112

the royal throne. At other times, other powerful
generals would destroy the royal power and establish
separate dynasties. Thus in the course of 450 years,
we find Siam governed by three separate dynasties of
Sukhodaya, Ayuthia and Bangkok. Females are not
entitled to sit on the throne of Siam. Sometimes, the
king nominates his successor before his death to avoid
civil war. Such was the case in Champa also. When
the king does not nominate his successor, the ministers
after his death select a king from the members of the
royal family.

Like the ancient Indian kings, the Siamese king
bears high-sounding titles. A Dutch writer thus says :
1 The titles of the king are very bombastic and more
than human, but are believed to be due to him by the
great men and nobles as well as by the rich and poor
people.'1 One of the titles of the Siamese king is:
Phra karttnna pva baat Somdetcha &ka t' hots-arot
Ecso-an baromma leap, hecttra Phra Pfiootthu chaau
yo hoakhroo ong Somdetcha P hra Narai Song meek-
Kha Racha tham an maha parasoeL This title has
thus been rendered into Pali: Pra karuqa pra pad*

ekachhatta or as isvara parama.....*pra Buddha......

pra nUrayaqa......rajadhamma......maha prasettha.

His other titles are:Maha krasaat (-MahU khattiya),
chakkrap'hat ( = Chakkavatti} and others.8

1. J. S. S. VII, 1,1910 p. 16.
2. Asiatic Researches, 1836, p, 249.