanahong, a
parallel but older version which was built in the reign of King
Rama I and from which it derives its name. It is the
King's personal barge, though nowadays Crown Prince
Vajiralongkorn often takes his place during processions (fig.). The 44.7 meter
craft was carved from a single trunk of
teakwood
and the prow is carved into a head of the Golden
Swan named Suphannahong (fig.), i.e.
suphan
(‘golden’) and
hong (‘swan’), and consists of gold
lacquer ornamented with small mirrors. The outside hull is painted
black and, like the front, the stern is elaborately decorated with
gold lacquer. This barge has
a hull-depth of 90 centimeters and a draught of 41 centimeters. At
its broadest point the barge is 3.14 meters wide and at about little
over the half of its length towards the stern there is a
ganya (fig.). During processions it is
fitted with seven multi-layered umbrellas called
chattra, i.e. four before the ganya and
three behind it, and a crystalline ball with a large creamy-white tassel is hung
from the projecting front
part of the prow, i.e. the tip of the swan's mouth (fig.), in addition to a
huge garland that is put around the lower part of the bow, i.e.
around the swan's neck. The crew
comprises 50 rowers, 2 steersmen, a flag-bearer and 2 officers fore and aft. The
paddles are gilded and the oarsmen use a stylized rowing motion to
suggest a flight with wings. In English, known as Golden Swan Royal
Barge or Suphanahongse
Royal Barge (fig.). In 1997, a postage stamp was issued displaying this
royal barge
on
the
Chao Phraya
River, in front of
Wat Arun (fig.),
a representation reminiscent of the logo of the
Tourism Authority of Thailand
(fig.),
and to
mark the King's
Sixth Birthday Cycle Celebrations in 2000, this barge was painted on
the body of
Haripunchai,
a
Boeing 747-400 in the fleet of
Thai Airways International,
which also appears on a postage stamp issued in 2010
(fig.).
This prominent barge is so popular that it is often copied in
miniature replicas, often in precious metals and as elaborately
crafted artifacts, and the
ubosot of
Wat Chalo in
Nonthaburi is built on top of
an enlarged concrete copy of the
Golden Swan Royal Barge
(fig.).
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua phuang (เรือพ่วง)
Thai for a large river barge, a vessel without a
motor which is towed by a tugboat called
reua yohng (fig.).
The term is reminiscent to that of the trailer of a lorry which in Thai is called
rot phuang (fig.).
Sometimes transcribed reua puang.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS
and
PANORAMA PICTURE.
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reua pokpaek
(เรือป๊อกแป๊ก)
Thai name for a toy boat,
made from tin, though usually referred to as
reua sangkasih, i.e. ‘zinc boat’
(fig.).
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reua pratun (เรือประทุน)
Thai. ‘Roofed boat’ or ‘boat with a top or cover’.
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reua pratu nah (เรือประตูหน้า)
Thai.
‘Frontdoor boats’. Name for the leading escort barges, i.e. the first
barges in the line-up in the
Royal Barge Procession
(fig.),
are
Reua Thong Bah Bin (fig.),
i.e. the first escort barge that opens the procession on the port side,
and
Reua Thong Kwahn Fah (fig.),
the first escort barge on starboard. Reua Thong Bah Bin is followed by
Reua Seua Kamron Sin (fig.),
whilst the latter is followed by
Reua Seua Thayan Chon (fig.).
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua rap song khahm fahk
(เรือรับส่งข้ามฟาก)
Thai for
‘ferryboat’.
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Reua Saeng (เรือแซง)
Name
for lesser escort barges that accompany the
Royal Barge Procession
at
the rear end of the flotilla. There
are totally seven such barges, six that flank the last
Royal Barges,
i.e.
Reua Phra Thihnang Narai Song Suban (fig.)
and
Phra Thihnang Anek Chaht
Phuchong,
and one that sails in between the last Reua Saeng on the port and
starboard sides, closing the parade. The latter is preceded by the third
Police Barge, that itself follows Phra Thihnang Anek Chaht Phuchong.
Their role is similar to the
Reua Dang
shield barges, only their position and
appearance is different.
The outside hull,
bow and stern are painted black, without any pattern, and they al bear
their number in Thai,
from one to seven, painted
in white on their bow. The roof is red with a golden frame in the
form of an elongated quadrangle.
The oarsmen of the first six barges, that sail on the outside of the
flotilla, wear a white jacket bordered with blue, a blue
pahkaomah
with white dots, blue
trousers, and a blue brimless hat trimmed with gold and with earflaps (fig.),
the same as the oarsmen of the drum barges
Reua Ih-Leuang and
Reua Taeng Moh. However the oarsmen of
the seventh and last Reua Saeng, the black barge with the Thai number
seven (๗) painted in white on its bow, and which
closes the convoy, wear a white jacket bordered with red and gold, a red
pahkaomah, and a red
Malabiang-helmet.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua sampan (เรือสำปั้น)
Chinese-Thai. Originally a small
sailing boat used
as coastal vessel in
China, but in Thailand the popular name for
a
reua tae,
a small rowing boat. Its name derives from Chinese, i.e. from the
name of a small lifeboat that was kept on deck of a larger
reua sampao
and called either sampung (ซำปุ้ง) or saampaan (สามปาน), which besides a
life boat also functioned as a paddle boat to go ashore whilst the ship
was anchored in deeper coastal waters. It may have a bent roof in the
form of half a cylinder.
See also
reua sampan
jaang.
See also POSTAGE STAMP.
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reua sampan jaang
(เรือสำปั้นจ้าง)
Chinese-Thai. A boat similar to a
reua sampan
but larger and with a roof to protect against the sun and rain. It used
to be sculled like a gondola, from the back with one oar, but nowadays a
small ‘longtail’ motor may be used. Its main
function is to transport people. The word jaang means ‘to hire’, a
reference to the fact that people pay for the service of using the boat.
It may sometimes be referred to as
reua pratun,
meaning a ‘boat with a roof (or cover)’.
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reua sampao (เรือสำเภา)
Thai
name for a ‘junk’ or ‘argosy’. It can refer to any type of large
merchant ship of the past, with one or more sails. The term is used for
both Chinese and Western style boats of this type, but to indicate its
origin the word jihn, meaning Chinese, is usually added when referring
to Chinese junks, i.e. reua sampao jihn (เรือสำเภาจีน
-
fig.). In
China,
these boats (fig.) are symbols that bring good luck into the home and into the
business, and thus popular artifacts, which are often made of expensive
materials, such as
jade. Besides this,
the word sampao is used to
define an aspirated letter P of the Thai alphabet
which is called ‘po sampao’
(ภ - see
Thai consonants).
Since this consonant has an aspirated sound, sampao might also be
transcribed samphao.
WATCH VIDEO.
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reua sangkasih (เรือสังกะสี)
Thai. ‘Zinc boat’. Name for a toy boat
made from tin.
READ ON.
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Reua Seua Kamron Sin (เรือเสือคำรณสินธุ์)
Thai. Name of an escort barge (fig.) that accompanies the true
Royal Barges and of which the hull
is painted yellow with the black stripes of a tiger, while the prow is in
the head of a tiger. On the bow, there are two flags with a blue field and a
yellow tiger with black stripes, as well as a small canon. The stern has a
yellow ground colour and a pale blue floral motif, a pattern that is
repeated in the part between the bow and the hull. This barge is 22.2 meter
long and sails in pair with the barge
Reua Seua Thayan Chon (fig.).
There are 26 oarsmen, dressed in a red uniform trimmed with gold, as well as 2 helmsmen
(fig.),
a flagman, and an officer (fig.).
The oars are black.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Seua Thayan Chon (เรือเสือทยานชล)
Thai. Name of an escort barge (fig.) that accompanies the true
Royal Barges and of which the hull
is painted yellow with the black stripes of a tiger, whilst the prow is in
the head of a tiger. On the bow, there are two flags with a blue field and a
yellow tiger with black stripes, as well as a small canon. The stern has a
yellow ground colour and a pale blue floral motif, a pattern that is
repeated in the part between the bow and the hull. This barge is 22.2 meter
long and sails in pair with the barge
Reua Seua Kamron Sin (fig.).
There are 26 oarsmen, dressed in a red uniform trimmed with gold, as well as 2 helmsmen
(fig.),
a flagman, and an officer. The oars are black.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Sukrihp Khrong Meuang (เรือสุครีพครองเมือง)
Thai. ‘Boat of
Sukrihp who rules the city’. Name of an escort barge (fig.) that accompanies the true
Royal Barges.
It is 27.45 meters long and the bow has a figurehead that
represents Sukrihp,
a red monkey, a warrior of
Rama, and the regent of
Meuang Kheedkhin (ขีดขิน) in the epos
Ramakien.
He stands over the barrel of a small cannon that obtrudes from a round hole
in the boat's lower bow. During processions Sukrihp also holds two red poles
with golden-red pennants, one in each hand, and the barge will be positioned
at the port side of the larger
Reua Phra Thihnang Ananta
Nagaraat or Ananta Nagaraat Royal Barge, whilst a barge
named after his brother
Bali (Phali -
fig.), i.e.
Reua Phali Rang
Thawihp, will be on the opposite, starboard side. At its
broadest point the barge is 1.39 meters wide and 0.59 meters deep, and it
can take 34 rowers and two helmsmen (fig.). The outside hull is elaborately decorated with
gilded lacquer,
i.e.
laai rod nahm on a black lacquer
undercoat. The name of the boat refers to story that Sukrihp usurped the
throne of his brother Phali.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua tae (เรือแตะ)
Thai. A small flat bottomed paddle
boat, generally made from
takian thong
or
teakwood.
Its hold is somewhat angular, made up of five planks and can take 4-5
passengers. Its shape is slightly bent and it is typified by two bulwark
planks above deck, one on each side. It is commonly used for fishing, to
collect the garden produce and as a means of transportation around the
village, but also to sell goods from on
floating markets, especially on canals
in Central Thailand and in particular on the Mae Khlong river. In that sense it is
the counterpart of the slightly smaller
reua jaew. It is also referred
to as
sampan or
reua
sampan.
