ASEAN Cultural EXPO 2016, organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Thailand, was inaugurated by HE Gen. Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand.

ASEAN Plus Ramayana was one of the key activities of the ASEAN Cultural EXPO 2016 as it reflected the shared yet interestingly magnificent performing arts of ASEAN. Ramayana is an epic which can be found in many of the ASEAN countries, hence, a perfect performance to represent the regional cultural roots. The ASEAN Plus Ramayana featured Ramayana performances of 8 ASEAN member countries including India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The original Ramayana performance from one of ASEAN dialogue partners "India" - the land where the epic came from was also showcased. Each country showed its own interpretation of Ramayana, there was a joint performance of the "Bow Lifting Contest" and "Celebration of the Return to Ayodhya" scenes as the grand finale.

Ramayana from India was performed by Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan\'s Ganesha Natyalaya Institution.