THE
PUNJABORIENTAL (SANSKRIT)
SERIES
NO. XIII.
THE
Punjab Oriental (Sanskrit) Series
OR
A COLLECTION OF RARE & UNPUBLISHED
BOOKS RELATING TO ANCIENT
INDIA
EDITED BY
THEWELL-KNOWN&EMINENTSCHOLAR5
OF
INDIA, EUROPE and AMERICA.
.No. 131
LAHORE (INDIA)
THE PUNJAB SANSKRIT BOOK DEPOT
1927.
THE INDIAN COLONY OF
SIAM
By
Prof: PHANINDRA NATH BOSE^ M.A«
Professor of Historyj Visvabkarati., Saiitiiiikotaiij
Antlior of Ind'KiTt TeQcJwTS of Muddh-ist Liii-
t^eTsiiieSf Inddiiii- Teiichfffs of 0}dM(i^
Indian Colony of Chanipa, Prined
of hldiiJitl BdpiiSiJStTa
etc, etc.
C
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS
Proprietors
The Punjab Sanskrit Book Depot
LAHORE
1927
PUBLISHED BY
MOTI LAL B4NARSI DAS,
Fvoprietors,
The Pnnjiib Sanskrit Book Depot
SAIDVIITKA STREET
LAHORE.
( Ail Rights Reserved).
1927.
j Ace, No,
1 ^
! Cici i O ,
Bock No.
~ . —ij
raiNTED BY
DUEGA DASS “Parbhazar”
Manager,
Tiie Bombay Sanskrit Press,
8AIDMITHA STREET,
LAHORE.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. Preface.
II. Foreword by Dr. P. C. Bagchi.
1. Sources of Siamese History i
2 . European travellers and writers of Siam lo
3. The colonisation of Siam 20
4. The Dynasty of Sukhothai 35
5. The Kingdom of Ayuthia 61
6. The Dynasty of Bangkok 9 ^
7. Monuments of Siam 9 ^
8. Religion of Siam ^ i ^
,9. Kingship in Siam ^22
iO. Literature in §iasj J 3 5
Appendix
(1) Kings of Siam... "
(2) Bibliography. i 54
(3) An Indian Festival in Siam. 15b
(4) Coronation of the Siamese King... 162
Preface
We in India are quite in the dark as to the extent
id greatness of that Greater India^ which had been
itablished outside India by the brave and adventu-
)us sons of India in the days of yore. I have attemp-
;d to tell that story in my former books : (!) Indian
"eachers of Buddhist Universities, which gives an
ccount of the teachers from India to the land of
now, {fV) Indian giving an account
f the band of pandits going over to China and
preading the culture and civilisation cf India with
he gospel of Lord Buddha for about a thousand
&2CCS, iflX) Indian colony of champa shows how an
odependent kingdom was established in Further India
)y Indian colonists.
I continue that story of Greater India in my pre-
;ent book, which attempts to show bow an Indian
lolony had been established in Siam, and how even at
;he present day, the culture and civilisation of India
survives in the kingdom of Siam.
My thanks are due to Moti Lai Bauarsi Das for
publishing this monograph.
1st March 1927
Visva-Bharati
Santiniketan
Phanindra Nath Bose
Foreword
Students of ancient Indian history will welcome
iDOther book from the pen of Prof. Phanindra Nath
Bose—“The Hindu Colony of Siam”. His previous
works* have already made accessible to us important
events of Ancient Indian history, such as the Hindu
colonisation of Champa and the introduction of Bud¬
dhism to China which we Indians should know. Ihe
present book deals with a new chapter of the history of
Indian colonisation of the Far East. It is mostly
the work of the French school of orientalists
and Prof. Bose’s sound knowledge of the French lan¬
guage has permitted him to utilise the works of the
French scholars which we generally ignore. The
systematic attempt which Prof. Bose is making since
last few years to interpret the history of the cultural
conquest of the Far East by India is a real service to
our country and deserves praise. The history of the
Indian colonisation of Indo-China and the Malay penin¬
sula forms a glorious chapter of the history of India.
This colonisation was a gradual cultural conquest by
peaceful methods and was not a colonisation in the
modern sense of the term, which implies the political
and economic exploitation of certain country by the
1 [a] Indian Teachers of Buddhist tJaiversifcies.
'£b] Indian Teaehers in China.
[e] Indian e-:iony of Champa.
immigrants from another who remain in close touch
with their mother-land which looks after their pros¬
perity and safety in times of danger. The ancient
Indian immigrants, however, allowed themselyes to be
assimilated by the people of the country where they
migrated contributing at the same time to the develop¬
ment of their civilisation. India does not seem to
have ever cared for these sons of hers who carried her
culture to dilferent countries and the Indian colonies
of Champa, Kambuja, Srivijaya etc. are mentioned, if at
ail, in an accidental way in her literature.
The Indians who colonised the Far-East followed
generally the sea-route. This route does not appear
to have been a new one. The non-Aryan people
which spread from Eastern India to Indo-China and
the Indian Archipelago in prehistoric times and which
is called by the modern anthropologists Austro-Asiatics,
have left restiges of their sea faring lives. It was
most probably the route already in use by these daring
navigators which was followed later on by tne Indian
colonisers, who did not really open a new one, but
only facilitated communication by the technical pro¬
gress of navigation under the best condidons of comfort
and efiSciency.*
At about the beginning of the Christian Era
groups of Indian settlers seem to have already reached
the Indo-Chinese peninsula and settled down in diffe-
1. 8. Levis. Pre-Aryea aod Pre-Draridieu daas F lade. J As.
1923.
nt parts of the country. Some of tnem prooauiy
nded on the western coast of the Malay penmsuia
:ar the Isthmus of Kra and proceeded northwards by
ic land route and some, in course of time, probab!%'
entured to proceed by the Straits and following the
:oast of the gulf of Siam reached the valley of the Me-
ong. One of these settlements in the valley of the
JeLng and another on the Annamese ^ coast formed
he nucleus of the Indian colonies which soon grew
ip into powerful kingdoms.