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Reua Taeng Moh (เรือแตงโม)
Thai. ‘Watermelon boat’. Name of one of the two drum barges,
used in the
Royal Barge Procession
and known in Thai as
reua klong. It is the main music command boat that
sails out in front of the King's Golden Swan Barge
Reua Phra Thihnang Suphanahong (fig.),
and accommodates
six musicians, who sing the
kaap he reua versed songs (fig.),
and play the Javanese flute (fig.),
the
conch,
and
klong khaek drums (fig.), for
one. See also
taeng moh and
Reua Ih-Leuang.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Tamruat (เรือตำรวจ)
Thai. ‘Police Barge’. Name of each of the three polices escort
barges in the
Royal Barge Procession.
The
outside hull
is painted black, without any pattern, and the bow is
rather low. The paddles used are also black and the roof is red with a
black frame in the form of an elongated quadrangle. In the procession, the first police barge is
located at the rear of the outer drum barge or
reua klong nouk
Reua Ih-Leuang (fig.),
whilst the second police barge sails behind it. The third one is at the rear of
the convoy, before the
Reua Saeng that closes the procession. The first police barge has the
Thai number one (๑) painted in white on its bow,
the second the number two (๒ -
fig.), and
the latter has the Thai number three (๓) painted on its
bow. Police barges have a crew of 26 oarsmen,
whom in the first two barges are dressed in vivid blue jackets,
with a red
pahkaomah and a red
mongkon
(fig.),
whereas the oarsmen in the third and last
police barge, wear
a white jacket
bordered with with red and gold, a
red
pahkaomah, and a red brimless hat
trimmed with gold and with earflaps (fig.).
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Thong Bah Bin (เรือทองบ้าบิ่น)
Thai. Name of the first escort barge on the port side in the
Royal Barge Procession,
sailing in pair (fig.)
with the
Reua Thong Kwahn Fah (fig.),
i.e. the first escort barge that opens the procession on starboard (fig.).
The
outside hull is
painted black, without any pattern,
and the bow and stern are gilded, and
during ceremonies adorned with
two
creamy tassels, one on
each side, and a golden
pah thip-like
piece of cloth in between
(fig.).
This barge is 32 meters long and has a crew of 42, that is 38 oarsmen, a
flagman, 2 helmsmen (fig.), and one naval officer of the rank of lieutenant.
The oarsmen wear a red uniform trimmed
with gold, including a brimless
hat with earflaps (fig.). The paddles used
with this barge are black.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Reua Thong Kwahn Fah (เรือทองขวานฟ้า)
Thai. Name of the first escort barge on starboard in the
Royal Barge Procession,
sailing parallel (fig.)
with the
Reua Thong Bah Bin (fig.),
i.e. the first escort barge that opens the procession on the port side.
The
outside hull is
painted black, without any pattern,
and the bow and stern are gilded.
This barge is 32.23 meters long (fig.) and has a crew of 42, that is 38 oarsmen, a
flagman, 2 helmsmen (fig.), and one naval officer of the rank of lieutenant.
The oarsmen wear a red uniform trimmed
with gold, including a brimless hat with earflaps (fig.).
The paddles used with
this barge are black.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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reua wetchaphah (เรือเวชพาหน์)
Thai. ‘Medical carrier’. Name
of a wooden motor boat, which
was
commissioned in 1955 by King
Bhumiphon
from his
own private funds, in order to provide free medical services to his subjects who
lived along waterways, and in those days had little to no access to roads or
hospitals. The boat is 15.69 meters long, 3.81 meters wide and has two storeys,
and can carry up to 30 passengers. It is powered by a 200 horsepower, 6-cylinder
diesel engine and can make speeds of up to 12 knots per hour. The mobile medical
unit was operated just once or twice a year by the Red Cross' Relief and Health
Division, in addition to occasional emergency disaster relief missions, when
first aid was offered. When it was decommissioned in 2007, it had carried out
total of 137 missions in 18 provinces, and had aided hundreds of thousand of
people. In 1995, the boat was depicted on a Thai postage stamp (fig.)
to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its maiden mission in 1955, and a scale
model of the boat is today found in the Miniature Boat Museum in Bua Khao
Village in
Bangkok (fig.).
Even though today community hospitals and clinics exist nationwide, the Royal
Navy continues to serve the people living on the waterfront, both in times of
peace and in times of floods.
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reua yahng (เรือยาง)
Thai. ‘Rubber boat’.
Term used for any type of inflatable boat, a type of boat is often used by Thai
civil servants, e.g. port officials, the Navy and the
Police.
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reua yohng (เรือโยง)
Thai for ‘tugboat’. A small,
powerful, inland boat for towing large barges called
reua phuang (fig.).
They can tow up to five large barges at a time and are a common sight on the
Chao Phraya river, especially between
Bangkok and
Ayutthaya. On the stern it has a large,
usually ornamented hook, to attach the ropes.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS
and
PANORAMA PICTURE.
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reudoo fon (ฤดูฝน)
One of several Thai terms for the
seasonal ‘wet
monsoon’,
commonly referred to as the ‘rainy
season’, besides
nah fon and
phansa, among
others. Also transliterated reudu fon.
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Reunification Palace
Vietnamese landmark building in Ho Chi Minh City.
READ ON.
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reusi (ฤาษี)
Thai.
‘Hermit’ or ‘recluse’. Sages or wise characters in the
Ramakien and other Thai folk tales, who
have the
capability to exhibit special magical powers. They usually live
in a cave as ascetics or hermits and they are depicted wearing
tiger fur and usually with a white beard or moustache, though some
have no facial hair at all (fig.). Reusi also frequently appear as characters in
nang thalung, i.e.
Thai shadow play
(fig.).
They are also known to
teach exercises that promote good physical health (fig.) and statues of reusi in various poses displaying exercises are sometimes found in
temple gardens, such as in
Wat Poh
(fig.) and in
Wat Bang Peng Tai
(fig.).
This concept is
referred to as Tha Reusi Dat Ton (ท่าฤาษีดัดตน), Reusi Dat Ton (ฤาษีดัดตน),
or simply Tha
Reusi (ท่าฤาษี),
meaning
‘Hermit Poses of
Exercising One's Body’, ‘Hermit Exercising One's Body’,
and
‘Hermit Poses’,
respectively.
Some
reusi are related to the Hindu god
Vishnu
and are hence likewise portrayed with multiple
arms and heads and
holding similar attributes (fig.)
and as
reusi nah seua, having the body of a man and the
head of a tiger (fig.),
thus referring to Vishnu's fourth
avatara
Narasingha.
Occasionally a reusi can still be seen today (fig.).
Hermits are also called
munih,
Phra Dabot,
and
trikanchana,
i.e.
‘one who knows
the three times’.
In the
tambon
Nong Ong, in the
amphur
U-Thong, in
Suphanburi
province, is a
giant statue
of the reusi
Narod (map
-
fig.),
said to be the first and largest in the world.
In Thai,
Bulrush (fig.)
is known as
toob
reusi, i.e. the
‘hermit's
incense
stick’.
See also POSTAGE STAMP (1)
and
(2),
LIST OF RAMAKIEN CHARACTERS,
TRAVEL PICTURES (1)
and
(2), and
WATCH
VIDEO (1)
and
(2).
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reusi nah hua (ฤาษีหน้าวัว)
Thai. ‘Hermit
with a
bull's
face’. A recluse with the head of a
bull.
Also known as
reusi
nah
neua (ฤาษีหน้าเนื้อ).
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reusi nah kwahng (ฤาษีหน้ากวาง)
Thai. ‘Hermit
with a deer's face’. A recluse with the head of a deer.
Also known as
reusi
nah
mareuk
(ฤาษีหน้ามฤค).
He is also known by the name Reusi Klaiyakoti (กไลยโกฎิ).
See
also
TRAVEL PICTURE.
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reusi nah mah (ฤาษีหน้าม้า)
Thai. ‘Hermit
with a
horse's
face’. A recluse with the
head of a
horse.
He is especially worshipped by people born on a Monday, notwithstanding
that the
horse normally is the animal for Tuesday in the
sat prajam wan
system. Compare with
Ashwapati and
Ashwin.
See
also
TRAVEL PICTURE.
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reusi nah mareuk (ฤาษีหน้ามฤค)
Thai. Another name for
reusi nah kwahng.
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reusi nah neua (ฤาษีหน้าเนื้อ)
Thai. Another name for
reusi nah
hua.
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reusi nah seua (ฤาษีหน้าเสือ)
Thai. ‘Hermit
with a tiger's face’. A recluse with the head of a tiger. This sage is depicted with the head of a tiger rather than with the usual tiger fur. Compare with
Narasingha.
See also
Poo Chao Saming Phraay.
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reusi phasom laew (ฤาษีผสมแล้ว)
Thai. Name of an ornamental
bedding plant, commonly known as Coleus, Flame Nettle, Painted Leaves,
and with the botanical name Solenostemon scutellarioides. It originates
in the Old World and there are an estimated 150 species and hybrids.
It has a colourful
foliage (fig.), with usually succulent leaves,
in purplish-red, pale-yellow and sometimes with some green colouring,
and similar in form to those of the Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica).
When in bloom, the Flame Nettle
bears blue to white nettle-like flowers (fig.).
Though with some features reminiscent to the
Stinging Nettle,
the plant is not placed in the same family, but belongs to the
family Lamiaceae.
Literally, the Thai name reusi phasom laew means ‘already
mixed
reusi (hermit)’.
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reusi tah fai (ฤาษีตาไฟ)
Thai. ‘Hermit
with eyes of fire’. Name of a recluse or
reusi, who
is
usually depicted with a white beard and has a
third eye
on his forehead.
READ ON.
回
Revenue Department
Government department under the
Ministry of Finance, which is responsible for inland tax collection, in
particular personal income tax.
READ ON.
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Rhesus Macaque
See
ling wok.
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Rhinoceros
Beetle
Beetle
species of which the male has a long horn on its head. It is one of the
strongest animals in the world and can lift up to 800 times its own weight. In
Thailand they are kept as children's pets, held on a piece of
sugarcane (fig.), its favourite
food, as well as by adults, who use them in gambling fights in which
two male beetles are placed opposite of each
other on a piece of wood and have to try to eliminate the opponent by
throwing it
off or pushing it over a line, while being goaded by a rattle (fig.).
This beetle belongs to the genus Dynastes and its scientific name is
Eupatorus
gracillicornis. In Thai, it is known as
duang
kwahng ha khao
and duang
kwahng sahng neua (ด้วงกว่างซางเหนือ),
and in Japan they are known as kabutomushi, with mushi being the
Japanese word for ‘lower forms of animal life’, including ‘insects’, and kabuto being Japanese for
‘helmet’, especially referring to the
samurai
helmet (fig.),
which with its armour plating
and forked horns (fig.)
is reminiscent of the Rhinoceros Beetle.
