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gaan khaeng reua yao
(การแข่งเรือยาว)
Thai for
longboat race.
gaan nuat paen boraan (การนวดแผนโบราณ)
Thai. 'Massage according ancient plan'. Thai name for traditional massage. Also nuat paen boraan.
gable board
The recessed face of a pediment or fronton, situated between the two slanting roof edges and the horizontal tie beam. In traditional Thai buildings the gable board is usually a decorated woodcarving with mythological figures, and on Buddhist temples it is usually a colourful bas-relief with symbols (fig.), characters or deities from mythology. Old and antique gable boards are often used as mural decorations in modern houses in eastern style (fig.). Also tympanum.

gada
Sanskrit. A club or mace, one of Vishnu's attributes and the main weapon of many a yak. In Thai katha.
Gajagaranaka
Sanskrit-Pali. 'One resembling an elephant'. A name for Ganesha.
Gajamuk
Sanskrit-Pali. 'With the face of an elephant'. A name for Ganesha.
Gajanan
A name for Ganesha.
Gajanna
A name for Ganesha.
gajasingha
Sanskrit-Pali. A mythological lion with the head of an elephant
(fig.).
See also
kodchasih
(fig.).

galae (กาแล)
See kalae.
galangal
See kha.
galingale
See kha.
gancha (กัญชา)
Thai for cannabis, marihuana, hashish and hemp.
gandhabbas
See gandharvas.
Gandhara
Indian art style that developed during the Kushan period, from the first to second centuries AD. It is distinguished by depictions of the Buddha with realistic features, wearing draped robes (fig.), reflecting Greek
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gandhararath
See gandharattha.
gandharath (คันธารราษฏร์)
Thai for gandharattha.
gandharattha
Sanskrit. A mudra 'calling upon the rain' with the right hand, whilst the left hand is held at the waist forming a bowl to 'collect the rainfall'. This mudra is usually found with statues from the
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gandharvas
Sanskrit. Male half-gods and celestial musicians who in Hindi mythology are accompanied by the female apsaras. Generally considered aerial spirits. In Pali called gandhabbas.
Gandiva
Sanskrit. Magical bow that Arjuna received as a reward for helping Agni and Krishna burn down Khandava forest.
Ganesha (श्रीगणेश)
Sanskrit. Son of Parvati, consort of Shiva. He was created by Parvati from the flakes of her skin mixed with oil, and brought to life with water from the Ganges. He is represented with a human body and the head of an elephant, with one tusk broken off (Ekatanta - fig.). His mount is the rat. According to legend he was decapitated during one of Shiva's tantrums, who promised a new head from the first creature that he would encounter - it turned out to be a baby elephant. His broken tusk is a souvenir from the event when the rat, tired of carrying him, threw him off. The moon who witnessed this laughed mockingly and Ganesha in anger broke off his tusk and threw it at the moon. He is the protector of art (fig.), remover of obstacles, and the god of knowledge and intelligence, and of transition and new beginning. In his terrible form he represents the underworld. In Thailand he is also called Phra Kaneht and Phra Phikhanesawora
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Ganga
Sanskrit. Goddess personifying the river Ganga or Ganges in India. Her symbol is the makara. The river Ganges is considered sacred by Hindus.
Ganges
River in India considered sacred by Hindus. In mythology it is personified by the goddess Ganga, in Thai called Khongkha.
ganya (กัญญา)
Thai. A decorated gable roof, as found on a sedan chair or on the central portion of a state barge in Thailand. In Thai a state barge is called reua ganya. Also kanya.

