ONE-FACED BHRAMA

Abstract

There are various distinctive differences between the beliefs related to the god Bhrama in Bhramanism and those of Buddhism. Among them is the number of faces; in Bhramanism, Bhrama is believed to have four faces, while there is no evidence of this in Buddhism. However, one can notic that in Buddhist art Bhrama is always shown with four faces. This feature might have been inspired by the figures of Bhrama in Bhramanism. Navertheless, from the research on the Bhramanic figures frome various periods of Thai art, the auther discovered one faced Bhramas. Examples include Bhrama dressed in a priestly outfit of the Dvaravati period and Bhma divinely dressed during the Thonburi and Rattanakosin period. This reflects that while one-faced Bhramas of Buddhism have been accepted by some groups of Buddhists, they remain less popular than the four-faced ones.