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Rhinoceros Hornbill
A
species of
hornbill, with the scientific name
Buceros rhinoceros, and found in Southeast Asia, from southern Thailand
over the Malay Peninsula, to most of the Greater Sunda Islands. It is is
one of the largest hornbills, measuring up to 122 centimeters, which is
equal to the
Great
Hornbill (fig.).
Its giant beak is white with yellow and orange sunburst colours towards
the back and on the horn on top, which in some cases might be somewhat
reminiscent of a lobster's claw (fig.).
Like with the Great Hornbill, males have red eyes, whereas those of
females are white. Rhinoceros Hornbill are long-lived, living to an age
of up to 35 years. In Thai it is known as
nok ngeuak hua raed.
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rice
Edible crop cultivated and eaten
principally in Asian countries.
READ ON.
回
rice barge
A kind of wooden vessel, usually
with a distinctive curved roof, that in the
past was mainly used to transport
rice,
but also for other goods, such as cement (fig.). Similar versions date back to the beginning of the
Ayutthaya Period and were called
‘reua
Mekhala’
(fig.).
Nowadays many are reconditioned
to accommodate tourists for banquet cruises on the
Chao Phraya river and the
transportation of rice and other goods is now mostly done by large metal
barges named
reua phuang (fig.)
which are towed by tugboats called
reua yohng (fig.).
Most of the traditional wooden barges (fig.),
as well as many other boats (fig.),
have a pair of forward looking, vigilant eyes painted on the prow,
one on each side of the stem. They are believed to be a kind of
amulet to protect them
from
misfortune or
Evil Eye.
See also
TRAVEL
PICTURE and
PANORAMA PICTURE.
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Ricefield Crab
See
poo nah.
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Rice-field Terrapin
Name for
two attractive species of semi-aquatic turtles with the scientific
designations Malayemys macrocephala and Malayemys subtrijuga. In English
they are also known as the
Malayan Snail-eating Terrapin, and in Thai as
tao nah and
tao
sahm san, meaning ‘field turtle’ and ‘three-keeled turtle’ or
‘three-barred terrapin’ respectively, the latter name referring to
the three strong keels or bars on this turtle's carapace, which is
somewhat reminiscent of the upper shell of
horseshoe crabs (fig.).
Besides this feature, its reddish brown carapace also has a distinctive pale rim, that
is somewhat notched, giving the false impression that the margin is
serrated. It has a large, black head with pale, continuous stripes on the sides,
above and below the eye, and stretching from the nose to the back of the
neck, as well as a dotted line behind the eye. Malayemys macrocephala is
found all over Thailand, whereas Malayemys subtrijuga occurs in the
Mekhong Basin of
Cambodia,
Laos and
southern
Vietnam, and in Thailand mainly in
Isaan. Both species were for a long time considered to be the same, but have recently
been revalidated as two different species, hence their shared English
and Thai designations. The difference between the two is most
visible in the pale stripes on the head. The somewhat larger bodied Malayemys macrocephala
has only two vertical lines under the nose, whereas the smaller Malayemys
subtrijuga has more than two vertical lines, usually four or six, that
run from the nose to the mouth (fig.). In the wild
(fig.), both these lowland species inhabit densely vegetated,
shallow, warm bodies of freshwater, such as
rice paddies, where they feed
primarily on aquatic snails and sporadically on small shrimps, whereas
the larger females will also eat small mussels. Rice-field Terrapins were in the past widely caught and
prepared for consumption. Once abundant, they are now
threatened by habitat loss and overhunting, and since 1992 the Rice-field Terrapin is
listed as an endangered species, protected by Thai law.
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rice mill
Factory where
rice is peeled, polished and sorted according to size and quality. In Thai
rohng see khao.
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rice paper
1.
Paper made from milled
rice,
which is pounded, mixed with water and then steamed to create a soft
dough (fig.), that is can be used as a wrapper for
spring rolls,
dumplings, etc. The dough can be dried into paper-like sheets for storage
(fig.) and made
soft again by dipping it into water or by steaming it. There exist
several varieties. See also
kra-yo.
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2. Flexible and strong paper made from
rice straw or chaff.
It is typically used for painting and writing, especially in
Chinese calligraphy.
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Rice Weevil
See
duang nguang khao.
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Richard's Pipit
Common name for a species of medium-sized passerine bird in the family
Motacillidae, with the scientific designation Anthus richardi. Though
there is some variation between the different subspecies, this
slender bird is overall brownish grey above and mostly pale below. There
are dark streaks on the upperparts and breast while the belly and flanks
are plain, as well as some bars on the wings. The face is strongly
marked with pale lores and supercilium, and has a dark eye-stripe,
moustache and malar stripe. This pipit has a long tail with white outer
feathers, and a long dark bill, with a yellowish base to the lower
mandible. Its legs are
yellowish brown and it
often stands in an rather upright pose.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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rickshaw
See
saamloh.
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Rig
(ऋग्)
Sanskrit.
The oldest and the longest of the four
Vedas,
which was roughly composed between 1500 and 1000 BC, and deals with
general knowledge. It states that
the
Arian
society was divided into four hierarchical classes, known as
varna or ‘colours’ (i.e. castes),
namely the
Brahmans,
the priests and learned class;
Kshatriya,
the royal or warrior class, including high officials;
Vaishya, the class of merchants and
landowners; and
Shudra,
the agricultural and serving class, as well as the class of
craftsmen, while slaves were part of the dalit or ‘untouchables’.
Also
Rigveda.
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Rigveda (ऋग्वेद)
Sanskrit. Also spelled
Rig
Veda
and often referred to as just Rig.
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rih rih khao sahn (รีรีข้าวสาร)
Thai. Name of a traditional
Thai children's game, in which two players hold their hands together and
lift their arms forming an arched doorway, whilst other players walk
through the arch in a row, holding the waist of the person in front and
singing a song which starts with the words rih rih
khao sahn,
hence the name of the game (fig.).
On the last words of the song, i.e. phaan ao khon khaang lang wai phiang
tua (พานเอาคนข้างหลังไว้เพียวตัว), which translates as ‘catch the person in the back’,
the two players forming the arch, bring their arms down, thus locking
the gate and blocking anyone in the back. The person who is locked down
within the arch is either eliminated or punished by having to fulfill a
certain behest. The game is depicted on a Thai postage stamp issued in
1999 to publicize the
Bangkok 2000 World Youth Stamp Exhibition Stamp
and the 13th Asian International Stamp Exhibition (fig.).
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Ringlet Butterfly
Common
name for a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae and with the
scientific designation Ypthima multistriata. There are several
subspecies which are listed according to their geographical appearance.
Its underwings are whitish with brownish patterns of thin lines called strigae,
and several orange-black ocelli, with either two pale blue spots at the
centre of the ocellus of the forewing and on the last ocellus of the
hindwing, and one pale blue spot at the centre of the other ocelli. The
upper wings is similar, but with a dark brown strigae.
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Ring-necked Parakeet
Another
name for
Rose-ringed
Parakeet.
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Ring-necked Pheasant
Collective name for a number of
subspecies of the Common Pheasant, a bird in the pheasant family
Phasianidae, and with the scientific name
Phasianus
colchicus.
Due to captive breeding and
hybridization between subspecies, its features are variable. There are
two main subspecies that occur as an introduced species in Myanmar,
southern China and northern
Vietnam, i.e.
Phasianus
colchicus takatsukasae (fig.) and Phasianus colchicus elegans.
Whereas males of the subspecies Phasianus
colchicus elegans
have a chestnut body, with black
streaks and a purple to bluish-green breast and neck, males of the
variety Phasianus
colchicus takatsukasae have
copper-maroon breast and neck, a
greenish head and
a typifying white collar. The tail of both species is long and dark
brown, and is barred with a lighter shade of brown. Females (fig.) of both
species are buffish-brown with blackish markings above and pale buff
with black scale-like markings below,
with the female of
Phasianus
colchicus takatsukasae somewhat plainer below than Phasianus colchicus
elegans.
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Rishabh (ऋषभ)
Sanskrit. ‘Most excellent’. Name of
Adinatha, the first
Tirthankara of
Jainism.
He is also known as
Rishabh Dev.
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Rishabh Dev (ऋषभदेव)
Sanskrit. ‘Most excellent deity’. Another designation for
Rishabh,
i.e.
Adinatha, the first
Tirthankara of
Jainism.
The suffix dev refers to his status as a
deva.
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rishi
(ऋषि)
Sanskrit.
‘Seer’, ‘singer of sacred verses’ or ‘inspired poet’. Hindu sage,
ascetic, hermit or recluse, usually living in the
Himalayas. In
Hinduism generally a holy person who received the revelation of the Vedic hymns and
often depicted as seated wearing a beard and a headdress made of bark. See also
reusi.
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River City
Name of an up-market
waterfront
shopping mall
in
Bangkok,
located
on the eastern bank of the
Chao Phraya
River (fig.).
It specializes in antiques, art and artifacts, mostly of Asian origin,
and also frequently hosts temporary exhibitions, such as the
Classic Car
Exhibition (fig.),
and Echoes of the Past, an exhibition of antique pianos and Persian
carpets.
See also
MAP,
TRAVEL PICTURE (1) and
(2),
PANORAMA PICTURES (1) and
(2),
and
WATCH VIDEO (1)
and
(2).
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River Heliodor
Common
name for a species of
damselfly, with the scientific name Libellago lineata. It belongs to the family Chlorocyphidae, commonly known as jewels and often nicknamed
long-nosed damselflies, due to the noticeably tumid and
projecting epistome, i.e. the area between the labrum (the upper lip of an
insect mouth) and the epicranium (structures that cover the head), in front of
the face, which resembles a nose.
Also characteristically in this family is that the
abdomen is shorter than wings.
Males have a black tail-tip, wing-patches and underparts, and yellow markings on
the upper body and head, and some deep yellowish-orange on the anterior part of
the upper abdomen. Females are overall paler, and have more yellow colouring
than males, including a yellow-black wing-spot. Besides the nominal race Libellago lineata lineata,
there are at least three known subspecies, i.e.
Libellago lineata andamanensis, Libellago lineata blanda,
and Libellago lineata indica.
In Thai it is referred to as
malaeng poh
khem tharah laai sen (แมลงปอเข็มธาราลายเส้น), which translates as ‘lined
pattern stream-damselfly’.
