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vet it took a long time for Siam to consolidate the Bud-
dhist church. It was not until Siam became a separate
independent kingdom in the fourteenth century, that
the Siamese Buddhism took its present form* In the
earlv davs, Buddhist missions had come from Burma
j -' '
and Camboja. When the king Suryavamsa Rama,
came to the throne, he invited a learned monk from
Cevlone to consolidate the Siamese church. From
this time. Buddhism took a firm footing in Siam.
The Siamese are very religious. Their zeal for
Buddhism is shown in the large number of monks and
monasteries in Siam. The appearance of these tempies,
according to a European writer, is often more beauti-
ful than that of churches in Europe, only they are dark
as no glass is used. The pagodas are like so many mo-
nastic towns in the middle of nice gardens with shrines
dedicated to Lord Buddha. There are preaching halls
and temporary accomodations for pilgrims and
houses for monks. In Siaca, generally the pagodas
are built on the banks of rivers, and it is a pleasant
sight to watch the monks, dressed in their yellow robes,
go out begging on boats- With their boats they come
to the doors of the householders on the banks of the
rivers and ask for alms. The householder, ready
with their quota, fill the begging bowls of the monks
with a view to attainpiwya (merit). The monks live
entirely on public charity.
We get an interesting picture of the Siamese Bud-
dhist church from Jeremias Van Vliet about 1692.