garbhagrha
Sanskrit. 'Womb house'. The square inner chamber of a Khmer sanctuary.
Garnboon (การบุญ)
One of the two leaders who in 953 AD founded the city of Phitsanulok, the other being Nokrong (fig.). Also Kaanbun.
Garuda
Sanskrit. A large and savage mythological bird, mount of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is the king of birds and half-brother, and arch-enemy, of the nagas and snakes. He is depicted with a human body and the wings, feet and beak of a bird, and in art often in battle with a snake or naga (fig.). In Thailand he is also called Krut and is the nation's
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gaur
See krathing.
Gautama
Sanskrit. Family name of the historical Buddha usually used in texts to refer to the Buddha before he attained Enlightenment. He is the fourth of five great teacher-buddhas and was born in the region of present day India and Nepal. His full name as the prince of the Shakya clan is Siddhartha
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Gautami
Sanskrit. The sister of prince Siddhartha's mother, who became Siddhartha's guardian when his mother died, seven days after his birth. She later married his father Suddhodana. Also known as Maha Prajapati.
geomancy
1. Chinese art of divination by lines and figures, used to determine the correct placing of objects and buildings. See also feng shui.
2. Prophecy by drawing lines in earth or sand.
ghanta
Sanskrit. A bell, sometimes held in the hand of a deity. Its sound symbolizes existence, and as an attribute of the Hindu god Shiva it is a symbol of creation. In Buddhism it may represent wisdom.
ghat
An Indian architectural feature consisting of steps or a platform at the edge of a water reservoir used for bathing.
giant swing
A giant swing in Bangkok, on the plaza in front of Wat Suthat. It was formerly used during a Brahman festival in honour of the Hindu god Shiva, in which participants tried to reach a sack of gold attached to a fifteen meter high bamboo pole. It was held in the second lunar month, from the morning of the third day until the evening of the ninth day of the new moon. Due to the large number of people falling off the swing the festival was banned during the reign of king Rama VII. In Thai sao
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gibbon
Name of a genus of monkeys without a tail, with long arms and a black non-hairy face. There are several species such as the white-handed gibbon with either a light fur and a dark face (fig.), or a brown fur with a white rim around its face, both have white fur on their hands. Another kind is the crowned or tufted gibbon. Gibbons occur in all of Southeast Asia
and spend most of their life in treetops, as they are rather clumsy on the
ground. They live in small family groups consisting of a male and female with up
to four young. They feed on fruits and insects alike and might occasionally even
eat squirrels and small birds which they, through their speed, are said to pick
from the air. They have a lifespan of about 25 years. In
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gilded lacquer
Term used for the Thai form of art called laai rod nahm, literally a 'design washed with water'. Gilded designs are obtained by outlining them first onto a polished lacquered surface. Then the area that will be the background is covered with a 'pasty resist'. The whole surface is next coated with a resin, making the applied gold leaf stick on the outlined pattern. Then the surface is gently 'washed with water' removing the resist and leaving the gold leaf fixed to the design. Gilded lacquer is often used in temple architecture and as decoration on furniture, especially on scripture cabinets (fig.) that hold religious
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ginger
The rootstock of a tropical plant with different species which serve as a spice, a side dish and a medicine. Of the genus zingiber and in Thai called khing. See also red ginger, Thai ginger or kha, and krachai.

ginseng
The fleshy root of a climber-like plant with therapeutic effects and the
botanic name panax of which several species exist, including panax ginseng and
panax pseudoginseng. The word ginseng derives from the Chinese term renshen,
literally 'man root' and its scientific name panax means 'all-heal' in Greek. In Thai sohm jihn.

gluay (กล้วย)
Thai. 'Banana'. Fruit of the banana plant (fig.), of the genus musa and of which several species exist, such as gluay glaay, gluay hom, gluay hom chan, gluay naam, gluay naam wah, gluay hak muk, gluay thani, and gluay kai. Exceptionally banana plants are found producing a bunch with more than a thousand bananas to a single raceme, in Thailand known as gluey roy wie. Also spelled kluay.
gluay glaay (กล้วยกล้าย)
Thai name for the wild banana, a large species of banana. See also gluay.
gluay hak muk (กล้วยหักมุก)
Thai. 'Angular pearl banana'. A kind of tapered banana that has an angular shape (hak) which far end narrows into a short nozzle. See also gluay.

gluay hom (กล้วยหอม)
Thai. 'Fragrant banana'. Long and sweet, domesticated species of banana, the kind best known in the West and most suitable for human consumption. See also gluay.