The Sanskrit inscription of Vocan, discovered
:n the vicinity of Khanh-hoa on the Annamese coast
and placed by sure evidence of palaeography
either in the end of the 2nd Cen. A. D. or the begmn-
inv of the 3rd, and a series of early inscriptions which
fonovv it permit us to make an idea of the ear y
Indian colonies in that region, which laid the
foundation of the kingdom of Champa. But
unfortunately there is no epigraphical record of the
early Indian settlements in the vallies of the Mekong
and the Menam. We have to depend mainly on
the Chinese sources for the history cf the Indian colo¬
nies founded in that region. The first kingdom which
the Chinse annals mention in the region, is Fu-nan
(Bhnom > Pnom), hinduised, if we are to believe the
traditions recorded by the Chinese sources, in the ist
cen A D. bv a Brahmin named Kaui? 4 i^ya (Houen-
tien). Fu-nan soon grew up to be mighty empire aud
e.'ttended its limits far beyond the bassin of the Me*
kong. It occupied all the coast of the gulf of Siam and
the centre of the Indo-chiness peninsula between the
Annamese Chain & the mountains which separate the
S'aloven from the Menam. It was bounded on the
east by Champa, on the North-east by Kiao tcheou
(Tonkin, a Chinese province at that time ) and on the
north by Chinese outpost of Je-Ban« The most impor¬
tant port of Fii*non which served as a distributing
centre for all her relations wnth India was Takkola
(Var Kakkola)^ situated on the western coast of Malay
peninsula a little to the south of the Isthmus of Kra,
The kingdom of Fo-nan was prosperous for several
centuries and it w^as only towards the end of the 6th
cen, A. D. that one of its vassal states, Kambuja rose to
powerj usurped the supremacy of Fu-nan and over¬
shadowed her. Henceforth we hear of the splendours
of the Empire of Kambuja and Fu-nan disappears
completely from the history.
The early history of the Siam is inseparable from
the history of Fu-nan—Kambuja. The valley of the
Menam formed an integral part of the kingdom of Fu-
nan and the empire of Kambuja for long centuries.
In the middle of the loth cen. the valley of the Menam
1. Teou-l^in-li of the Chinese travellers who visited Fu-nan in
the 3rd cen A. D. and Takola of Ptolemy who mentions it
as a very important harbour and market place. P. Pelliot—
Le-Fu-nan (BEFEO 11, 1902) j S. Levi, Ptolemee, laNiddesa
et le Brhatkatha, Etudes Asiatiques, voi IL
was divided into a large ntimber of small principalities
more or less dependant on the suzerainty of Kambiija-
desa. The most powerful amongst these states were
Sze 7 i and Lo hou, one situated in the upper valley of
the Menam and the other in the lower. From the
middle of the uth century till the middle of the I2th
cen. (1190?, 1207, 1233 A. D.), the slaves of the
country oi '^Syain'’ are mentioned in the Cham inscrip¬
tions. The galleries of Angkor-vat explain two
bas-reliefs by several short inscriptions ; one runs
thus ^‘T^rah Kamraieh mi Srijayasimha varman'm the
forests leading the troops of Two others illus¬
trate the soldiers of '''‘Sydui Kui."’ These inscriptions are
of the 12th century A. D.. The two countries here re¬
ferred to are without doubt Lo-hoii and Sien of the
Chinese annals.^ The country of Lro is also mention¬
ed in an inscription of the end of the icth century dis¬
covered at Lopburi. Lvoofthe Angkorvat inscription,
Lo IiQti of the Chinese annals, and Lavo of the ancient
Siamese is the same as the Lopburi (Sanskrit Nava-
pura) flourishing in the lower valley of the Menam.
Sien (or Sien I0) of the Chinese is the same as
the “Syam kut” of the inscriptions of Angkor Vat
and corresponded with the kingdom Sukhothai
1. Paul Pelliot—Deux Itiueraires, BE FED, p. 236 ff. I am
sorry that this highly important article has escaped the
notice of Mr. Bose. Prof.. Pelliot has collected there first
hand materials from the Chinese sources .for the Geography
and history of almost all the countries of Indo-Ciiina, Malaya
periin.siila, & the Indian archipelagcu
VI
(Sukhodaya), which occupied the upper valley of the
Menam. Towards the end of the 13th century the
kingdom of Sien (Syam) freed herself from the yoke of
Kambujadesa, and its capital at Siikhothai, The king
who succeded in asserting the independance of Sukho¬
daya is Rama Khamheng, 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
Suryavathsa 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 foundation of
Sukhothai (Sien) towards the end of the 13th 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
connection* with the skt. word Sydfna meaning
1. Mr Bose [p 2] derives the word from skt. Syama on the au¬
thority of G. Schlegel and thinks that the fair-eolonred Hin-
black* rhe word is the same as Syam of the
Khmer inscriptions and Sien of the Chinese
sources. The Malay has Syam, The original
svam) is identical with S/ian and A/iom iA/mm !>
AkUm > Askam > Asdm^ a branch of the Shaa race
that conquered Assam and gawe the country that name
io the f3th century). The people of Sjam or the
Siamese was a branch of the Laotien Thai which
migrated to the sooth, mixed op constaotiv with
Khmer people already hindinsed aod built up io course
of time the Siamese oacion* We do not know
anything about the first Thai migration to the Talley
of rhe Menam. But they had already settled down
before the Thai rulers appear in history. The legen¬
dary part of their aonals carry back their history to a
remote past but the facts irhich the historian can
accept with condfience do not allow os to say anything
previous to the foundatioo of the dynasty of Siikho-
fhai.
The liberation of the Siamese Thai from the yoke
of Cambodian suzeraoty is not probably an isolated
phenomenon in the history of the Far-East, It was
at about the same lime that the Aonamese people
<ius called the Dative popniation —Syama'k But
tile Hiodns who eome to these regions do not seem to have
been fairer than the Thai people. Moreover it is not ihe
foreignirs who gave that appelation to the people but thej
called themselves “Sjam’h The niithority of ScMegel is not:
a very trustworthy one. See Ynie—Hobson-Jobsoa, articles
On Siam, Judea etc; P. PelliotJoe, eil.
vIII
comes down, occupies a great part of the kingdom
of Champa which did not long survive the crushing de¬
feats at their hands; the Cambodian power is crumbled
by different Thai invasioas; another Thai people^ the
Aboms enters Assam and conquers it; the Sh 3 .ti states
of Upper Burma come into existance. The conquest
of Yun-nan and the powerful Thai kingdom of Nao-
chao by Khubilai Khan in 1254 A.- D. was probably
the immediate cause of the disintegration of the diffe¬
rent Thai people who left their places of origii:i for
new regions where they could maintain their indepen-
dance. The assertion of independance by the Siamese
was probably an indirect result of the advance of other
branches of the Thai people*
However obscure the early history of the country
now called Siam might be' we have ample data for
reconstructing its history from the end of the
13th century onwardsd This work of recons¬
truction has been done to a great extent by the
French.Scholars and-Mr. Bose, well acquainted with
their researches have tried to trace systematically the
history of Siam from the foundation of the Kingdom
of Sokhodaya up to the present time.
