ABSTRACT

                   This research aimed mainly to: 1) study the Buddhist Monk’s roles in preservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts in Muangratchaburi district, Ratchaburi province, 2) compare the Buddhist Monk’s roles in preservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts in Muangratchaburi district, Ratchaburi province with different personal status, and 3) examine the problems, obstacles, suggestions and guideline in development the Buddhist Monk’s roles in preservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts in Muangratchaburi district, Ratchaburi province. The research method was mixed research. The sample of this study consisted of 286 mahãnikãya monks in Muangratchaburi district, Ratchaburi province. The tool for collecting data was questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions. The statistical techniques used for data analysis were the frequency, percentage (%), mean ( ), standard deviation (S.D.), test the hypothesis by testing the value t-test and F-test, one way analysis of variance and least significant difference or LSD. And content analysis technique was employed for data collected from documents and interviews.

The findings of this research were concluded  as follows:

                   1. The overall Buddhist Monk’s roles in preservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts in Muangratchaburi district, Ratchaburi province was found in medium level with mean of 2.96, when considering each aspect, it was noted that all 3 aspects namely; 1) the preservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts, 2) the knowledge in the conservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts to the public, and 3) the cooperation in the conservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts with the relevant government agencies, were noticed in medium levels. The aspect that has the most value included the preservation at mean of 3.20, the aspect with the lowest mean was the cooperation in the conservation at mean of 2.64.

                   2. The comparison of the Buddhist Monk’s roles in preservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts in Muangratchaburi district, Ratchaburi province with different personal status indicated that the personal status of monks with position, age, education level, and Dhamma education with different background of status by monk opinion had no significant differences – these did not match the hypotheses. Those personal statuses of monks were years of being monk and Pali education with different the roles in preservation were significantly different at the 0.05 level – thus accepting the formulated hypotheses.

                   3. The suggestions and guideline in development the Buddhist Monk’s roles in preservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts in Muangratchaburi district, Ratchaburi province by aspects of the study:

                   3.1 The suggestions for preservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts showed that : there should be established the volunteer community and monks to monitor theft with CCTV to be able to see the theft, and there should coordinate the Fine Arts Department  with the training, knowledge of preservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts for the monks, especially the monks in the monastery, which houses a museum and preserves of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts.

                   3.2 The suggestions for knowledge in the conservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts to the public depicted that: there should be the monks to promote public awareness of the importance of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts conservation awareness to the public and should aim to target youth by instilling values, conservation of the cultural heritage of the community, and there should be training specific to the conservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts of local personnel, and trained personnel appointed to the academic community.

                   3.3 The suggestions for cooperation in the conservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts with the relevant government agencies revealed that : there should be  cooperation agreement (MOU) among the relevant government agencies, monastery and the community to share in the activities for the conservation of antique sites, archaeological sites and antique arts, and there should be the responsibility of the monks, whose position safeguard to coordinate with the government agencies responsible directly bypass the chain of command, to prevent of the damage caused.