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River Lapwing
Common
name for a species of medium-sized wading bird, with the scientific
designation Vanellus duvaucelii and a close relative of the
Red-wattled
Lapwing (fig.).
It is a resident breeder in South and Southeast Asia, from northeastern
India to
Cambodia,
Thailand
and
Vietnam. This species of lapwing is about 30 centimeters tall, has a
brownish-grey back with black primaries, a white rump and white underparts, with a black patch on the belly, as well as a black tail,
face, central throat, and crown, and greyish-black legs (fig.). In addition, it
has a greyish-brown breast band, whereas the nape and sides of the neck
are greyish-white. Adults of both sexes are similar, though males are
somewhat larger than females. In Thai, the River Lapwing is known as nok
kratae hahd (นกกระแตหาด),
which can be translated as ‘beach lapwing’.
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riyan prooythaan (เหรียญโปรยทาน)
Thai name for monetary gifts in the
form of coins that are wrapped in packages typically and skillfully
handmade from colourful ribbons or strapping bands, often fashioned in
the form of flowers, such as
lotus
flower buds, and thrown into a crowd of visitors to a Buddhist event,
customarily during a
buatnaag
ordination ceremony
called
buat (fig.),
or at a funeral. The practice, known as
prooythaan
(fig.),
literally translates as
‘to scatter food’ and in a broader
sense means ‘to sprinkle alms’.
Nowadays, also
various other —often very unique and original— shapes of riyan
prooythaan are often created, such as fruits, which are also separately
referred to as
look kalapaphreuk, etc. When using
lotus flowers or lotus buds, it may also carry a deeper symbolism,
namely whereas the discarding of money symbolizes the retreat from the
material world, the lotus buds, often seen on the head of certain style
Buddha statues (fig.),
are a symbol of
Enlightenment.
WATCH VIDEO.
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robber fly
See
malaeng wan hua boob.
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Robert Morant
An English teacher, educated at
Winchester College and at New College in Oxford, who in in November 1886
was appointed as tutor to the royal family of
Siam,
especially to Crown Prince
Wajirunhit (fig.).
He also set up an educational plan for the whole country on behalf of
King
Chulalongkorn
and created a set of postage stamps used as a teaching material to be
affixed on the letters of the
Rajakumaan
School within the Royal Palace, when
he taught the King's sons and daughters about postal communication and
demonstrated them how to write letters to others in the Royal Palace.
After his initiative, another set of local postage stamps in the Royal
Palace emerged, i.e. the Royal Family Set, which has was printed in
England, with each stamp showing a picture of a member of the Royal
Family enclosed in an ornate frame, but not marked with numbers nor text
(fig.).
It is believed that this very rare set of stamps was also used as a
teaching material in the Rajakumaan School. Robert Morant returned to
England in August 1894. His full name and title is Sir Robert Laurie
Morant.
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Robot Building
Name for an award-winning office
building in
Bangkok's Bangrak district, which has the features of
a giant robot.
This 20 floor high-rise stands 83 meters tall and is
located on South Sathorn Road. It was commissioned by the Bank of Asia
and designed to reflect the modernization and computerization of
banking. Construction was completed in 1986 and for the concept, the
hired architect Sumet Chumsai Na
Ayutthaya (สุเมธ ชุมสาย ณ อยุธยา) −who
also designed the inside of the Planetarium of the Museum of Sciences (fig.)−
was inspired by his son's toy robot.
In Thai it is known as
teuk hun yon.
See MAP.
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Rochana (รจนา)
Thai. Daughter of King
Samon who married
Prince
Phra Sang
(fig.) in the Thai narrative
Sangthong.
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Rock Dove
See
Rock Pigeon.
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Rocket
Festival
See
boon bang fai.
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Rock Lobster
Common name for a kind of lobster
family Palinuridae, that superficially resembles a true lobster, but
lacks the large claws. The Rock Lobster instead has much longer, thick
and spiny antennae. Hence, it is also known as the Spiny Lobster. In
Thai, it is referred to as
kung
mangkon
(กุ้งมังกร),
i.e. ‘dragon lobster’.
See
also POSTAGE STAMPS.
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Rock Pigeon
Name
of the common pigeon found throughout most of Asia and Europe. Plumage
colours and patterns
are variable, but the most common form is
pale grey with two black bars on each wing and purplish red legs and
feet, a dark bluish grey head
with an orange iris and a grey bill that has a pale mark near the
nostrils, a metallic green to reddish purple iridescence on the neck and chest,
and the tail-tip and
wing tips are dark grey, whilst there also exist
leucistic
individuals (fig.). It is also called Rock Dove and in Thai it is
known as
nok phiraab pah, which could be
translated as ‘wild pigeon’ or ‘forest dove’.
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rod nahm mon (รดน้ำมนต์)
Thai.
‘To pour, sprinkle or receive
(fig.)
water as a blessing or incantation (mon)’.
Prior to its use, the water is blessed by a senior monk and wax from
a candle is dripped into the blessed water, known as
nahm mon
(fig.),
to symbolize
Enlightenment. To hasten their merit,
believers sometimes throw coins into the situla-like holy water
vessel, as a kind of
tamboon. Compare with the Sanskrit word
abhisheka.
See also
kruad nahm,
sek,
kong hod and
song nahm phra.
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rohng bom
yah soob
(โรงบ่มยาสูบ)
Thai.
‘Tobacco curing barn’. Agricultural building used in the process of
air-curing tobacco. They are found in many parts of Thailand, everywhere
the crop is grown, especially in the northern provinces, such as
Phrae. These tall, square, house-like
structures, are typically made with bricks, have gabled roofs, and some
system of ventilation. Inside they consist of a frame construction on
which the tobacco leaves are hung to dry over a period of four to eight
weeks. During the day the vents are opened, letting air in and allowing
the tobacco leaves to shed water. This drying process, which is slowed
down by the use of air to allow for a critical chemical break down to
occur, is known as curing. Air-cured tobacco is low in sugar, giving the
tobacco a light, sweet flavour. Also transcribed rong bom ya soop.
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Rohng Kasahp Rangsit (โรงกษาปณ์รังสิต)
Thai. Name for the present
complex of the
Royal Thai Mint
in the
thetsabahn nakhon
Rangsit, a
municipal district
in
Pathum Thani
province. It was relocated to its current location in 2002 and is built on a ca. 126
rai plot of land. It was officially opened on 2 July 2003 by Princess Maha Chakri
Sirindhorn.
It consists of offices, ateliers and a factory, and besides a permanent
museum, it also frequently organizes temporary exhibitions. In the front garden are various giant statues that represent
photduang bullet money from different periods, as well as a couple of Heaton presses that in 1903 were newly installed at the
previous Royal Mint on Chao Fah Road in Bangkok, i.e. today's
building of the
National
Gallery (fig.). In each of the corners of the portico leading to the entrance of the foyer are antique decommissioned machines formerly used in coin minting in Thailand, namely a Birmingham Mint pressing machine from Britain; a French engraving machine from V. Janvier in Paris; a Birmingham Mint balance scale from Britain; and
a British blanking machine from the Taylor & Challen Ltd. in Birmingham. And quite creative, the handrails of the staircases consist of elongated metal wire baskets filled with almost baseball-sized
photduang.
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Rohng Krasahp Sitthikahn (โรงกระสาปน์สิทธิการ)
Thai. The first Mint of
Siam,
later named the
Royal Thai Mint,
established in 1860 by royal command of King
Rama IV.
READ ON.
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rohng lakhon haeng chaht (โรงละครแห่งชาติ)
Thai
name for the
National Theatre.
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rohng loh
phra burana thai (โรงหล่อพระบูรณะไทย)
Thai
name for the
Buranathai
Buddha Image Foundry.
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rohng phayaban chang khong moonlaniti pheuan chang
(โรงพยาบาลช้างของมูลนิธิเพื่อนช้าง)
Thai.
‘Elephant hospital of the friends of the elephant foundation’. Name for
an organization, known in English as Friends of the
Asian Elephant, located in
Lampang,
adjacent to the Thai Elephants Conservation Centre, on the main road to
Chiang Mai.
The foundation, also referred to as
FAE,
actively
supports legislative efforts to protect elephants and focuses its
efforts on stopping the illegal cross-border trade in elephants,
especially of calves. It lobbies the government to register all newborn
calves born in captivity, in order to facilitate proper identification.
The organization
also operates
a hospital facility,
as well as a mobile clinic,
that cares for sick, wounded, pregnant or frail elephants.
The charity and made world news in
1999, when it provided the female elephant Motala (โม่ตาลา)
from
Tak
province with
a prosthetic limb. When feeding in the forest, the animal lost a foreleg
when it stepped on a landmine, ten kilometers across the border into
Burma.
It took the heavily wounded animal three days to make the journey back
into Thailand, and was brought to the hospital, where it arrived by car
the same day. It is the second elephant in the world to have received a
prosthesis.
See also MAP
and
WATCH
VIDEO.
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rohng rian praisanih (โรงเรียนการไปรษณีย์)
Thai
for ‘Postal
School’,
also known as School of
Postal Services.
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rohng see khao (โรงสีข้าว)
Thai for
rice mill. See
also
see.
Also transcribed rong sih khaw, or similar.
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roi (รอย)
Thai for ‘mark’,
‘print’, ‘imprint’, ‘trace’, ‘indent’, ‘scratch’,
and
‘opening or slit in a
garment, i.e. a placket’.
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Roi Et (ร้อยเอ็ด)
Thai.
‘Hundred-and-one’. Name of a province (map)
and its capital city in
Isaan, situated 512 kms Northeast of
Bangkok.
READ
ON.
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roi khut khiht khiyan (รอยขูดขีดเขียน)
Thai for ‘graffiti’. In
Thailand, the more sophisticated works often depict typical Thai themes,
with characters from mythology, ethnic minorities and animals found in
Thailand, as well as Thai traditions and customs.
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rok (รอก)
See
look rok.
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rom (ร่ม)
Thai for ‘parasol’ or ‘umbrella’.
READ ON.
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rom (รมย์)
Thai for
‘beautiful’
and ‘pleasing’.
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rom thong (ร่มทอง)
Thai. ‘Golden parasol’. Designation for a golden decorative parasol, of
which the edge is often festooned with curved hanging chains of
artificial
dok rak flowers (fig.),
sometimes with additional garlands of artificial flowers that hang at
intervals. It is used in traditional or religious ceremonies and
processions, especially in Northern Thailand, such as during
Poi Sang Long
(fig.),
as well as a decorative item in interior design (fig.). When used decoratively,
it may be called rom thong pradap (ร่มทองประดับ).
