Surprising cultural similarities between India and Thailand you didn't know
Sep 13, 2024
Credit: iStock
'Land of Smiles 'and 'Land of Spices'
Thailand is a popular tourist destination amongst the Indian population and every year more than a million tourists visit this country of ‘Land of Smiles’. Both these countries share similar cultural roots as well. Let’s explore some interesting similarities between these two.
Credit: iStock
Buddhism
With its origin in India, Buddhism is strongly rooted in Thailand as well. Based on the numbers by Thailand.go.th, more than 90% of the population there follows Buddhism.
Credit: iStock
Ramayana and Ramakien
Similar to the Indian epic of Ramayan, Thailand has Ramakien that shares the same story and characters. The literal translation of the Thai Ramakien is ‘Glory of Ram.’
Credit: iStock
Songkran and Holi
In terms of festivals, both these countries share similarities. In the festival of Songkran, people splash water on each other and instead of Holi colours a white, a white paste of din sor pong powder is applied.
Credit: iStock
Loy Krathong and Diwali
Thailand also celebrates a festival of light where people come together and set afloat baskets of candles and other offerings in the nearby rivers or waterways.
Credit: iStock
Spices and herbs
India has the status of being the ‘Land of Spices’ because of the rich variety of spices that are grown and consumed here. Traditional Thai food is also known for its use of a variety of species including chili, garlic, and herbs such as coriander.
Credit: iStock
Architecture
Though not as widely seen as the other similarities in this list, the Thai religious architecture draws some similarities from the Indian architecture like the use of Gopurams and Pagodas, which is an entrance tower built in temples.
Credit: iStock
Deities and religious beliefs
Because of similarities in the roots of their religions, Thailand and India share similar deities as well, for instance, Thailand has a strong belief in the concept of Trimurti, that is Brahma (Phra Phrom), Vishnu (Phra Narai) and Shiva (Phra Isuan) as the creator, preserver and destroyer.
Credit: iStock
Traditional clothing
The influence of similar cultures can also be seen in their traditional clothing as well. Women in Thailand wear ‘Sbai’ which looks a lot like the Indian saree and is draped in the same way as well.
Credit: iStock
Hinduism
Interestingly, Hinduism is not followed only in India but in other countries as well. One of these countries is Thailand. Hindus in Thailand constitute 0.1% of the total population.
Credit: iStock