In the first two chapters Mr. Bose deals with the
sources of Siamese history, classes the documents ar-
1. For the mod dr n history see “A History of Siam”. By W. A.
E. Wood H. B. M. Consnl-genei’al, Chiengmai, published in
1926 by Fisher Unwin. The first portion dealing with the
aneieat history is not yery well written. But the nest part
of modern history is good.
chaeological or literary already studied by different
scholars, and mentions the most comprehensive works
on his subject. The third chapter deals with the
early colonisation of Siam. “The real history of
Siam”, the author admits, “is the record of the three
kingdoms in succession with capitals at Sukhothai, Ayu-
thia and Bangkok respectively”. “It may appear as an
anomaly to, many”, he says, “that while the Indian cul¬
ture went over to Champa and Camboja so early it is
so late in penetrating into Siam.” He however gives his
reasons. “It may be explained as due to Siam being
part and parcel of the mighty empire of Camboja
Further on in ch. VIII (p 89), “We can not strictly
draw a line of demarcation between the two ancient
kingdoms of Camboja and Siam. The ancient Camboja
at present comprises both (1) Camboja, under the
French Protectorate and (2) Siam proper”. I wish
Mr. Bose had emphasised a little more on this aspect
of the question as it explains the early hinduisation
of the people inhabiting the valley of the Menam,
This was certainly the early Indian substratum on
which the Thai built all their cultural superstructures.
Later on the Siamese kings when they adopted Bud¬
dhism imported missionaries from Burma and Ceylon
but that presupposes a previous acquaintance with some
sort of Indian culture which they received from the
people with whom they mixed up. Ch IV, V, VI
deal respectively with the dynasties of Sukhothai (?—
1349), Ayuthia (1350-1767), & Bangkok (£767—1926).
X
The culiural history of Siam dealt in the last three
chapters (ch. VII, monuments of Siam, VIII Religion
of Siam, IX Kingship in Siam) is very well presented
and are very interesting.
The standpoint of Mr. Bose, however, is not an
impartial one. He mostly emphasises on the Indian
influence on the Siamese civilisation and treats thus
one aspect of the history of Siam. But the evolution
of modern Siam is not solely a result of the Indian cul¬
ture which the Thai people inherited in the past.
There was something in the character of the Thai race
which has enabled them to defy all obstacles to their
freedom and which when excited caused the downfall
of kingdoms and Empires. From the 17th century on¬
wards Siam like contemporary Indian states came into
contact with diflferent European nations and at times
her freedom was in danger. It is not by an accident
that Siam only has come out of the tangles of Euro¬
pean diplomacy. There is something else which they
inherited not from India but their Thai forefathers who
came down from the north and once laid the founda¬
tion of their kingdom.
Whatever the standpoint of Mr. Bose may be his
book is a welcome contribution to our knowledge.
His aim to trace the history of the achievements of
our fourfathers in distant countries has been a success¬
ful one. His manner of presentation is clear and sim¬
ple and this is why I hope his book will not be merely
interesting to the specialist but to every body.
Calcutta 1 Prabodh Chandra
16.2.1927. j Bagchi
CO CO
Erratum.
Correct
p. 7 line i Paoosavadan =PhonsaTad?ln
p. 25 line 26 Hiuen Tsaog..vjsiLed=.heard of
p. 33 line 7 1S34 =1833
6 line 5 Ban Muzah =Baa Muaii
8 line 14 Pa!i---originof the='‘Pall” to be orait-
Siamese writing... ted.
p. 43 line 7 Khmere =Kh!iier
line 12, 17 Khenaer =Khtner
p, 49 line 22 Thaie =Thai
p. 50 line 6 Phraya Sua Thai=Phraya Lo Thai cf.
BEFEOXXI, p.
3‘5, n.2
p. 89 line 13 Laotine =Laotiea
CHAPTER 1 .
Sources of Siamese History.
Siam is one of the independent kingdoms of
iouth-Eastern Asia, where the religion of Lord
;3uddha is in a flourishing condition even at the pre-
ent day. It seems to be an irony of fate that, though
Buddhism had its origin in India, yet it could not find
i congenial home in India and had to take refuge to
iistant lands like Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Japan, China
md Tibet. In Siam, Buddhism still ‘ basks in royal
■avour,’ and reminds us of a Buddhist mediaeval king-
iom with the glamour of the days of Asoka and
Kaniska. Siam still boasts of over fifty thousand
[Honks and ten thousand novices.
It is, therefore, interesting to trace how Buddhism
penetrated into Siam and how with Buddhism all the
elements of Indian culture and civilisation found their
way in Siam. The history of Siam begins with the
foundation of an Indian dynasty. In telling the history
of Siam, we have to dwell on the coming in of the
Indian civilisation and culture. The Indian influence
can be seen from the very name of Siam. The primi¬
tive population of Siam, according to the Chinese
sources, was black and had curled hair. They were
allied to the wild tribes now inhabiting the interior of
1 . K. J. Saunders—Epochs in Buddhist History (Chicago,
1924) p. 114.
