Thai massage is an ancient traditional massage technique from the Far East, based on thousands of years of tradition. The aim of Thai massage is to stretch and press muscles, assume different body positions, and ensure free energy flow, relieve pain and stiffness, and create a flexible, relaxed state. The healing massage practiced in Thailand has its roots in India. Jivaka Kumar Bhacca is “the father of Thai massage.”
The legendary founder of the science was a physician from northern India, Jivaka Kumar Bhacca. His statue is still highly valued and respected. Fresh food, flowers, and incense are placed beside it every day, and a mantra preserved in the Pali language is recited at least once a day in his honor and for the sake of one’s own inner balance.
He was a contemporary of Buddha and the personal physician of the Magadha king Bimbisara 2,550 years ago. He was a personal friend of Buddha and the doctor of the monastic order, as described in the Buddhist scriptures, the Pali Canon (Tripitaka). Kumar Bhacca’s teachings probably arrived in what is now Thailand around the 3rd or 4th century BCE at the same time as Buddhism. He was renowned for his Ayurvedic medicine, which used minerals, herbs, and special techniques to heal. He established the first hospital using such treatments in Chiang Mai and later a school. The Thai massage has been preserved and developed over the centuries. The massage technique was spread by word of mouth, usually within families. The knowledge was kept in monasteries and on palm leaf manuscripts.
In the 18th century, Burmese invaders came to Thailand and destroyed most of the manuscripts. What remained was collected by King Rama III in 1832 and carved into the walls of Wat Po.
Thanks to him, the 60 drawings on the temple walls depicting the energy lines have survived and are still visible today. These stone carvings schematically show the energy lines, 30 from the front and 30 from the back. In addition to the stone carvings, there are drawings on the walls of the temples showing the energy points along the energy lines, which are used in therapeutic treatments. In 1836, by another royal decree, ancient arts and sciences were also collected and housed in Wat Po, creating a new university.
In 1906, during the reign of King V, all ancient medical knowledge was translated into the modern Thai language and written by hand as the “Royal Medical Textbook” or “Tum Ra Pade Sard Songkroah (Chabub Luang).” The book contained knowledge of the time, energy lines and points, medical sciences, pharmacopoeia, and massage.
The drawings were studied by professionals in the 1970s, and it was found that although there are some anatomical inaccuracies in them, they are rich sources of knowledge for the healing science of Thai massage, and the description of the energy system is accurate. They show the energy lines and acupressure points. In the past, anatomical knowledge played a smaller role in Thai massage than knowledge of the energy system. Dissection was considered a forbidden practice, and there were no surgical traditions until recently. Nowadays, of course, many masseurs are skilled in both. There is a foundation in Bangkok dedicated to collecting and teaching the knowledge of rural doctors.
The Thai government has officially recognized and supported the revival and practice of therapeutic Thai massage since 1997.