Queen to inaugurate celebrations for nomination of Wat Pho inscriptions today
Her Majesty the Queen will today preside over the opening ceremony to celebrate the nomination of the stone inscriptions in Wat Pho as Memory of the World.
The ceremony will start at 5.20pm at Wat Pho – Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn – Education Ministry permanent secretary Sasithara Pichaichannarong said.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has registered 1,431 old stone inscriptions at Wat Pho as Memory of the World since May.
Since 2008, most of these inscriptions have been on the Asia-Pacific Memory of the World Register.
Dubbed the Epigraphic Archives of Wat Pho, these 1,431 stone inscriptions are in the Thai language and script.
Made between 1831 and 1841, they cover both religious and secular subjects. They represent a wide range of Thai knowledge of Asian and the local roots of the time in the context of over five centuries of global exchanges in trade, politics and culture.
It was a conscious effort by King Rama III and Thai scholars to preserve them and make them visible to the public with the ultimate aim of imparting general education on cultural heritage, diversity and |civilisations.
In most cases, they are accompanied by illustrations such as drawings, paintings or sculptures. The inscriptions are in good condition and are seen by more than a million international visitors to Bangkok every year.
“These inscriptions are displayed on the temple’s wall and gallery,” Sasithara said.
She said that the knowledge from the ancient inscriptions could be categorised into various fields, including Buddhism, literature and history.
Nearly half of the existing inscriptions in Wat Pho contain medical and massage or Thai yoga texts composed by royal physicians.
The temple has been described in Wikipedia as “the birthplace of traditional Thai massage” and by many health experts as a world centre for the teaching and practice of Thai healing techniques that |are sometimes known as “Thai massage”.
The celebrations for the old stone inscriptions will run until January 4 within the compound of Wat Pho.
Sasithara said the Great Birth Sermon would also be delivered during the celebration today.
She added that an exhibition to explain the knowledge displayed in the old inscriptions would also take place.
She said the Office of the Vocational Education Commission would provide free vocational training to interested people.