2
the Malay Peninsula.' They got their first civilisation
from the Malayas. About the third century, there
came the Chinese culture v?hich influenced the Siamese
language so much that more than a third of it are
Chinese words.* When the Indians came after them,
they occupied the north of the country and gradually
the south. Their successive capitals at Svargaloka,
Ayuddhya and Bangkok (1782) show the Indian in¬
fluence. The fair-coloured Hindus called the native
population‘Black’, skt. s'ya;«a ( Pali, They
called the kingdom iyamara\tham ( = skt. sydmarash-
ira^ meaning the Land of Blacks.* It is clear from
this that the fair coloured Hindus gave this name to
the country of Siam. The native name of the country
is Thai, meaning free or compassionate. The in¬
habitants also call the country of Siam as Muang Thai
or the country of the Thai race. This Thai race may
be traced in the Southern provinces of China. Before
the coming in of this Thai race, the country was in¬
habited by Laos. The evolution of the Siamese race
was due to the gradual fusion of Lao-tai and Khmer
races. From the census reports of 1905, it is known
that there are 6,230,000 men in Siam. Of this popu¬
lation 3,000,000 are Siamese, 2,000,000 Laos, 4,00,000
Chinese, 115000 Malayas, 80,000 Cambojans and the
1. Dr. G. Schlegel—-Siamese studies, p. 1.
2. Ibid p. 5.
3. Ibid pp. 6-7.
4 . Ibid p. 7 .
rest includes Burmese and Indians. The Siamese
have olive complexion. They are darker than the
Chinese, but fairer than the Malayese. They have thin
moustaches, but no beard. Their lips are deep red.
Throughout the history of Siam, we find Siam,
receiving two separate streams of civilisation, namely,
Chinese and Indian. We find the influence of Chinese
civilisation in the Siamese language. The influence
of Indian civilisation is still greater. Siam has accept¬
ed her national and state religion from India through
Ceylon. Buddhism has helped her to build up a vast
literature, thousands of monasteries and images. Even
her manners and customs betray the Indian influence.
In a word, her culture has come from India.
OUR SOURCES,
What are the sources of our history of Siam ?
These sources may be broadly divided into:
j ^ Epigraphy 4' Chronicles of cities
2 . Archaeology 5- Laws, and
2* Annals 6. Foreign documents.
I. Epigraphy.— Up to the present time, 200
inscriptions have been discovered in Siam. These
inscriptions may be divided as follows according to
their geograflhical distribution ; ■
1. Inscriptions'‘of the kingdom of Dvaravati, 6th
-8th century A. D., language—Pali and^Mon.
2. Inscriptions of the kingdom of Srivijaya, 8th-
I2th century A. D.,—Sanskrit and Khmer.
4
3. Inscriptions of the eastern and north eastern
provinces, 6th-13th century A. D.,—Sanskrit and
Khmer.
4. Inscriptions of the kingdom of Haripufljaya,
I2th-i3th century A. D.,—Pah and Mon.
5. Inscriptions of the kingdom of Sukhodaya,
I3th-i6th century,—Pali and Siamese.
6. Inscriptions of the kingdom of Yonaka (in the
north-west), I4th-i6th century,-Pali and Mon.^
7. Inscriptions of the dynasties of Ayodhya and
Bangkok. Post-fourteenth century.—Pali and
Siamese*^
It should, however, be remembered that the in¬
scriptions of all these groups donot treat of the history
of Siam. We have to come for that purpose mainly to
the inscriptions of the kingdom of Sukhodaya, of the
dynasties of Ayodhya and Bangkok.
Numerous inscriptions have been found in the
north of Siam, though they are not so important. The
oldest record goes back to the end of the 14th century.
They are, however, rare in the regions of Savankha lok,
Sukhothai and Kamphen Phet, but the most important
epigraphic records of Siam has been discovered in the
site of the ancient kingdom of Sachanalai. It gives
the names and dates of the kings of Siam, based on
the ancient cbro^e^_P;^ScHMn^ tra nslatea the
1. B. E. F. E-0. Jan-June 1924, p. 266.
2. B. E. F. E-0, XVI, 3, p. 1.
inscription, which was inserted in the books of Four-
N'EREAU and of Mission Pavie. Again in igii P.
Schmitt discussed about the date of the inscription.
Two years previous to this, in 1909 Dr. C. B. Bradley
translated the inscription into English under the head¬
ing—“ The oldest known writing in Siamese—the
Inscription of Ram Kamhueng of Siikholhat I2gj
A. D. in the Journal of the Siam Society (1909).
The first English translation of this inscription, ho%v-
ever, appeared as early as 1864 m the Journal of tne
xAsiatic Society of Bengal from the pen of Dr. A.
Bastian. M, P. Petithuguenin gave another refused
translation of the same in B. E. F. E -0 in 1916. A
collection of Sukhothai inscriptions has recently been
published.
II. Archaeology. —The kingdom of Siam is
rich in archaeological monuments. M. Fournereau
tried to collect details about the Siamese monuments.
Therefore, the maps, photographs and plans of his
book— Le Siam Ancien have some value to the
archeologists. It is gratifying to note that the
Siamese kings evince a great interest in the preserva¬
tion of these monuments. The king Vajiravudh
published in 1907 a valuable book in Siamese under
the name, Route oj Phrah Ruan, which gives a de¬
tailed account of the archeological remains of Siam.
M. Lunet de Lajonquiere studied the Siamese monu¬
ments in relation to the Camoojan art and has laid out
a plan for further study in his Le Domaine archeohgi-
6 '
gue d» Siam.' It was followed in .91= >> 3 ' tis &sai
d'inventaire archeologique dti Siam.
The Siamese style which had its origin in Ayu-
dhya from the 14th century, prevails even to the
present day in the whole of Siam.
III. Cferonicles. —There is no lack of chro¬
nicles in Siam. We have many Siamese chronicles
of cities, of pagodas and of particular notable families,
which offer an abundant mine of valuable information.
The oldest Siamese chronicle is—jinakulamalmi^
which was written in Pali in 1516. It was trans¬
lated into the Sia^nese language during the reign
of Phrah Buddha yot fa and was published from
Bangkok ‘in 1908. In 1906 Phya Prajakiccakaro-
CAKR compiled from numerous Laotine chronicles,
a new book called PhohsUvadmydnok, meaning the
Annals of Yonaka.
IV. Annals.— In Siam, the annals are known as
Phohsavaddn, equivalent to the Sanskrit Vamsdvaiara.
The principal Siamese annals are;
I. PhonsUvaddn nil a or Annals of ^the North,
compiled by the order of the king Culalonkorn and
published in the year 1869. It is a collection of
popular Siamese traditions-^^
"YbuH. de la commission archeologique de Undo-china,
1909.
2. Ibid, 1912.
7
2. Paonsavadan kruh kao or Annais of Ayiidhya
was compiled in 1795 during the reign of Phrah
Buddha yot fa, from some ancient documents.