gluay hom chan (กล้วยหอมจันทน์)
Thai. 'Fragrant sandalwood banana'. Name for a species of banana with an angular shape. When ripe the fruit is greenish yellow. See also gluay.
gluay khai (กล้วยไข่)
Thai. 'Egg banana'. Name for a kind of banana from the province of Kamphaeng Phet which is small egg shaped (khai). See also gluay.

gluay mai (กล้วยไม้)
Thai name for orchid.
gluay naam (กล้วยน้ำ)
Thai. 'Water banana'. Name for a species of banana that resembles the gluay hom chan but which fruit is longer and its peel thicker. See also gluay.
gluay naam wah (กล้วยน้ำว้า)
Thai. Wild specie of short bananas growing from a plant with a raceme that bears around twelve bunches with combs of around ten bananas. Inside there are small inedible black seeds. See also gluay.

gluay nguong chang (กล้วยงวงช้าง)
Thai. 'Elephant trunk banana'. Nickname for the gluay roy wie, a banana plant which raceme consists of a very large bunch of bananas, resembling an elephant's trunk.

gluay roy wie (กล้วยร้อยหวี)
Thai. 'Banana plant with a hundred combs'. Banana plant (fig.) on which, one single raceme bears a giant bunch of more than a thousand bananas, with each comb having around a dozen fruits. Usually these plants need support otherwise they will collapse under their own weight (fig.). Also known by the nickname
gluay nguong
chang, elephant trunk banana plant. See also gluay.

gluay thani (กล้วยตานี)
Thai. 'Thani banana'. A thick and short banana with many large, inedible black seeds. Its peel may be of a reddish color. Its name is derived from the old name for the town of Pattani in the south of Thailand, which was formerly called Thani. The plant's strong leaves are used as wrapper and their strength makes them more suitable than other banana leaves to make a krathong. See also gluay.

gokhala
Sanskrit. A niche in a Jain temple.
golden lotus
Lotus that grows from the navel of Vishnu (fig.) during his cosmic sleep and from which Brahma (fig.) emerges. Also a metaphor in Buddhism and often represented in art and Thai temples.

Golden Temple
Golden Temple of the Sikhs at Amritsar in the Indian Punjab. Its name is derived from the amrit, the sacred 'water of immortality' surrounding the temple. Its foundation was laid during the period of the fifth guru, Arjan Dev (1581-1606) and it is of the utmost importance to the Sikhs, since it contains the Adi-Granth, the Sikh holy book with more than five hundred
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Golden Triangle
The place on Thai soil in Sop Ruak near Chiang Saen that has
borders with Myanmar and Laos. The name also refers to the wider area of this region infamous for the cultivation of opium. Sop Ruak lies on the banks of the Mae Khong river and is home to Wat Phrathat Doi Khao, a hilltop temple featuring naga-stairs (fig.). The hill offers a bird's-eye view of the valley and on the left side of the main temple building are the remains of the ancient moss-covered Buddha image of Luang Poh Singh Neung (fig.). On the left side of the temple's naga-stairs is Ban Fin (House of Opium), a museum that displays artifacts relating to the region's history with opium production and the trade in this drug. In the past the region was known for regular power struggles for control of the region's poppy fields, fought between many contenders, including the Shan United Army from Burma. In 1967 a battle took place here between fighters of the later disposed opium lord Khun Sa and troops of the Kuomintang, who were allowed by the Thai government to control the illicit drug trade...for more
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gold leaf
Pure 24 karat gold is flattened into ultra thin leaves by hammering and is then cut into small pieces of about one inch square. These are then applied in an ornamental form on objects with a ground layer of lacquer. Gold leaf applied to religious objects as a way of tamboon, a deed known in Thai as pit thong is normally 5% gold. Thai for gold leaf is thongkhamplaew.