See also
hti.
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rong
(rông)
Vietnamese-Bahnar
term for a village communal house as built and used by the
Bahnar people of
Vietnam. All their
villages have one and it stands out for its height. The village rong is
the symbol of the strength and skill of the villagers.
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rong ngeng (รองเง็ง)
Thai. A Thai adaptation of a Malaysian traditional folk dance of
Portuguese origin which was customarily performed on auspicious days, in
particular in the houses of nobility. Today it is carried out during
local festivities such as weddings, ordinations, community festivals,
etc. It is performed by
Muslim people of southern Thailand,
especially in the provinces
Phuket,
Phang Nga,
Trang and
Satun,
and accompanied by music and lyrics, known as
phleng
tanyong or
phleng tonyohng. Although initially no
musical instruments were used, over time those were introduced and now
include the violin and small
klong
ram manah drums, as part of the ensemble. Sometimes
transliterated ronggeng.
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roop kaak (รูปกาก)
Thai. Collective name for any of the comic Thai
shadow play characters, which
are used in
nang thalung and also known as
tua talok
(fig.).
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rooster
See
cock.
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rose apple
See
chom phu.
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Rose Cactus
See
Wax Rose.
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roselle
Another name for the
Hibiscus sabdariffa, in Thai known as
krajiab daeng or simply
krajiab.
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Rose Myrtle
Common name for a shrub with the
botanical name Rhodomyrtus tomentosa and known in Thai by the names tho
(โทะ) and thu (ทุ), and in Vietnamese as sim. The evergreen flowering
grows up to 4 meters tall and bears purplish-pink to pink flowers. Its
edible fruit is about 1 to 1,5 centimeters long, round to oval in shape,
and when ripe a deep red to blackish purple in colour and full of tiny
seeds. In
Vietnam, the sweet fruits are
used to make a fruit wine known as ruou sim (rượu sim) and mat sim (mật
sim). See also
Rose Myrtle Lappet Moth.
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Rose Myrtle Lappet Moth
Common name for a species of moth of
the Lasiocampidae family, with the scientific designations Trabala
vishnou, Gastropacha vishnou and Amydona prasina.
READ ON.
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Rose-ringed Parakeet
Name
of a species of parakeet, with the binomial name Psittacula krameri.
Both sexes (fig.) are similar to those of the
Alexandrine Parakeet (fig.),
but lack the red shoulder patch and measuring only 40 to 42 centimeters,
they are also smaller. Males are mainly green with a pale bluish sheen on
the nape, a dark red bill with a blackish lower mandible, a green abdomen,
bluish-green tail feathers, and greyish legs. The wings are of a darker green, but not
as dark as those of the Alexandrine Parakeet, and the underside of the
wingtips are blackish dark (fig.). They have a thin black loral line,
that stretches from their nostrils at top of their beak to their eyes
and sometimes beyond. In addition, males have a thin, pitch-black line
on the throat, as well as a pink nape band, with slight bluish-grey on
the top, features absent in females (fig.),
who instead have an indistinct dark green collar, no distinct loral line
and shorter tail-streamers (fig.). Also known as Ring-necked Parakeet, and in Thai as
nok kaew kho
waen sih kulaab.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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Rosy Starling
Common
name for a species of bird in the starling family Sturnidae, with the
scientific designations Pastor roseus and Sturnus roseus. It has a
pinkish to rose-coloured body, with a black head, wings and tail, while
the legs and bill are pale yellowish-orange. In winter, the plumage in
males is rather dull, but in the breeding season, males become more
glossy black and develop elongated head feathers that form a crest. The
females are overall duller and have a shorter crest. Juveniles have a
brownish plumage, lack the black colouring of their parents on the head
and breast, and have a more bright yellowish bill.
From a distance immature birds may be mistaken for a
Brahminy Myna
(fig.),
a species of starling that may occur together (fig.).
The Rosy Starling's breeding range stretches from easternmost Europe to
southern Asia, and being migratory it travels in huge flocks to winter
in the Indian subcontinent, where they then seem to outnumber the local
species of starling. Breeding populations are nomadic and move according
to the availability of their main food, i.e. grasshoppers and locusts.
It is also commonly known as Rose-coloured Pastor, Rose-coloured
Starling, and Rosy Pastor. In Thai, it is called
nok king krohng
see
kulaab
(นกกิ้งโครงสีกุหลาบ).
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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rot (รถ)
Thai. General name for any wheeled vehicle, of which the type
can be specified by adding a suffix, e.g.
rot bantuk
(truck),
rot mah (horse
cart), etc. It is related to the Sanskrit word
ratha, meaning ‘chariot’.
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rot bantuk (รถบรรทุก)
Thai for truck or lorry. When a lorry also tows a trailer it may also be
called
rot
phuang.
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rot duan (รถด่วน)
1. Thai.
‘Express wagon’. Name for an express train or speed
train.
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2. Thai.
‘Express wagon’. Nickname for the
bamboo worm.
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roti (โรตี)
1. Thai.
A sweet pancake filled with
different kinds of sweetmeats, depending on local varieties and place of origin.
In
Ayutthaya, it is called roti sai
mai (silk thread roti)
and consists of a thin pancake filled with candyfloss-like sugar fibres that come in different colours
-but are of the same taste- and are rolled into the pancake. In
Phitsanulok
the pancake is filled with
banana and is
called roti
kluay tahk ob nahm peung
(roti with dried banana baked in honey) and in
Nakhon Sawan it is named roti moh-ji (roti with sweets made of
rice flower).
A dish found nationwide is roti kluay,
a
pancake filled with slices of banana (fig.)
which are topped with sweetened condensed milk, before being
wrapped. The pancake is then cut in bite-size pieces which are
traditionally eaten with a toothpick.
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2. Thai-Malay-Indonesian. A savoury
pancake or flat bread filled or topped with a -usually Indian- curry.
There are many different kinds, depending on
local varieties and place of origin. Among the many varieties in
Thailand, the most common are roti mataba and roti kaeng.
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3. Surinamese. A savoury dish of
unrisen bread with meat and vegetables.
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rot ih-taen (รถอีแต๋น)
Thai. Name for a
kind of an usually medium-sized farmer's truck that consists of a simple
body, without doors or windows, and that is driven by the engine of a
field tractor which is known in Thai as
kreuang lahk (fig.).
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rot keng (รถเก๋ง)
Thai for a passenger car, a sedan.
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rot khen (รถเข็น)
Thai generic name for any
kind of pushcart, cart, trolley, barrow or wagon. When it has three
wheels rather than any other number, it may additionally be
referred to as
rot saamloh.
The term covers anything from supermarket trolleys to food carts,
including even those used as mobile kitchens by street vendors selling
food, such as
noodles
and fried street food, which are usually then specified by adding the
kind of food they sell, e.g. rot khen
guay tiyaw,
i.e. a food
cart selling noodles.
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rot kop (รถกบ)
Thai.
‘Frog car’. Name for a kind of public transportation,
typically found in the town of
Ayutthaya. It
has the characteristics of both a
saamloh
and a
songthaew,
that is to say three wheels and two benches fitted lengthwise,
respectively. The name derives from the front view of the vehicle, which
resembles the head of a frog, called kop in Thai. This is even more so
in older versions that have round headlights (fig.).
Comically, kop also means ‘overfull’, thus frequently doing justice to
its name, as it gets quickly overloaded or overcrowded, due to its
rather small size.
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rot kraba (รถกระบะ)
Thai for a pick-up, an open car or small truck. Pick-up trucks are
very common nationwide, especially in rural areas. When a pick-up truck is modified
with two benches it is called a
songthaew
(two rows), a
vehicle commonly used as a taxi or method of public transportation (fig.).
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rot krapo (รถกระป้อ)
Thai. Literally ‘bucket
truck’. Name for a kind of open minivan that resembles a large pickup
truck or a small dump truck. Despite its rather fragile and not very
safe appearance, it is also used to transport passengers on fixed local
routes
akin to city line busses. For this, it is
in the back
fitted with benches along
the sides.
Due to its narrow size in which passengers sit somewhat cramped it is
also nicknamed rot krapong (รถกระป๋อง), i.e.
‘can truck’.
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rot mah (รถม้า)
Thai for a horse carriage or horse cart. They are a typical
street scene of
Lampang (fig.).
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rot phuang (รถพ่วง)
Thai for
‘trailer’, a vehicle towed by another. The term
is reminiscent to that of engineless river barges that are towed by
a tugboat and which in Thai are called
reua phuang (fig.).
Sometimes transcribed rot puang.
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rot saamloh (รถสามล้อ)
Thai for any
push-bike or
motorbike with three wheels.
See also
saamloh.
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rot saamloh skailaeb (รถสามล้อสกายแล็บ)
Thai for a type of motorized
rickshaw,
which in Thai are
collectively referred to
as
sahmloh.
It
consists of a motorbike, covered with a roof or not, and
with an extended car-like part for passengers to be
seated.
In English, it is referred to as skylab
tuktuk.
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rot saamloh tihb (รถสามล้อถีบ)
Thai
generic name for any pedal-driven, human-powered push-bike with three
wheels. This may be
a tricycle, trishaw,
rickshaw or
saamloh, a cargo bike or freight cycle, a
pedicab, etc. The
position of the driver's seat may be either in front of or behind the loading platform or passenger's seat
(fig.).
See also
saamloh.
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rot thaeksih (รถแท็กซี่)
General Thai term for any type of vehicle used as
a taxi. In
Bangkok, and to a lesser extend now also in some large
provincial cities, a taxi would mostly be a sedan car with a taximeter.
Besides this, especially in provincial cities, there are also taxis
without a meter, where a fee is negotiated with the driver beforehand
and the rate will vary depending on traffic and distance. During rush
hour, the tariff will increase and even drivers of a taxi with taximeter
may try to charge extra fees or refuse to take you, although they are
legally required to go by the meter and are not allowed to refuse
customers, but in practice this rule is at best wishful thinking. Taxis
without a meter may also be vehicles other than a sedan car, with types
ranging from
saamloh
and
tuktuks, to motorbike taxis. During
traffic congestions, the latter will usually be more expensive than
taxis with a taximeter, but then time is money too.
