This is expressed and developed in Pāli and Sanskrit literature, early, later, as well as vernacular, and evidenced in epigraphic findings.
Many of these beliefs and practices continue to inspire and inform current kingship in contemporary Buddhist countries.
[2] In the Tipiṭaka (Sanskrit: Tripitaka; Buddhist scriptures), ideas about good governance are framed in terms of the ideal of the Cakkavati, the king who rules righteously and non-violently according to Dharma.
[5][6] Apart from the Tipitaka, Pāli chronicles such as the Mahāvaṃsa and the Jinakālamālī have contributed to ideas of Buddhist kingship.
This dynasty of meritorious kings stretched back until the beginning of the current aeon (Pali: kappa; Sanskrit: kalpa), and in vernacular Pāli works and pre-modern traditions, the kings of Buddhist societies were linked to the same dynasty, through "ties of incarnation.
[11] In vernacular Pāli works, examples are given of royalty performing meritorious acts, sometimes as a form of repentance for previously committed wrongdoings.
[7] Because of these traditions, kings have had an important role in maintaining the Sangha, and publicly performed grand acts of merit-making, as testified by epigraphic evidence from South and Southeast Asia.
Initially, the festival was an important way for the Chakri dynasty to legitimate itself, as Vessantara was the model prince who became king through the power of his merits and sacrifice.
Nevertheless, the use of merit-making by the Thai monarchy and government to solidify their position and create unity in society has continued until the twenty-first century.