Historically speaking the knowledge of traditional Thai massage reached South East Asia
some 2500 years ago. It is said to have been introduced more than 2500 years ago by a
doctor from Northern India by name of Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha, a contemporary of Buddha
and personal doctor of the Magadha King Bimbisara. Kumar Bhacca is known to have been
a friend of Buddha and a doctor for the Buddhist monks. He is mentioned in the Pali
Kanon, the old texts of Buddhism of the Southern school of Theravada (found today mainly
in  Sri Lanka, Birma/Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand).

In the 17th century mention was made of medical texts written in the Pali language and
Khmer script on palm tree leaves. These old texts seem to have been of great importance
and were workshipped almost in the same was as the Buddhist writings. However, when
in 1767 the ancient Royal Town of Ayutthaya was destroyed by Burmese conquerers, the
old texts were largely lost. Only fragments survived which King Rama III in 1832 used as a
basis for the famous epigraphs of the Phra Chetuphon Temple (Wat Pho) in Bangkok.

The most famous massage school, where our personell was trained (The Wat Po Traditional
Medical School), is also part of this temple.

Please click here for a picture of the Phra Chetuphon Temple