It was translated into English by Rev. D. f. Ravlor
Jones in the Chinese Repository (Vol. V, VI, VII,
1836-1839).
3. Phohsavaddn kruh kao Chahdb Prasoi
Aksaranlti was discovered by Luan Prasot and pre¬
sented to the Siamese National Library in January
1907. It is dated c. s. 1042 (A. D. 1680). It was
■written at the request of the king Ptirah iNarayaija
based on old records. It has been translated into
English by Dr. O. Frankfurter under the name
“Translation of the Events in Ayuthya” in the
Journal of the Siam Society (Vol. VI. I 9 ° 9 )'
4. Phohsavaddn kruh kdo —was the Annals of
Ayudhya of Khun Luan Ha Vat Pradu Ron Dharma.
It was printed by Smith dated c. s. 1245 (A. D.
1884).
5. Rdjudhiruj —relates the history of Pegu
from 1268 A. D. to 1534. It traces the connection of
Pegu with Siam and Laos. It is compiled towards
the end of the seventeenth century and has been
translated into Siamese.
There are many other Siamese annals which
throw light on the history of Siam.
V. We now turn to the ancient Siamese laws,
which preserve for us some names of the kings of
Siam and their dates. The oldest Siamese law goes
even three years before the foundation of the kingdom
of AyudhyS.
VI. Foreign documents t The kingdom of
Siam came into contact with various countries in
course of its existence. The records of those foreign
countries incidentally throw some light on the history
of Siam. These foreign records include:—
(1) Cambojan, Peguan, and Cham epigraphy re-
lating to Siam,
(2) Indo-Chinese, Malayese, Javanese and Sinha¬
lese Annals,
(3) Some Japanese documents,
(4) Some Chinese records, and
(5) Accounts of European travellers from the
16th century A. D.^
These are the materials at our disposal to write
an account of the kingdom founded in Siam by Indian
colonists as well as that of the penetration of Indian
culture and civilisation in Siam. We shall try to
show that the Siamese culture of the present day is
nothing but a legacy of Indian culture. In religion,
Buddhism has gone and still enjoys the royal patron¬
age in Siam. In literature, Indian influence is easily
1. Notes critiques pour servir a I’histoire clu Siam P.
Petithuguenin, B. E. F. E-0, 1916. See also Journal
Asiatique 1903, Mars-Avril.
n
7
scernible. In manners and customs, the Siamese
minds us of the Indians. In the system of admiais-
ation of Siam, the Indian method still survives.
CHAPTER H.
European Travellers and Writers of Siam.
With the discovery of the route to the East by
le famous traveller Vasco de Gama, the European
ations, specially the Portuguese, began to flock to
le East in search of the undiscovered regions of gold,
t was at this time that the eyes of the European
ations fell upon Siam and other rich countries of
ndo-china. With Alphonse D’Aibuquerque as their
hief, the Portuguese went out on commercial ex¬
editions in search of the islands of epices making
lalacca their base. From a letter of Albuquerque
ated the ist. April 1512, we know that he had with
im a Javanese map in which “terra del rrey de
pyam ” was indicated.^ He sent an envoy to the king
f Siam with the object of establishing friendly re-
itions with him. The envoy went to Udia (Ayuthia)
rhere resided the king of Siam, the powerful sovereign
if a rich empire. Udia was an important city on the
)ank of a great river. The king, seated on a high and
iecorated throne, dressed in the Chinese fashion, re-
:eived the messenger of Alphonse D’Aibuquerque.
\fter sometime, the king in return sent an envoy to
\lbuquerque with some presents.
1. L. Fournereau—Le Siam Ancien, I, p. 4.
lO
The earliest map representing Siam and the Gulf
of Siam, according to M. Fournereau, was the one
prepared by Pero Reinel about 1517. About 1520,
we get another map by some unknown Portuguese
sailor of the same type as that of Reinel, It is quite
natural that the earliest maps or accounts of travels
relating to Siam should be by the Portuguese sailors.
Through out the 16th. century, we find the Portu- ^
giiese busy in exploring the unknown seas of the East.
In 1529, we get many other charts from Diego
Ribeiro, who was cosmographe royal at Seville.
Other early charts relating to Siam have been des¬
cribed by M. Fournereau in his Le Siam Ancien.
Towards the end of the sixteenth century, we find
a Portuguese traveller-jAN Huygen van Linschoten
who travelled through the East in 1596. His book is
known as— liinerario, voyage ofte Schipvaert, van jan
Huygen van Linschoten naer oost ofte Portugaels
Indien.
The Dutch followed the Portuguese in sharing ^
the vast wealth of the East. In the chart of Evert
Gijsberts soon, a geographe hollandais, we find only
a few places like Odia, Siam, Iliam and Bancaya indi¬
cated. In another chart of Mercator, published by
Hondius in 1613, Siam in the centre of
great island formed by the delta of Me-nam. Here
Ayuthia was called Diam or Odia.
In 1609, Antonio de Morga visited Siam among
other countries and wrote a book in Spanish called
II
The Philippine Islands.. Moluccas, Siam,
Japan and China at the close of the sixteenth century.
In i6ii Anthony Hippon set out on a voyage to
the East on board the ship Globe under the auspices
of the East India Company. He visited the coast of
Koromandel, Bantam and Siam. His yoyage was
afterwards written by Nathaniel Marten.
In 1625 Peter Heylin wrote A Little Descrip^
Hon of the Great World in which he describes Siam,
China and other ‘ principal kingdoms, provinces, seas
and isles thereof.’ A copy of this book exists m the
British Museum, London.
In 1626 Thomas Herbert came to Siam in course
of his tour round the East Indes. He wrote a book
describing his voyage under the name—
travels into divers parts oj Africa and Asia the Great
describing more particularly the Empires of Persia
and Industan.
The Dutch East India Company had established
a factory for the purpose of their trade in Patant in
1602. In 1604, they founded another depot at
Ayuthia in the kingdom of Siam. Joost Schouten was
Agent and the chief of the Dutch Factories in Siam
from 1624 to 1629. From his personal experiences,
he was able to write an account of Siam under the
name-A True Description of the Mighty kingdoms
of Japan and Siam in 1636. It was originally written
in Dutch and afterwards translated into English. An-
other work— Siam 2^0 years ago, A Description of the
kingdom of Siam, is also ascribed to him. It was
written in 1636, and a reprint was issued from Bangkok
in 1889.
