Belief of Naka in Ayutthaya period literature

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to study and analyze the forms and characteristics of the belief in the Naka appearing in Ayutthaya period literature. This research adopted a qualitative research methodology focusing on documentary research. The results indicated that based on 44 stories of the Ayutthaya period literature, there were 17 stories mentioning the Naga which can be grouped into 3 categories: (1) in the early Ayutthaya period, the literature was influenced by the Khmer tradition and the myth of the three worlds, (2) in the mid Ayutthaya period, the literature was influenced by the belief in Buddhism and Brahmanism, and (3) in the late Ayutthaya period, the literature was entirely influenced by the belief in Buddhism.

The analysis of the forms and characteristics of the belief, could be grouped into 3 categories. These included (1) using Naka as the art of literature for 12 stories (10 stories of comparative literature of the Naka with meaningfulness and 2 stories using Naka for composition), (2) Naka excursus on the mural architecture applied to 6 stories, and (3) having the character of the Naka in the literature for 4 stories. Some of the stories had different characteristics of Naka reflecting the poetry in Ayutthaya period admiring the use of the Naka in art and the Naka in the literature arising from a variety of beliefs and traditions.