There are reportedly an estimated 240,000 taxis in Bangkok alone, with
about half of them privately owned and the other half rented out to
self-employed drivers, often seasonal labourers from
Isaan,
many of whom are poorly trained and may not know their way around. This
in addition to the stress of the necessity to recuperate the daily
rental fee and fuel cost, makes many a driver struggle to break even and
a few will try to rip off any ignorant passengers, especially tourists.
Heated arguments over taxi fares have been known to get out of hand
rather quite often. The government has therefore recently opened a
special phone number where customers can report their complaints, and
the license number of the car is nowadays also noticeably attached
inside the taxi, even with a Romanized letter in addition to the letter
in Thai script. Officially, privately owned taxis used to be
green-and-yellow, and rented taxis red-and-blue, though this has changed
over time and now a wide variety of mostly brightly coloured taxis are
out on the streets of Bangkok, whereas taximeters in
Chiang Mai are
blue-and-yellow. A painted text on the front doors will still tell you
if it is a privately owned or public (i.e. rented) taxi. All licensed
taxis have a yellow license plate with black letters and numbers, many
of them beginning with the letter t (ท),
i.e. the t for taxi. When a taxi is available, the driver switches on a
red neon sign in front of the front passenger's seat, displaying the
text wahng (ว่าง), which translates as
‘available’.
Apart from a few parking spots at airports, Thailand has no taxi stands
as is common in many western countries. Taxis therefore keep on
circulating with traffic or try to find a spot in front of a hotel, and
very often large numbers of them block the streets near popular
entertainment venues. On a positive note, taxis are rather inexpensive
and drivers often personalize their cab in a very unique way, displaying
a collection of
amulets
or other knickknacks, or even turning their vehicle
into a
karaoke
on wheels, fully equipped with multiple screens and microphones (fig.),
and a chauffeur who is also the DJ, adding some
sanook
to the
experience.
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rot yon (รถยนต์)
Thai for a car with an engine, a car or motorcar, an
automobile. If it is an enclosed motorcar with four or more seats it is also
called
rot keng. If it is a pick-up it is called
rot kraba, if it is a pick-up with two benches
it is called
rot
songthaew.
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Rough-necked
Monitor
A
kind of
monitor lizard
of the genus Varanus rudicollis, in Thai known as
hao chang,
literally ‘barking elephant’. Its head is long, with the nostril being a
horizontal slit, located closer to the eye than to the tip of the snout.
It has enlarged, keeled scales around the neck (fig.),
responsible for this species
common name. It generally grows to a length of about 140 cm. The
Rough-necked Monitor is a tree climber and lives in
mangrove forests, as well as in
primary and secondary rainforests. Its distribution ranges from Myanmar
over Thailand, to Malaysia and some parts of Indonesia.
It feeds on
birds, fish, frogs, carrion and insects.
Also called Rough Neck Monitor.
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Rounded Pierrot
Name
of a species of small butterfly, with the scientific designation Tarucus
extricatus. It belongs to the family Lycaenidae, i.e. the family of
Blues, and is very similar to the
Rusty Pierrot (Tarucus
nara -
fig.),
but with black markings on the underwings and black bands on the back of
the otherwise white body, whereas in the latter those markings are
rusty, dark brownish-black.
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Rove Beetle
See
duang kon kradok.
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Royal Bangkok Sports Club
Name of a large sports field in
Bangkok's
Pathumwan District, which
features a
horse racetrack,
tennis court, football field, golf course, badminton
field, billiard room, ping-pong
room, squash court, fitness centre, a chess room, and three
Olympic-standard swimming pools. It is built on a
plot of royal land and
officially openend on 6 September 1901.
The project was an initiative of
Prince Thewawong Warohpakahn (เทวะวงศ์ วโรปการ), the 42nd child of King
Mongkut,
after officially
accepting the proposal of the Englishman Franklin Hurst, who in
1890 had proposed to set up a horse racetrack and sports field in
Bangkok. At the onset of aviation in Thailand, in the beginning of the
20th century, the racecourse's grounds, i.e. the central grass field, was used as a makeshift
airfield named
Sanam Bin Sra Pathum
(fig.).
The horse racetrack is still in use today, with thoroughbred races
taking place every fortnight, as the venue alternates between the Royal
Bangkok Sports Club and the
Royal Turf Club (fig.).
In Thai, the Royal Bangkok Sports Club is known as Racha Krihtah
Samohson (ราชกรีฑาสโมสร), which literally means the ‘Royal Athletics
Club’. The club currently has around 12,500 members, who have exclusive
rights to enjoy the sport facilities.
See MAP.
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Royal Barge Procession
A
ceremonial parade of the
Royal Barges,
held
on the
Chao Phraya
River
in
Bangkok. A major
procession currently involves 52 barges and proceeds from
Dusit's
Wasukri boat landing, where barges more or less
line up between the
Krung Thon Bridge
(fig.)
and the
Rama VIII Bridge (fig.),
from where they depart to
Wat Arun (fig.) as the terminus. The
procession only rarely takes place (fig.)
on special events, and occasionally during the
kathin phra racha thaan
ceremony at the end of the rainy season. During the procession, the
oarsmen keep the rhythm by the beating of
klong khaek drums, the lifting and
dropping of large upright
bamboo poles decorated with 7 white tassels, and the
sound of the
pih
chawah (fig.)
and of a
conch, as well as by a kind of versed
songs referred to as
kaap he reua (fig.),
which was composed by
Chao Fah Thammathibet in the late
Ayutthaya Period. In Thai, the
Royal Barge Procession is called
Krabuan Phayuhayahtrah Chonlamahk or
Phra
Racha
Phittih
Krabuan
Reua
Phayuhayahtrah
Chonlamahk.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP.
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Royal Barges
Ancient and fantastically ornamented boats,
that were once used as war
vessels (fig.). Nowadays, they are used only for royal and governmental functions
during the
Royal Barge Procession.
Currently there are four Royal Barges, though there are many lesser
barges that in English are often also referred to as royal barges,
but which are actually escort barges, and shield barges for
protection. The four true Royal Barges are
Reua Phra Thihnang Ananta Nagaraat
(fig.),
Reua Phra Thihnang Anek Chaht
Phuchong (fig.),
Reua Phra Thihnang Narai Song Suban (fig.), and Reua Phra Thihnang Suphanahong (fig.),
the largest and disputably also the most prominent one,
which is well over 46 meters long and requires a rowing crew of fifty plus seven
umbrella bearers, two helmsmen (fig.), two navigators, a flagman, a rhythm-keeper and a
chanter. The latter is the King's personal barge used for the royal river procession during the
kathin phra racha thaan ceremony
at the end of the rainy season.
All true Royal Barges are named with the prefix
reua phra
thihnang, which is the general
Thai term for any Royal Barge, whereas the escort barges and lesser
barges are generally referred to as reua phra
racha
phittih
(เรือพระราชพิธี),
i.e. ‘royal ceremonial boats’. The escort and lesser barges are
divided into several groups, according to their rank, their position in
the procession, and their function. The first group is divided according
to their prow or figurehead. These include two Ekachai Barges,
called
Reua Ekachai Heun Haaw (fig.) and
Reua Ekachai Laaw Thong (fig.), that each feature a horned
makara figurehead (fig.).
Then, there is the group of barges which have figureheads of an
animal or of a creature from mythology. These include
Krut Barges (fig.), of which there are two
(fig.)
that each feature a
Garuda
figurehead, i.e.
Reua Krut Tret Traichak
(fig.)
and
Reua Krut Heun Het (fig.);
Krabi
Barges, of which there are four that each feature a
monkey-character from the
Ramakien as a figurehead (fig.),
including
Reua Sukrihp Khrong
Meuang (fig.),
Reua Krabi Prahp Meuang Maan
(fig.),
Reua Krabi Rahn Ron Rahp
(fig.), and
Reua Phali Rang
Thawihp; and
Asura Barges of which there are two that each feature a half-bird, half-ogre figurehead, i.e.
Reua Asuravayuphak and
Reua Asurapaksi
(fig.).
There are also two
Seua Barges, i.e.
Reua Seua Kamron Sin (fig.)
and
Reua Seua Thayan Chon (fig.), which feature painted
motifs of
tigers on the bow, but they are
listed separately as
reua pratu nah (fig.), i.e. ‘front
door boats’, together with two other barges, i.e.
Reua Thong Kwahn Fah (fig.) and
Reua Thong Bah Bin (fig.), that
are the very first boats in the line-up of a procession, followed
directly by the Seua Barges. These are in turn followed by a drum
barge or
reua klong called
Reua Ih-Leuang (fig.),
and two Police Barges or
Reua Tamruat (fig.).
From the first
Drum Boat onward, the procession is flanked by 22
Reua Dang, or
‘Shield Barges’, 11 on
each side (fig.).
There is also a second drum barge called
Reua Taeng Moh (fig.), which sails out in front of the King's
Golden Swan Barge. At the back of the procession the protective role
is fulfilled by yet another (third and last) Police Barge (fig.) and seven barges called
Reua Saeng (fig.), which close the parade
and all have an all-black hull. Many of the more important barges
are on display at the
Royal Barges Museum
in Bangkok.
See also PROCESSION LINE-UP
and
THEMATIC STREET LIGHT.
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Royal Barges Museum
Originally called the
Royal Barge Dockyard, the
museum was built during the reign of King
Taksin as a dockyard for the royal barges and warships under the
supervision of the
Royal Thai Navy. During WW II the dockyard was damaged and
its upkeep was later transferred to the Fine Arts Department for the repair and
restoration of all the barges which were registered as a national heritage. It
was designated as part of the National Museum on 22 January 1974 and exhibits
the most prominent royal barges as well as artifacts and accessories used in ceremonial
parades with these vessels. See also
Naval Museum.
See
MAP.
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Royal Clock Tower
Name of a massive clock tower in
Bangkok's
Rattanakosin
area.
READ ON.
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Royal Dockyard Museum
Museum located along a dry-dock
at the naval
shipyard, within the compound of the
Royal Thai Navy
base
in
Thonburi.
READ ON. 回
Royal Elephant National
Museum
A
Bangkok museum that existed in
Dusit
area and displayed attributes related to
White Elephants.
