Head of a hermit

Performing good works for the benefit of his people was a timehonored duty of a Siamese king. The king reigning in the 1830s decided that traditional lore concerned with healing must be preserved and made available to all. He commissioned for one of the most important temples in Bangkok both inscribed plaques recording such information and a series of sculptures of contorted hermits with medical conditions, to be used as teaching tools.

In Thai art, hermits (rishis) can usually be recognized by their odd headdresses, the upper part of which narrows and then flares out again as it rises. This sort of headdress is supposed to represent a piece of tigerskin wrapped into a head covering.