Gopa
Sanskrit. The wife of prince Siddhartha Gautama, also called Yashodhara.
gopis
Sanskrit. Milkmaids, or female cowherds, who played with Krishna in his childhood. When they gathered on the banks of the river Yamuna to dance and flirt, each of them thought she was alone with Krishna, but in fact he multiplied himself and danced with them all.
gopura
Sanskrit. An ornamental crowned gateway or entrance pavilion to a religious sanctuary, sometimes surmounted by a tower.

Gotama
See Gautama.
Govardhana
Sanskrit. 'Increaser of cattle'. The mountain lifted by the Hindu god Krishna to shelter the herdsmen and their cattle from the storm caused by Indra, after they had refused to make offerings to him and instead became followers of Krishna.
Govinda
Sanskrit. 'Cowherd', one of the epithets of Krishna.
grajab (กระจับ)
Thai. 'Water chestnut', of the genus trapa (fig.). Also krajab.
Grand Palace
See
Phra Rachawang.
Grand Palace Hall
See
Chakri Throne Hall.
green-wares
See celadon.
great mogul
European name for the former Mongolian rulers of the Mughal dynasty in pre-India. Also mogul.
Great Departure
The moment when prince Siddhartha at the age of twenty-nine left his family and renounced his royal life to become an ascetic in order to find the cause of human suffering. In Thai known as Nih Banpacha, literally: 'depart to live as a monk'.

Great Renunciation
The silent and sad farewell of prince Siddhartha to his wife, baby son and his royal heritage, in order to become an ascetic. In Thai Aphinetsakrom.
gru
See kru.
gua (卦)
Chinese for 'trigram'.
guava
Fruit bearing evergreen tree which grows up to a height of ten meters with the Latin name psidium guajava. It is recognizable by its yellowish-white blossoms (fig.)
and by its relatively tasteless fruits of the same name. The flesh is white and
its core contains many small white seeds, although there is also a species of
which the white flesh has a pinkish red core, a variety known
in Thai as
farang sai
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guay jab (ก๋วยจั้บ)
Thai. A paste made of rice flour in the form of sheets which are cut up, put in a soup and topped with slices of chicken or pork. Also kuay jab.
guay tiyaw (ก๋วยเตี๋ยว)
Thai. A popular dish usually sold at roadside food stalls and consisting of noodles made of rice flour. By mixing pure rice flower with water a paste is formed which is subsequently made into wide flat sheets. These sheets are then folded, sliced into any size wanted, or stretched into long spaghetti-like strings (fig.) and dried, or boiled for immediate consumption. Guay tiyaw noodles come as part of a variety of dishes and may be served either dry (guay tiyaw haeng) or in a soup (guay tiyaw nahm). If dry, these noodles may be stir fried in a wok and are then called guay tiyaw phat. If with the stir fried noodles fried tofu, soy bean sprouts, tiny shrimp, egg and seasonings are added, the dish is called (guay tiyaw) phat thai. In the old days guay tiyaw noodles were sold from boats on canals and floating markets (fig.) and even today
many
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Gupta
1. A mighty dynasty situated in the Ganges valley from 320 to 535 AD.
2. An earlier art form from northern India considered the classical period in Indian art. This art form influenced 5th century art found at Selagri Hill (Myanmar) depicting relief scenes from the life of Buddha, and 8th century terracotta Dvaravati figures found in Phetchaburi, Thailand.
guru
Term from Sanskrit meaning 'spiritual leader' and 'teacher'.
The Thai word
kruh
(teacher) is derived from it.
gurudwara
Sanskrit. A Sikh religious complex, usually a temple building and a place to rest.
Gustave Rolin-Jaequesmyns
Belgian diplomat and adviser to king Chulalongkorn (Rama V) who together with other Belgian lawyers reformed the Thai legal system and established law courts. As founder of the International Law Institute he also mediated in making a state treaty between France, England and Thailand which safeguarded the country against foreign colonial rule. His merit in 1898 availed him the title of Chao Phraya Aphai Raja, the highest noble title ever given to a foreign national. This happened only twice in Thai history, the first time to the Greek Phaulkon, an adviser to king Narai during the Ayutthaya period. Gustave Rolin-Jaequesmyns received a
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