The story of the Ramayana has been very popular in Thailand; there are many versions of the story. It is pronounced in Thai as Ramakian, which probably derives from the word Ramakirti in Sanskrit. The word Rama existed already during the Sukhothai period (about 1250-1450 AD). The story of the Ramayana was referred to several times in Thai literature during the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767 AD) but the extant manuscripts for dance drama exist only from the Thonburi period (1767-1782 AD).