Wanderlust Mystical Ganges - to dip or not to dip?

I am greeted by his fearsome persona in the arrival lounge of Suvarnabhumi international airport. His blue green face, a snarling mouth, and curving tusk-like canine teeth gives me the creeps. I meet him everywhere in Thailand, most remarkably at Wat Phra Kaew, the Emerald Buddha temple, glowering from murals, and as the fierce guardian of the temple doors. And I recently found out about this strange character. He is Ravana, or Tosakanth in Thai, from the Indian epic Ramayana, written by sage Valmiki. The main protagonist of this epic is King Rama and his wife Sita and the antagonist, the dreaded evil personified, Ravana. The main theme is the victory of good over evil. The saga commences when besotted by Sita's beauty, Ravana abducts and whisks her away to his kingdom. Ravana or Tosakanth's weakness for beautiful women spelt his doom. Rama, in his effort to rescue his beloved, defeats and kills Ravana in a bloody battle. Ravana, to his credit, has many good points. He was benevolent and effective king of Lanka and it is said the poorest of houses had vessels of gold to eat and drink off. Amongst his many virtues, the foremost was his knowledge of sacred books, medicines and magic. He was considered as a reformer, revolutionary and just ruler who opposed the caste system. A great devotee of Shiva (Phra Isuan), his penances had borne many fruits. Ravana is depicted in art with up to ten heads, signifying that he had knowledge spanning all the ten directions. His ten heads also earned him the names "Dasamukha" (The ten-faced), "Dasagriva" (The ten-headed) and "Dasakanta" (Ten Throats). He is still revered in Sri Lanka as an icon of their independence from India! The Rama legend can be seen in wonderful paintings on temple walls, most famously at Wat Phra Kaeo or "Temple of the Emerald Buddha" on the grounds of the Grand Palace built by King Rama I in Bangkok. In the gallery surrounding the temple there are beautifully restored sections of mural paintings which depicts the entire story of the Ramayana. They were originally painted during the reign of King Rama I in the late 18th century and then renewed under later monarchs. In the Thai version, Ramakien, the essence is the same but there is a Thai element added to the story such as clothes, weapons, and elements of nature. Ramakien dates back to the 13th century and in the past 200 years, nine kings of Thailand have been named Rama, after the main protagonist King Rama. For 400 years the capital of Thailand was Ayutthaya (ayodhya), Rama's kingdom in the epic. Ramakien has appealed to Thai people over centuries making it the national epic. Many other Asian cultures have adapted the Ramayana, resulting in other national epics. Kakawin Rāmâyaṇa is an old Javanese rendering of the Sanskrit Ramayana from ninth century Indonesia. It is a faithful rendering of the Hindu epic with very little variation. Phra Lak Phra Lam is a Lao language version, whose title comes from Lakshmana, Rama's younger brother, and Rama. The story of Lakshmana and Rama is told as the previous life of the Buddha. In Hikayat Seri Rama of Malaysia, Dasharatha, Rama's father, is the great-grandson of the Prophet Adam and Ravana receives boons from Allah instead of Brahma. In its different hues and colors, however, the universal themes an d ideals of righteous behavior, loyalty to family and kingdom, the balancing of good and evil, self-sacrifice for the betterment of society, and morality remains the same. And as for Tosakanth, love him or hate him, without him Thai culture would not be the same.