He was succeeded by Jeremias van vliet, who
was in charge of the Dutch East India Company’s
interests in Siam from 1629 to 1634. He wrote an
interesting account of Siam named Beschryving yan
het Koningryk Siam which “is an account of the
origin, the political government, the distinctive charac¬
teristics, the religion, the manner of living of the
nobles and common people, the commerce and other
remarkable things concerning the kingdom of Siam.”
It was published from Leyden in 1692, and was trans¬
lated into English in the pages of the Journal of the
Siam Society (i9!o) by L. F. Van Ravenswaay.
In 1638 Frederick, Duke of Holstein sent John
Albert de Mandelslo to the Great Duke of Muscovy
and the king of Persia. He also travelled largely
through the East Indes. His accounts are found in
The Voyages and Travels of Mr. fohn Albert de
Mandelslo, (a gentleman belonging to the former
Embassy) into the East Indies, in the years 16j8,
i6jg and 1640. Containing a particular description
of the Empire of the Great Mogul, the kingdom of
Deccan etc.
In 1647 another Dutch traveller went to the
East Indies and wrote A New Voyage to the East-
Indies. It contains “a faithful narrative of the king-
dom of Siam.” It was published in A. D. 1676.
A French envoy M. de la Loubere was sent to
the king of Siam in 1687. From his personal experi¬
ences, he wrote an account of Siam under the name—
Description dii Royaume de Siam, par Mr. de la
Loiihere, Envoys extraordinaire du Roy aupr'es du
Roy de Siam, it was written in two volumes. The
first volume contains an account of the manners and
customs of the Siamese people. In the second volume
“a full and curious account is given of the Chinese
way of Arithmetic and Mathematics learning.”
With the formation of the English East India
Company English merchants and travellers began to
frequent the East Indies. So we find an English
traveller named Capt. Alexander Hamilton visiting
all the countries of the East up to the Island of Japan
in 1688-1723. His book —A new Account of the East
Indies, being the observations and remarks of Capt.
Alexander Hamilton, who spent his time there from
the year 1688 to ijsg. was published from Edinburgh
in two volumes in For these thirty five years
Capt. Hamilton was “ trading and travelling by sea
and land, to most of the countries and islands of com¬
merce and navigation, between the cape of Goodhope
and the island of Japan.”
He was followed by another English merchant
named Ralph Smith, who visited Siam among other
countries. We find an account of his trav'els in the
book— 77 /e Voyage of Mr. Ralph Smith, Merchant
of London. He went “to Ormuz, and so to Goa in
the East-Indies, to Cambaia, Ganges, Bengala; to
Bacola and Chonderi, to Pegu; and Jamahay m the
kingdom of Siam, and back to Pegu ; and thence to
Malacca, Zeilan, Cochin, and all the coast of the East-
India.”
In 1690, Cr. Engelbert Ksempfer, who was phy¬
sician to the Dutch Embassy to the Japanese Emperor’s
Court, wrote in High Dutch The History of Japan,
in which he gave “ a description of the kingdom of
Siam.” In the Journal of Siam Society (IV, pt. 3,
1909) Dr. O. Frankfurter, Ph. D. wrote an article
entitled—“ Some Remarks on Kaempfer s Description
of Siam, 1690.”
In 1771 a french writer published an account of
the civil administration and natural history of Siam m
Histoire civile et naiiirelle du royaume de Siam. ^ It
also contains an account of the revolutions which
caused the overthrow of the Empire in 1770.
It is interesting to note that as early as 1852 a.
book on Siam was published from Calcutta. It was
known as Siam: some general remarks on its produc-
tioiis by D* Mdllochm
Other well-known English travellers had visited
Siam even before Malloch. Of these English writers,
mention must be made of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles,
who was the English governor of Java for sometime.
! "
In 1S265 he wrote —The 3 Iisston io Sium^ and Hue
the capital of Cochin China,^ in the years 1821- 2. It was
collected from the Journal of the late George FinlaysoQj
a surgeon and Naturalist*
Another famous English traveller ivas John
Crawfured, who published his Journal of an Efftbassy
ffO'M the Governof’' General of India to the courts op
Siam and Cochin- China^ exhibiting a mew of the
actual state of those kingdoms^ in 1S28. He also
wrote about Siam in 1S2S in the Siam Repository
(VoL I. cct 1869).
After Crawfured, we get another English writer
on Siam, named Captain James Law, who contributed
many interesting articles in the Astatic Reseafches^
Iq 18361 he wrote on the Goverfiffient of Siam (As.
Res, 1836, p. 246). Ill the same year, he wrote on
Siamese literature {As, Res^ 1836, p- 33 ^)"
In 1857 an important book on Siam was brought
out by Sir John Bowring under the name of The
hngdom and People of Siam: with a narrative of the
Mission io that country in iSpS, It cootaicis the
history, an account of the manners, customs, supersti¬
tions, amusements^ legislation, language, literature and
religion of Siam.
in 1871 Henry Alabaster published The Wheel
of the LaWj which gives an account of the Siamese
Buddhism and the Siamese version of the life of
Gautama Buddha*
In recent times an interest has arisen among the
French scholars to reconstruct the history of Siam.
We find an eminent scholar Auguste J. Pavie
making an extensive excursion in the kingdoms of
Siam and Camboja. He embodied the results of his
investigations in Excursions dans le Camhodge et le
royaume de Siam. ( Excursions et Reconnaissances,
no. 9. i88i).
In 1894, this Mission Pavie carried on further
researches and investigations in Indo-China. We find
the result of the work of the mission published in
Memoires et Documents publics par les membres de la
mission sous la direction de MM. Pavie et Pierre
Lefevre Pontalis. The first part contains the trans¬
cription and translation of the inscriptions of Siam.
The first comprehensive book on Siam was writ¬
ten by a French scholar named Lucien Fournereau,
who brought out his book Le Siam Ancien in two big
volumes in 1895* The book was included in Annals
du Musei Guimet Series. It deals mainly with the
archaeology, epigraphy and geography of Siam. Here
ior the first time all the inscriptions relating to Siam,
which were collected up to that time, were all brought
together with their french translation. Though the
translation of some of the inscriptions has been ini-
proYcd by later scholars^ yet the book is still valuable
for our purpose for the important old maps of Siamy
which it contains.
