A Study on the Courses of Existence of Cakkavattirāja as Appeared in Fine Arts of Rattanakosin Period

Abstract

          A study on the courses of existence of Cakkavattirāja as appeared in Fine Arts of Rattanakosin Period has three objectives: (1) to study the courses of existence of Cakkavattirāja  in Tipiṭaka and its development in the Commentaries, Mahāyana Buddhist scriptures and  later Pali literatures, (2) to study the origin, concept and the courses of existence of Cakkavattirāja made use by leaders in the periods of Kings Rāma the I-V, and (3) to study the courses of existence of Cakkavattirāja as appeared in various Fine Arts in the periods of Kings Rāma the I-V. This research employed the documentary research methodology.

          The research results clearly showed that the courses of existence of Cakkavattirāja  appeared since appeared before the emergence of Buddhism.The aristocrats’s ritual are Rajsuya and Vajabeiya in order to become Cakkavattirāja which basically means a person who cycle Cakka, that is power, pervading over through such given power In Buddhism, Cakkavattirāja offered Cakka, the power, where it pervades over through his virtues. In addition, Cakkavattirāja  possesses a specialty, seven majestic gems of Cakkavattirāja  and power which is beyond human abilities that ruled over four universal continents. Later on, on the one hand, in Mahayana Buddhism, there are many archetypal hierarchical of Cakkavattirājas, on the other hand, in Theravada Buddhism there is a similarity in categorizing the Cakkavattirāja s to different archetypal hierarchical since the discovery of Dĩpavaṁsa scripture. The kings and the aristocrats who believed in Lankāvaṁsa Buddhism were in Sri Lanka, Sukhothai, Lana and Ayutthaya until Rattanakosin period. The mentioned countries have used the moral virtues followed by Cakkavattirāja  through naming, behaviours, moral principles, literatures and especially in architectures and fine arts. When it comes to the fine arts during the Rattanakosin period, since the King Rãma I - V, it discovered the Cakkavattirāja  concept in Crowned Buddhas images that refer to Bodhisattva kings and Dhamikarajā kings. Moreover, the Crowned Buddhas images also refer to Mahājambupati sutta. The paintings on the wall appeared to demonstrate the reference from the Mahājambupati sutta. The paintings under the theme of seven majestic gems of Cakkavattirāja s also found Mahāsudassana sutta, Mandhātujātaka, Kāliṁkabodhijātaka etc. The discovering of the fine arts regarding Cakkavattirāja s had been mostly found during the period of King Rāma III. In the period of King Rāma IV, the popularity had declined. Until the period of King Rāma IV the attention given to the fine arts were no longer available and disappeared in the period of King Rāma V.