Trai Phum Phra Ruang (Thai: à ¹Âà ¸Âà ¸£à ¸ à ¸¹à ¸¡à ¸´à ¸Âà ¸£à ¸°à ¸£à ¹Âà ¸§à ¸Â; lit. "Three Worlds According to King Ruang") is a 14th-century Thai Buddhist cosmological treatise attributed to King Lithai. Written around 1345 CE, it is considered the oldest known work of Thai literature and played a central role in shaping Siamese religious thought and kingship ideology.
The text reflects many beliefs of the Thai people, such as descriptions of hells, heavens, rebirth, the four continents (such as Jambudvëpa), kalpa, the kali yuga, the final age of the world, the coming of Metteyya, and the universal monarch. Trai Phum Phra Ruang is among the oldest known works of Thai literature and was widely illustrated in murals on the walls of Buddhist temples since ancient times.
Trai Phum Phra Ruang was composed by King Lithai on Thursday, the 15th day of the waxing moon of the 4th lunar month, Year of the Rooster, corresponding to Thursday, March 4, 1321 CE (old era), Chula Sakarat 683, Mahasakarat 1243, in the 6th year of his reign. The kingâÂÂs intention was to deliver a sermon for his mother and to glorify the Abhidhamma. The work stands as evidence of King LithaiâÂÂs profound mastery of Buddhism, as he compiled materials from the Tipiá¹Âaka, commentaries, sub-commentaries, and other treatises into what is regarded as the first cosmological treatise written in the Thai language known today.
Professor Sinchai Krapuansang has argued that King LithaiâÂÂs composition of the Traiphum Phra Ruang may also have had political motives. Since the work focuses on the contrast between hell and heaven, teaching that good deeds lead to heaven and evil deeds to hell, it served as a tool to guide moral behavior. As the population during King LithaiâÂÂs reign grew larger, governing the kingdom and ensuring peace became increasingly difficult. State administration could not reach everyone effectively. Therefore, the king authored this Buddhist work to encourage his subjects to practice virtue in order to attain heaven, while warning that misconduct would bring hellish punishment. For this reason, the Traiphum served as an effective form of social control, shaping peopleâÂÂs morality without the need for coercive laws.
The Traiphum Phra Ruang is a Buddhist cosmological treatise that describes the three realms: KÃÂmadhÃÂtu (11 levels), Rà «padhÃÂtu (16 levels), and ÃÂrà «padhÃÂtu (4 levels). It portrays the abodes and origins of humans, beings in hell, hungry ghosts, demons, and deities. At the center stands Mount Meru, surrounded by mountain ranges and seas. The ranges are named: (1) Yugandhara, (2) Isadhara, (3) Karavëka, (4) Sudassana, (5) Nemindhara, (6) Vinataka, and (7) Assakaná¹Âa. These outer mountains are called the seven concentric mountain ranges. The seas encircling them in seven layers are called the Sëdhantara. Beyond the Assakaná¹Âa range lies the great ocean, bounded by an iron mountain called the âÂÂEdge of the World.â Outside this boundary lies the uncharted cosmos.
Other works related to the Traiphum include the Traiphum Lok Winitchai, Stories from the Traiphum, and the Illustrated Traiphum Manuscripts.