I”
The work of the Mission Pavie was continued
still further. In 1898 the mission published f i?g!:/zgr-
ches sur la liieraiure du Combodge^ du Laws et du
Siam.) It was followed in the same year by another
work called Recherches sur rhistoire du Cambodge^
du Laos et du Siam.
In 19CO Prince Vividh Wasna Preeja wrote
about Siam in the Journal of the Mahabodhi Society
(March, 1900).
The interest of the local scholars was awakened
and found expression in the formation of the Siam
Society at Bangkok in 1904. The Society is intended
“for the investigation and encouragement of Arts,
Science and Literature in relation to Siam and neigh¬
bouring countries.” The papers read before the
Society are published in the Journal of the Siam
Society. Many important papers by Dr. O. Frank¬
furter and other scholars hare appeared in this
journal.
The Siamese Government also have brought out
many important books in Siamese relating to the
history, religion and archaeology of the country. They
have also published various Siamese xAnnals. These
Siamese books, however, are sealed books to those
scholars who are not acquainted with the Siamese
language.
CHAPTER IH.
The Colonisation of Siam.
The modern kingdom of Siam, which forms a
major part of the Indo-Chinese Peninsula, is inhabited
by Thais and Laotians, who may be traced to the
ethnic family of the Thais or free men coming down
from the Tibetan plateaux into Indo-China.
Siam is the youngest of all the kingdoms which
grew up in the Greater India beyond the seas. It
comes out very late as an independent kingdom. Its
early history forms part and parcel of the great king¬
dom of Camboja. The legendary period extends
from the earliest times to the foundation of Ayuthia in
the thirteenth century. This early history chiefly
consists of legends and fables, which go back even to
the fifth century B. C. claiming the ruling king as
descendant of some of the disciples of Lord Buddha.
It is true that the Indians had begun to settle in Siam
in the early centuries of the Christian era, but Siam at
that time had no independent existence. The Siamese
tried to free themselves from the Cambojan Vnssalage,
but were not successful until the thirteenth century.
The real history of Siam is the record of three
kingdoms in succession with capitals at Sukhothai,
Ayuthia and Bangkok respectively. The names of
the first two capitals show Indian influence. They
may be rendered into Sanskrit as Stikhodaya and
AyodhyU.
It is to be noted that the history of Indian coloni¬
sation of Siam does not go so far back as that of
Champa in the early days of the Christian Era. The
coining of the Indian influence is very late in Siam.
It is onlv in the thirteenth century A. D. that we find
an Indian colony growing up in Siam. It maj" appear
as an anomaly to many that while the Indian culture
went over to Champa and Camboja so early, it is so
late in penetrating into Siam. It may be explained as
due to Siam being part and parcel of the mighty
empire of Camboja. It must, however, be said to the
credit of Siam, that she preserves Indian culture and
civilisation even to the present day. She still conti¬
nues to be ruled by a dynasty, which claims to be
Indian. Her religion, her Sangha, her numerous
beautiful monasteries still speak of the message of
Lord Buddha, which went forth from the mainland of
India.
What is the origin of the kingdom of Siam ? We
find a tradition, preserved in Siam, which points to an
exiled Chinese prince as the first king of Siam. We
have that tradition in the Description of the kitigdom
of Siam by Jeremias ran Vliet. We read: ‘‘More
than two thousand years ago the country of Siam was
an uninhabited wilderness. In a few places there
lived some hermits and heathens and as we have heard
from some reliable persons, there was in China, at that
time an Emperors son who attempted his father’s
life and to take the imperial crown, in which attempt,
20
however, he did not succeed. The Emperor....
after many supplications was persuaded not to take
the life of his son and his followers, prowided that
they all should leave China and that they should
wander as outlaws and never return again.
“ These exiles tried to populate uninhabited
countries and to extend their power. They travelled
first through the land of Chiampa, after that Cambodia,
from where they sailed with their boats to the Gulf of
Siam. 'I'hey first landed at the cape now called Cuy,
settled down there and built a town, and to show
their thankfulness to the gods erected a fine temple
and many pyramids.At last the place Judia
was found where at that time there stood only a small
temple (which is still existing) and where seven
hermits were living, who resembled each other exact¬
ly, and were all children of parents who had also the
same appearance.”^
We can accept this tradition of a Chinese Prince
establishing the kingdom of Siam, because it was from
China that the first wave of civilisation came to Siam.
After the Chinese ware, there came the wave of
Indian colonists. Though, Siam in the early times
was included in the kingdom of Camboja, yet she was
receiving batches of Indian colonists on her soil from
time to time. A Tamil inscription, whic h has been
1. Journal of the Siam Society. Yol. VII (1910) parti,
pp. 6-7,
discoYcrGci in Sisiiij tdls us liow ths Inui3.n lucrchsnts
used to go to trade and settle in Siam in the early
centuries of the Christian Era. “ According to Col.
Gerini, the inscription is engraved on a stone just
discovered at old Takuapa (Takopa) within the pre¬
cincts of Wat Na-Miiang, in the middle of a former
bed of the river in the Malay Peninsula.” It is
written, according to Hultsch, in archaic Tamil, which
resembles the Tiruvallam inscription of Vijaya-Nandi-
vikramavarman.* It may, therefore, be placed in the
eighth or ninth century A. D. The translation
reads:—
^ j ^ .of ( Bhaska jravarman—.the
hoops of the team of oxen touching our boundary (? ).
Prosperity !
( L. 4 ) Naranam (is) the refuge of the members
of Manigramam and of the members of the detach¬
ment and of the bowmen (?).
Ndratiam means a temple of Visnu and Jfcjnf-
grdmam is the name of a trading corporation. Thus
in the eighth or ninth century A. D., there was in
Siam an Indian trading corporation, perhaps from
South India, who made this temple of Visnu. It
might have been the result of a naval expedition,
oarisoned by Tamil Vaispava soldiers.
J? ' _.. . . —. . - . . “
1 . South Ind. Ins., Vol. Ill, p. 91 .
