Okay, I was not sure where to post this... I am curious about the winged character with bird-like feet and human body that appears on the currency. Is this one of the characters from the Ramakian?

Does reading the Ramakian help one understand Thai arts/sculpture/architecture/culture more deeply? And can anyone recommend a good English version, if one exists?

It's the Krut (Garuda).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda

Thanks, Chanchao! The link explains a lot.