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Construction of Wat Phra Sri Mahathat Woramahawihan, the centerpiece of Prime Minister Phibunsongkhram's Spiritual Identity project, began on 20 March 1941 in commemoration of the government victory over the Boworadet rebellion in 1933. The foundation stone of Rajadamnern stadium was laid first, on March 1st of that same year.

Reading a really good essay on how the very National identity of Thailand, a modern conception born out of engagements with the colonial West, was established by creating 4 spiritual centers geographically spread across the country. Read that here: National_Identity_and_the_Geo_Soul_Spiri.pdf National Identity and the Geo-Soul: Spiritually Mapping Siam It traces the logic of the establishment of 4 spiritual centers by the anti-Royalist spirit of Prime Minister Phibunsongkhram, creating a constellation wats that helped define the national borders of the country. Saplings of the original Bodhi Tree of the Buddha's meditation were planted at each of these wats, in the early 1940s. What is interesting to me is that as Phibunsongkhram was carving out a new national identity, it was also in these years that Rajadamnern was being built. And, in these years as well that Phibunsongkhram and magazines celebrating Muay Thai started lauding a new kind of hero, every-men like the much feared Suk. The point being, just as the foundations of the Spiritual conception of a "whole" Thailand was being developed, a people's Muay Thai, along with the first National stadium, also was developed. When people think about what Muay Thai means to the identity of Thailand itself, it was poured into the foundation from the very beginning.

Glad I could help!

@AndyMaBobs wow thanks for all this. Really interesting.

Kevin, thanks so much for this essay, and for including the Ricks article: National Identity and the Geo-Soul: Spiritually Mapping Siam You've illustrated an aspect of Thai history of which I was not aware; I loved reading this. I am also mindful of the elements of Buddhist thought that flow through the veins of both the country of Thailand and Muay Thai, and this strikes a chord with me, having spent time as a monastic in Chiang Mai and as a practicing Thai Forest Buddhist. Thai Buddhism influences so much of Thai culture and behavior, and you and Sylvie's scholarship in the field of Muay Thai has helped me to appreciate other facets of Muay Thai that resonate with themes from Buddhist meditation and practice. Without going down a rabbit hole too much, there's a congruence between modern millennial Thai aggressive consumerism and abandonment of Buddhist practice, and the abandonment of the Femur-like and mindful aesthetics that have informed the Golden Age of Muay Thai, in favor of a more aggressive and combative model. It's so good to be reminded that the golden history of Thailand includes the congruence of Buddhism, Buddhist architecture and culture, and Muay Thai. Interesting as well that both Muay Thai and Thai Buddhism have suffered more recently with the growing influence of greed, aggression, and corruption. Your scholarship reminds and informs us that the Thailand has a rich and deeply valuable history that should never be forgotten or set aside, especially in these increasingly difficult modern times.