Ramakien - the Thai treasure

A cover from Thailand ! 

The cover has four of the MS that was issued in 2015 for Preservation of Thai Heritage 

The stamps on the covers are from the top row - depicting Khon masks of the monkey characters in Ramakien. 

The Ramakien is Thailand's national epic, derived from the Hindu epic Ramayana.

A number of versions of the epic were lost in the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767. Three versions currently exist, one of which was prepared in 1797 under the supervision of (and partly written by) King Rama I. His son, Rama II, rewrote some parts of his father's version for khon drama. The work has had an important influence on Thai literature, art and drama (both the khon and nang dramas being derived from it).

While the main story is identical to that of the Ramayana, many other aspects were transposed into a Thai context, such as the clothes, weapons, topography, and elements of nature, which are described as being Thai in style. Although Thailand is considered a Theravada Buddhist society, the Hindumythology latent in the Ramakien serves to provide Thai legends with a creation myth, as well as representations of various spirits which complement beliefs derived from Thai animism.

The masks on the stamps are those of Hanuman , Nilopat, Niloman and Aarophat - the various monkey characters of the epic. 

Also on the cover is a frama label - with the image of an elephant printed on it !