Rama VII: see Prajadhipok.

Rama V: see Chulalongkorn.

Rama IX: see Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Rama IV: see Mongkut.

Rama, hero: see Ramayana.

Rama, variant of Ramah.

or Phrachunlachomklao or Rama V

(born Sept. 30, 1853, Bangkok, Siam [Thailand]—died Oct. 23, 1910, Bangkok) King of Siam (r. 1868–1910). He succeeded to the throne at 15 but did not assume his duties until he was 20. He enacted ambitious reforms patterned on Western models, abolishing slavery, instituting the rule of impersonal law, and overhauling his antiquated administration. By persuading Western colonial powers that Siam was a modern state and playing their interests against one another, he kept Siam from being colonized for decades. However, in 1907 Siam was forced to give up its rights in Laos and western Cambodia to the French, and in 1909 it ceded four Malay states to Britain.

Learn more about Chulalongkorn with a free trial on Britannica.com.

or Phumiphon Adunlayadet or Rama IX

(born Dec. 5, 1927, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.) Ninth king of the Chakri dynasty and Thailand's longest-ruling monarch. A grandson of King Chulalongkorn, he succeeded to the throne in 1946 after the death of his older brother, King Ananda Mahidol (r. 1935–46). His role as head of state is largely ceremonial, but he moderates between extreme parties in Thai politics and serves as a focus of national unity.

Learn more about Bhumibol Adulyadej with a free trial on Britannica.com.

or Phrachomklao or Rama IV

(born Oct. 18, 1804, Bangkok, Siam—died Oct. 15, 1868, Bangkok) King of Siam (Thailand; r. 1851–68). The 43rd child of King Rama II, he was a Buddhist monk and scholar before he ascended the throne. His reformed Buddhism grew into the Thammayut order, which today occupies the intellectual centre of Thai Buddhism. Mongkut's intellectual pursuits also brought him into contact with Western thought. As king, he fully opened Siam to Western commerce and combined tolerance and shrewdness to help ensure its survival as an independent nation. The reminiscences of an English governess employed in his household became the basis for the musical comedy The King and I.

Learn more about Mongkut with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Major Hindu deity. The name became associated with Ramacandra, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, whose story is told in the Ramayana. Conceived as a model of reason, virtue, and right action, Rama was one of the chief objects of the bhakti cults. He is often depicted as a standing figure, holding an arrow in his right hand and a bow in his left. In temples his image is attended by the figures of his wife, Sita, his half brother, Laksmana, and the monkey general, Hanuman.

Learn more about Rama with a free trial on Britannica.com.