VI
(Sukhodaya), which occupied the upper valley of the
Menam. Towards the end of the I3th century the
kingdom of Sien (Syam) freed herself from the yoke of
Kambujadesa, and its capital at Sitkhothai. The king
who succeded in asserting the independance of Sukho-
daya is Rama Kharnheng, the great, the third son of
king Indraditya. Rama Khamheng, died between
1296-1299 A. D. and had for his successor, his son Lo-
thai who was succeded by his son Hrdyaraja or
Siiryavamsa who reigned till 1361 A. D. It was under
his reign that the hegemony passed from Sukhodaya
(Sien) to Lopburi (Lo-hou) i, e., from the north to
the south where the new capital Ayuthia (Ayudhya)
was founded in about 1350 A D. a little to the south
of Lopburi. But Sukhodaya did not fall into oblivion
at once and continued to remain officially independent
of Ayuthia till the latter completely incorporated the
former. Ayuthia continued to be the capital of Siam
till 1767 A. D. when it was sacked and destroyed by
the Burmans. It was at this time that the new capital
of Bangkok was founded in a more strategical situation
and the present ruling dynasty came into power after a
short-lived anarchy.
Siam appears in history with the foui^dation of
Sukhothai (Sien) towards the end of the I3th century.
After the transfer of the power to the new capital
Ayuthia the name Sien-Syam came to be applied to the
whole country. The word does not seem to have any
connection1 with the skt. word Syama meaning
1. Mr Bose [p 2] derives the word from skt. Syama on the au-
thority of G. Schlegel and thinks that the fair-coloured Hin-