It was housed in the former royal
elephant stables and
consisted of two buildings,
of which the oldest was erected in 1906 by King
Rama V and now exhibits large
tusks of White Elephants from
various reigns, explanations
on the different types of White Elephants, equipment for capturing
elephants, an elephant molar, a statue of the elephant god
Ganesha (fig.),
pictures of methods to capture elephants, etc. The other building
was constructed in 1927 by King
Rama VII and displayed a large
model of a white elephant (fig.),
pictures of white elephants used in royal ceremonies (fig.), as well as the
history of the museum. In Thai, it was called Phiphithaphan Haeng
Chaht
Chang Ton
(พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติช้างต้น),
but eventually closed down some time before
Dusit Zoo
(fig.),
opposite of the road, which closed definitely by the end of August 2018,
when the area
was allocated to a new project.
See MAP.
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Royal Fighting Cock
See
Yellow
White-tail Fighting Cock.
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Royal Hymn
See
Phleng Sansaroen Phra Barami.
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Royal Kathin Ceremony
See
kathin phra racha thaan.
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Royal Plaza
See
Lahn Phra Rachawang Dusit.
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Royal Regalia
See
kakuttapan.
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Royal Society
Name of the national academy of
Thailand, i.e. the institute in charge of academic works of the Thai
government.
READ ON.
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Royal Thai Air Force
One of the three main
branches of the
Royal Thai Armed Forces
with a staff of about 45,000 and known in Thai as
kong thap
ahkaht (กองทัพอากาศ), i.e.
‘armed force
of the air’.
See also
History of Thai Army Uniforms,
and
Ranks of the Royal Thai Air
Force.
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Royal Thai Air Force Museum
Museum in
Bangkok,
which was established in 1952, in order to collect, restore, preserve
and exhibit all kinds of military aircraft, as well as aviation
equipment, that were once used by the Royal Thai Air Force. It also has
presentations on the history of Thai military aviation and on the wars
in which the Royal Thai Air Force participated. The aircraft on display
include some very unique models, such as a Nieuport 11
WW
I trainer monoplane (fig.),
a Breguet Type III
biplane
(fig.),
an
in
Siam
license-built
French Breguet 14 B2 bomber and
reconnaissance aircraft (fig.), a Thai-made
Boriphat
bomber aircraft (fig.),
a Mitsubishi Ki-30 light bomber aircraft (fig.),
a Republic F-84G Thunderjet
turbojet fighter-bomber
(fig.), a
light
supersonic
Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter
(fig.),
the world's first Northrop F-5B Freedom Fighter (fig.), an F-16A Fighting
Falcon multirole fighter aircraft
(fig.),
and a Saab JAS 39 Gripen C multirole fighter aircraft (fig.). There are also numerous scale
models, photos and paintings of aircraft, some of which were used on
Thai postage stamps issued in 2012 as part of two series to commemorate
the
establishment of the
Royal Thai Air
Force (fig.),
such as that of the Grumman F8F Bearcat (fig.),
the Republic F-84G Thunderjet (fig.),
and the
North American F-86 Sabre
(fig.)
in the first series, and the Northrop F-5E Tiger II (fig.)
and the F-16 Fighting Falcon (fig.)
in the second series (fig.).
There are also other paintings with depictions
similar to those on the stamps, such
as that of a Mitsubishi Ki-30
(fig.).
There are also decommissioned aircraft once used to serve the King, such as the
Bell
UH-1N
helicopter (fig.),
a chopper popularly known as the Huey and used by the US Army in the
Vietnam War (fig.)
for troop transport, scouting missions, and as an ambulance (fig.), as well as scale models and
photos of aircraft still in use, that are reserved to transport members of the
royal family, such as the
Hawker Siddeley HS 748 (fig.),
a Boeing 737-800
(fig.),
the Bell 412EP utility helicopter (fig.),
and the Sikorsky S-92 (fig.). The latter four also appear on
stamps in the second series issued in 2012.
In Thai, the museum is called
Phiphithaphan
Kong Thap Ahkaht
(พิพิธภัณฑ์กองทัพอากาศ),
i.e. ‘Air Force Museum’.
See MAP.
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Royal Thai Armed Forces
Under
direct command of the
Ministry of Defence,
the Kingdom of Thailand has about 314,000
armed
forces (fig.), consisting
of both regular cadres and conscripts.
READ ON.
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Royal Thai Army
One of the three main
branches of the
Royal Thai Armed Forces,
known in Thai as
kong thap
bok (กองทัพบก), i.e.
‘armed force
on land’. It has a staff of about 190,000
(fig.)
and its Headquarters (fig.)
are located in Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district.
See also
History of Thai Army Uniforms,
and
Ranks of the Royal Thai
Army.
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Royal Thai Army Museum
Museum in
Bangkok,
located within the complex of the Thai Army's Headquarters (fig.) and the
Armory of the
Chulachomklao
Royal Military
Academy. It opened to the public in 1996, to mark the Golden Jubilee of
King
Bhumiphon.
The museum houses a Military History Model Room, which shows the history
of military evolution, ancient weapons, and models of important events
in the history of the Royal Thai
Army;
a Weapons Room, which features guns used by the army, from the early
Rattanakosin
Period up to the
Vietnam War, and weapons seized from enemy forces; a Flag and Equipment
Room, which displays battle flags, service manuals, and various kinds of
military equipment and regalia; and a Uniforms and Insignia Room, that
displays the evolution of uniforms from the
Sukhothai
Period to the present
day, including insignia, decorations and medals. The museum is somewhat
comparable to the
National Memorial
(fig.)
in
Pathum Thani,
which also displays
military uniforms from the Sukhothai
Period to the present day (fig.).
In Thai called
Phiphithaphan
Kong Thap
Bok Chaleum Phra Kian (พิพิธภัณฑ์กองทัพบกเฉลิมพระเกียรติ), i.e. ‘Army
Museum in Honour of the King’.
See MAP.
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Royal Thai Mint
The
Bureau of the Royal Thai Mint is the government body responsible for the
creation and production of Thai coins, medals, and royal decorations,
and consists of offices and a factory, as well as a museum.
READ ON.
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Royal Thai Navy
Branch
of the
Royal Thai Armed Forces
in charge of naval
warfare.
READ ON.
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Royal Thai Police
Official name of the
Thai Police Force, which has roughly 200,000 officers nationwide and
in many divisions.
READ
ON.
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Royal Thai Survey Department
Special branch of the
Royal Thai Armed Forces
that conducts land
and aerial survey, geodesy and geophysics works in Thailand.
READ ON.
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Royal Turf Club
Name of a grandstand and horse
racetrack in
Bangkok,
which was established by King
Rama VI
in 1916, after his
father King
Chulalongkorn
had
introduced
horse racing to Thailand, after he had come back from his 1897 European
tour. The name
Royal Turf Club derives from the surface on which the races are run on, i.e. turf.
The racetrack was in use until 2018 (fig.), with thoroughbred races taking
place every fortnight, as the venue alternated between the
Royal Bangkok Sports Club (fig.) and the Royal
Turf Club. The Royal Turf Club is located in the
Dusit
area, and is in Thai known as
racha trinnamai samahkhom.
In 2018, its land lease was terminated by the Crown Property
Bureau and due to the decline of horse racing in Thailand the Royal Turf
Club was demolished (fig.) and as of March 2019, the area is being made into a
public park with a royal monument in honour of King
Bhumipol Adulyadej.
See MAP.
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royal relaxation-position
An
asana or position
of the leg of some gods in
Hinduism in which the right leg is bent with the foot standing flat on the ground and the
other leg dangling. Sometimes the right arm rests with the elbow on the right
knee. The position also occurs in
Mahayana
Buddhism,
and whereas the saints and
bodhisattvas
usually take the same posture as in
Hinduism, the
Buddha
is often depicted
napping while resting his head and both hands on his right knee,
with the eyes closed (fig.).
See also TRAVEL PICTURES.
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Royal Ploughing Ceremony
An ancient
brahman custom that in 1960 was reinstated by king
Bhumipon and marks the beginning of the
rice planting season.
In Thailand, this annual ritual is performed in the second week of May on
Sanam
Luang in presence of the king or
his envoy. Before the start of the ceremony several grains of rice are carefully
selected, usually by the king himself (fig.). Royal oxen then symbolically pull a plough led by two
brahmans who sprinkle the soil with holy water followed by two pairs
of men holding a silver and golden bowl sowing the rice (fig.). The plough
makes three circles and then the oxen are served seven banana leaf food baskets
containing rice, corn, beans,
sesame seeds, grass, water and liqueur, respectively. According to which basket
the oxen eat from the future for the coming year is forecast by a soothsayer.
After the ceremony onlookers often collect the grains of rice which they take
home as lucky charms (fig.).
It also refers to a scene in the life of the historical
Buddha
when he retreated to meditate under a tree during the Ploughing
Ceremony at the age of seven and when he for
the first time experienced the suffering of another being, i.e. a
worm that was accidently cut in two by the ploughshare, and
which initiated his search to end all
suffering in the world. In Thai this day is called
Wan Pheut Mongkon. See also
raeknakwan.
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Ruak (รวก)
Thai. Name of a river, that forms the natural border between Mae Sai in
Chiang Rai
Province and the town of Tachileik in
Burma. It is named after a species of
small
bamboo. See also
ruak
and
MAP.
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ruak (รวก)
Thai
name for a species of small
bamboo. See also
Ruak.
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rubber
Tough elastic substance which is obtained
from the latex of
the
rubber tree.
Its name was bestowed by the British scientist Joseph Priestley after he
discovered its ability to erase or ‘rub out’ pencil marks.
READ ON.
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rubber tree
Tropical tree yielding latex of the genus
Hevea
brasiliensis, classified under
the family of Dipterocarpus alatus. Crude
rubber is one of Thailand's main export
products and is obtained by making diagonal cuts
(fig.)
in the trunk of a rubber tree causing it to
‘bleed’ (fig.),
a process called ‘rubber tapping’. The tree bears green
seeds pods (fig.)
that turn fawn (fig.)
as they ripe and
that consist of three
circularly arranged compartments, each containing a single auburn
seed (fig.). Also called para rubber tree or
latex tree and in Thailand
ton yahng.
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ruby
See
thabthim.
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Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
Common
name for a species of bird, with the scientific name Anthreptes
singalensis and of which there are several subspecies. It belongs to the
Nectariniidae family and is found in large parts of Southeast Asia,
including Thailand, where it is known as
nok kin plih
kaem sih thabthim. It is about
10.5 to 11 centimeters tall and the male has bluish green upperparts, a
yellow belly and vent, and an orangey to orange-rufous throat and
breast, which is more sharply demarcated in the subspecies Anthreptes
singalensis koratensis, i.e. ‘from
Korat’.
