A Brief Introduction to Thai Buddhism Theravada Buddhism has been the predominant religion in Thailand since early recorded history. The inscription of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great (1292) mentions that a monk from the southern province of Nakorn Sri Dhammaraja who had studied the Pali Buddhist Canon (or Tipitaka) from beginning to end lived at the Forest Temple in the kingdom of Sukhothai and was the Supreme Patriarch (Pali sangharaja) of the monkhood. This statement is one of the earliest statements used by a king to legitimize his right to rule in accordance with Buddhist righteousness.
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