REPRESENTATION OF THE TRI BHUMI IN THAI ART
There came to be a need to represent the Tri Bhumi in Thai Art because the Thai people came to accept the theological concept of the Hindu God-incarnate for their monarchs. This was probably by choosing and not through any kind of obligation.
Prior to independence as a nation-state, the Thai settlements were under the suzerainty of Khmer Empire, which was heavily influenced by Hinduism and Brahmanism. The advent of Buddhism in the region did not change the main stream of the tangible culture by any large extent and was only recognisable in the iconography. Thai culture itself exhibited traces of Khmer influence as seen in the Khmer architecture of Sukhothai. As for the intangible culture, there survives the concept of the "Devaraja" (God-king) and its appurtenances such as ceremonial rites and rituals and, most important, the royal language which uses Khmer words and terminology. This is most evident in the name of Sukhothai's first king "Khun Sri Indraditaya" which refers to both Indra the supreme god and Aditaya the sun god. It should be mentioned here that this concept of kingship was not native to the Thai who had existed in a paternalistic society as evidence from references to chiefs as "Por Khun" (paternal king) in early stone inscriptions.
In order to uphold the concept and subsequently power of the god-incarnate, there needed to be created imagery of god-incarnate's environment. But where could one find descriptions of this environment? Ready answers and lush imagery were there in the Tribhumikatha and possibly other works which had not survived the ravages of time. There were examples too in the Khmer architecture and art such as the Angkor Wat complex which remains the most perfect expression of the cosmology with the mighty Sumeruraj in the centre, surrounded by rings of mountain ranges and continents. Thai artists and craftsmen had access to other Khmer temples found throughout Thailand's North-eastern Region and as far west as Singburi near the Burmese border. They may have even taken part to craft such temples for it is evident that local craftsmen had participated.
The most clear example of the inheritance of the Tribhumikatha imagery until today is the tradition of painting a mural of the Tri Bhumi on the cross wall behind the principle Buddha statue in the majority of ubosoth (consecrated halls) across the country.
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