The
cheeks of the male are dark ruby (fig.). Females (fig.)
lack this ruby cheek patches and are greenish olive above (fig.). Juveniles are
similar to females, but are yellower below.
Its natural habitats are
mangrove forests and broadleaved forests, to a height of about
1,370 meters.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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Ruby Parfait Celosia
Common name for a kind of
ornamental garden plant with the botanical name Celosia spicata. It has
distinctive, erect flower spikes with violet tips. Since these upright
flower spikes are reminiscent of sheaves of wheat, the plant is also
commonly referred to as Wheat Celosia. In Thai, it is known as ngon kai
thai (หงอนไก่ไทย), i.e.
‘Thai Cockscomb’. Compare
with
Cockscomb and
see also
Celosia.
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Ruddy Shelduck
Common
name for a 61 to 67 centimeter tall bird in the duck family Anatidae, with the scientific name
Tadorna ferruginea. Adults are largely orange-rufous, with a creamy-buff
head, white wings with black flight feathers (fig.), and a black bill, legs and
webbed feet. Both sexes are similar, but females have a paler head with
a whiter face and the male has a black ring at the bottom of the neck,
which is somewhat fainter or absent outside the breeding season.
Juveniles are similar to females, but the head and underparts are duller
and strongly washed greyish-brown (fig.).
Mostly migratory,
Ruddy Shelducks cover a wide range, from northwestern Africa and southeastern
Europe, across Asia to Southeast Asia. In Thai, this duck is known as
pet
Pa-mah
(เป็ดพม่า), meaning ‘Burmese duck’.
See also
Common Shelduck.
See also WILDLIFE
PICTURES.
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Rudra
(रुद्र)
Sanskrit. ‘Howler’, ‘Wild One’ or ‘Terrible One’. Name of a
Vedic deity whose many aspects are both
benevolent and destructive, sometimes described as a
Rigvedic storm god. He is chief of the
Maruts and an earlier form of
Shiva.
He was born from between the eyes of
Brahma
and thus an
abhava.
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ruffled fan palm
Name of an ornamental fan palm reaching to 2.5 meters high.
Its scientific name is Licuala grandis and in Thai it is called
palm jihb, ‘crimped palm’.
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Rufous-necked Hornbill
A
species of
hornbill with the scientific name
Aceros nipalensis, found in parts of South and Southeast Asia, including
Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, India,
Myanmar,
China (Yunnan),
Vietnam,
Laos and
Thailand.
With an average adult body size of about 117-120 centimeters, it rates
among the largest of all hornbills, i.e. in the range of the
Rhinoceros Hornbill (fig.)
and the
Great Hornbill (fig.).
Males have a rufous neck, head and underparts, the latter sometimes with
some dark patches on the belly and chest, whilst the upperside and wings
are black, with white-tipped outer primaries. The tail is in part white,
whereas the other, basal part, is black. The bill is pale
yellowish-white, with vertical dark ridges (or sometimes a single dark
patch) on the upper mandible, and almost no casque. It has blue orbital
skin and a small gular pouch, which is red (or sometimes
yellowish-orange, especially in birds with a a single dark patch on the
upper mandible). Females are similar, but mostly black, with no rufous
at all. In Thailand, it is found in the Northwest, specifically near the
border with
Burma, in an area that
stretches from
Tak
to
Mae Hong Son. In Thai, it is known as nok ngeuak kho daeng (นกเงือกคอแดง),
i.e. ‘red-throated hornbill’.
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Rufous Treepie
Common
name for a species of bird in the crow family Corvidae, with the
scientific designation Dendrocitta
vagabunda. It has a mostly cinnamon body,
with a dark brown to black head, a tawny-brown mantle, pale grey to white wing
coverts, and black primaries. It has a long, black-tipped tail, which is
grey above and white with
black and rufous on the underside. The sexes are similar, yet
there are several subspecies (fig.). The forms that occur in Thailand include
Dendrocitta
vagabunda saturatior, which is found in
southern Thailand, Dendrocitta
vagabunda kinneari, which is found in
northwest Thailand, as well as in southern Myanmar, and Dendrocitta
vagabunda sakeratensis,
which occurs in eastern Thailand and
Indochina. In Thai, it is generally known as
nok kaling khiad.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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Rui Shi (瑞狮)
Chinese. ‘Auspicious lions’. Decorative statues of two lions, always presented
in pairs, that stand guard at building entrances, with the female on the
left and the male on the right. They originally stood in front of
Chinese imperial buildings such as palaces and temples, and are
traditionally carved from expensive materials such as marble and granite
or cast in bronze or iron. Although there are many variations, the male
lion generally has his right paw on only a ball with a flower-like pattern,
often shaped as a three-dimensional
Flower of Life
(fig.), whereas the female is usually in the company of a single cub
(fig.),
sometimes held under her left paw. In some styles each of the lions has
a large ball in its partially opened mouth which is sized small enough
to be rolled from one side to another within the lion's mouth, yet too large
to be be removed. If so, it is believed to bring good luck to twirl the
ball round before one steps into the building the lions are placed at. Rui Shi are sometimes referred to as
Fu
Shi and Imperial Guardian Lions, and considered to be the guardians of
knowledge, which is represented in the ball they guard under their paw. See also
Bi Xie (fig.).
In Thai, they are referred to as
Singtoh Jihn.
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rukamoon (รุกขมูล)
Thai-Rajasap.
‘To take to or stay in the jungle’. It is said
of monks when they take to the jungle to meditate or stay. They then sleep and
meditate under a
klot.
See also
wat pah and
thudong.
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Rukmini
(रुक्मिणी)
The
principal wife of
Krishna.
See also
Lakshmi.
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rung (รุ้ง)
Thai for ‘rainbow’. In Thai mythology the rainbow is known as
Inthanu, based on
Hindu
tradition
where it is called
Indradhanus, meaning the bow of
Indra,
the god of heavens and weather.
Nowadays, natural rainbows officially have seven colours, i.e. red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, but originally only five
primary colours were named, not including orange and indigo. However,
the range of colours in a rainbow expand on an either edge to include
colours that are not visible with the human eye, and which are known as
infrared on the red side and as ultraviolet on the violet side. Besides the
arch of colours formed in the sky, the rainbow is also the worldwide
symbol of the gay community, symbolizing diversity. The gay symbol uses only six colours, omitting indigo
(fig.). As a flag, known as thong rung (ธงรุ้ง)
in Thai, the six coloured stripes of the gay symbol are displayed with
red on top or to the left, the same as the colours appear in a natural
rainbow, but is often found used upside-down (fig.). In Chinese it has many names but is usually called cai hong (彩虹), a
compound with cai (彩) meaning ‘(bright) colour’ or ‘variety’ and hong,
which can also be pronounced jiang (虹) and meaning ‘rainbow’. In Chinese
mythology, the rainbow is a slit in the wall of heaven sealed by the
goddess Nuwa (女娲), the female creator of mankind, using stones of five
different colours, and
the
Taoist
child-deity
Nezha
(fig.),
in some legends has the ability to spit rainbows. In the Bible, in the story described in Genesis
9:13-16, God refers to the rainbow as his sign to symbolize the covenant
between himself and the earth, that never again the waters will become a
flood to destroy all life on earth. Although not completely the same or in the same
sequence, the seven colours of the rainbow are also reminiscent of the
sih prajam wan,
the system
in Thailand in which each day of the week corresponds with a certain
colour, i.e. (starting with Sunday) red, yellow, pink, green, orange,
blue and
purple (violet).
Also named rung kin nahm (รุ้งกินน้ำ),
literally the ‘spectrum that drinks water’ and saai rung (สายรุ้ง),
meaning ‘river of colours’. Since the
naga is
the protector of the earthly waters, this mythological serpent is in
Thai
iconography
often depicted in all the colours of
the rainbow (fig.). See also
Prasat Phanom Rung
and
POSTAGE STAMP.
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Rusty-cheeked Hornbill
Common name for a
species of
hornbill
(fig.),
with the scientific names Ptilolaemus tickelli and Anorrhinus tickelli,
and also commonly known as the Brown Hornbill or Tickell's Brown
Hornbill. This medium-sized hornbill is about 60–65 cm in length and has
dark chestnut upperparts and reddish-brown underparts, and a white tail
tip, whilst males have brighter rufous or rusty-coloured cheeks and
throat.
It inhabits evergreen and
deciduous forest, from the foothills to an altitude of around 1,500
meters, and in Thailand it occurs in the North and the East. The Austen's Brown Hornbill
is sometimes listed as a subspecies of the Tickell's Brown Hornbill,
which is also commonly referred to as just Brown Hornbill.
In Thai, this bird is known as nok ngeuak sih nahm tahn (นกเงือกสีน้ำตาล),
i.e.
‘Brown Hornbill’.
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Rusty Pierrot
Name
of a species of small butterfly, with the scientific designation Tarucus
nara. It belongs to the family Lycaenidae, i.e. the family of Blues. The
male has dark purplish-blue upperwings, whilst the female's upperwings
are dark with bluish-white markings in a pattern that more or less
correspondent to the rusty, dark brownish-black markings of the
underwings. The markings of the underwings also include some bluish-grey
ocelli. It has a white body, with rusty, dark brownish-black bands on
the back. It is very similar to the
Rounded Pierrot (Tarucus
extricatus), but the latter has
black markings on the underwings and black bands on the back of the
otherwise white body. This butterfly is also known as Striped Pierrot.
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ruyi (如意)
Chinese. ‘As you wish’. Name for an ancient scepter-like object, which
shape is believed to have
derived from that of the
lotus
flower (fig.),
a sacred
flower in both
Buddhism and
Hinduism,
and which
symbolizes
Enlightenment.
Some sources, however, assert that the object
derived from a household backscratcher. Nonetheless, it became a symbol
of power and was in the past used only by emperors and high
ranking government officials, though it is also found
in religious
iconography, mainly as an
attribute of Chinese deities, such as
Budai
(fig.),
the gods
Hok Lok Siw,
etc. It is believed to
enhance fortune and success from
endeavours in about every field. It is usually made from valuable
materials such as carved
jade or
brass, etc. and is
sometimes decorated with auspicious figures from
Chinese mythology, including
Peaches of Immortality
(fig.),
bats,
trigrams,
etc. It is seen as a leading tool for business
people and people in high placed jobs and in command over numerous
subordinates.
It today also exists as an amulet
(fig.),
carried around in briefcases or the pockets of business suits of
high-level managers, company directors, etc.
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