2 . E. Hultsch —Note on a Tamil Inscription in Siam-
J. E. A. S., 1913 , pp. 337 - 9 .
Thus we Bud that already in the eighth century
there had existed an intercourse between Siam an
India. The Indian merchants used to come to ra e
with Siam and settle in colonies in Siam. They also
established temples of Visou and other Indian culture
and civilisation began to spread over Siam.
Indians had come and settled in Camboja even
before this age. With the coming in of the Indians,
who brought with them a highly developed civilisa¬
tion. the whole face of Indo-China began to change.
The penetration of the Hindu Civilisation, was pro-
gressive and pacific*
How did the Indians come oTer to Siam ? What
route did they follow ? With their keen commercial
instinct, they found out two routes, one by land, and
the other by sea. By land they would pass_ through
Assam and Burma gradually into Indo-Chma. By
sea, they would easily approach Java, Bali, Sumatr
and other islands of Indian archipelago, from where
they could advance towards the mainland of the Malay
Peninsula. Their first establishment was fixed in
Burma and the other at Ligor in the Gulf of wm.
From there they went to Siam and Camboja.
Ligor, Sri Dharma-raja-nagara of the Hindus, occupies
an important place in the local tradition.
As Siam has no separate existence in the early
centuries of the Christian Era, we must refe r to the
1. Le Siam Ancien—L. Fournereau, I, p. 49.
record of Camboja before Siam became an indepen¬
dent kingdom. At that time, Siam was ir.ciuded in
the dominions of Camboja.
When did the Indians come to colonise Camboja ?
It is difficult to answer this question with certainty.
We cannot fix the date of the inaoguratian of the
movement of Indian imigration to Siam. M. Four-
nereau holds that it may be before the Buddhist period,
that is to saxq Brahmanism had preceeded Buddhism
in these places. From other sources we can place
the date to the third century of the Christian Era.
The Indian colonists gradually spread over the
whole of Indo-China and developed various small
kingdoms w^ith the social and political organisations
cf their own. We come to know these Indian colo¬
nies from their sanskritic names which are found in
the inscriptions amidst the ruins of magnificient temples
and monasteries. From the numerous inscriptions
and the local tradition, .M. Fournereau has collected
the six Sanskritic names of the Indian colonies, which
grew up in Indo-China. They are.
( I ) Yavana desa
( 2 ) Campa desa
(3) Kambuja desa
(4) Sydma desa
( 5 ) Ranianya desa, and
(6) Malaya desaP
1. Le Siam Ancien—L. Fournereau, I, p. 50.
M. Fournereau next proceeds to locate these six
Indian colonies. If we are to believe the annals o
Luang.Phrabang. which is published by Pavie,
DcOa was situated on the north of the
prising the regions of Me-Khong with Cudimma-
na^ufl as capitaL
The Campa Deia or the country o t e ams
lay on the south-east, comprising
the sea. Its capital was Campapura. It is identi
with the modern province of Annam. , i
The Kambuja Dtia comprised t e ®
Camboja or Cambodia and the kingdom of Thais up
to the Malay side with the Guli of Siam as limit,
grew up as one of the most powerful and flourishing
kingdoms of the Peninsula.
In the north-west was Syama desa or the coun y
of Siam, occupying part of the actuM
Salouen which separates Ramanya Desa.
the important cities of this colony was Haripunyapura
(Lamphum ). Towards the west, Sya.«a desa seems
to extend up to Mauipura and the country of Assam
Tbe Bur--the people of Siam, Skans, and
the Annamites called them Xiems.
Ramanya Desa contained the actual Pegu an
part of Burma. Lastly, in the south was Malaya
Desa occupying the same position as now.^
With the coming of Indian colonists, t ey sprea
OTer the whole of the Malay penin sula. It is d ifficult
"TTrsiam Ancien— L. Fournereau, I, pp- 50-52.
to say when this ware of Indian colonisation came
over to Indo-China. It may be in the first century of
the Christian Era. We know that Champa was colo¬
nised in the first century A. D. The colonisation cf
Cambodia took place about the same time. It is not
possible that the Indian colonisation of Indo-China
was simultaneous. The colonisation was due not to
any organised attempt on the part of Indians. It was
not sent on behalf of any Indian Prince or Emperor.
Different batches of Indian merchants and colonists
went to various parts of Indo-China and islands of the
Indian archipelago. These Indian colonists did not
receive any form of help from the mother-country.
These Indian colonies differ from the British colonies
in this respect that the Indian colonies were not im¬
perialistic in their tendency.
We get the names of these kingdoms in Sanskrit,
Khmer and Thai inscriptions found in Indo-China.
Thus Yavana Desa is mentioned in the annals of
Luang-Phrabang. The Yavanas are also mentioned,
according to M. Fournereau, in the Sanskrit inscrip¬
tions of Campa desa, which were studied by M. Abel
Bergaigne. Other inscriptions attest the existence of
Kambuja desa and Ramanya desa. The Siamese
Mss, mention Syama desa' The Chinese traveller
Hiuen Tsang on his way back to China visited
Kambuja desa and Campd desa.
That the Indian domination of Indo-China lasted
for a considerable period of time, is proved by the
existence of numerous Indian names of the cities of
the Peninsula. The existence of Indian names of the
cities betray the extent of Indian influence in Indo-
China. When the Indian colonists settled in the
country and established kingdoms, they gave Indian
names to the cities and kingdoms. Those names of
Indian origin surrire even to the present day. M.
Fournereau mentioned many such names in his Le
Siam Ancien. We give below a few of those
names;—
Sri Dharmaraja nagara=(modern) Nakhon Ligor
Rajapurl = Ratpfiri
Ayodhya = Ayuthia
Navapura = Lophaburi
Vijaya = Phixai
Sajjanalaya = Kampheng phet
Sukhodaya = Sukhothai
Cudhamanagarl = Luang Phrabang
Hamsavati = Hangcavadi ( Pegu )
Vicitrapura or Vicitra = Phixiter
Sangkaloka = Sangkalok
Uttaratirtha = Uttaradith
Haripunyapura = Lamphum
Nagara (?) = Angkor Thom
Campapura = Campa in Annam
Vyadhapura = Angkor Baurey
Ugrapura or Agrapura = Phnom Bachey
Huma ( Uma ?) Nagara = Phanrang.^
1. Le Siam Ancien—L. Fournereau, I, pp. 52-64.
27
These names of the cities of Indo-China pro?e
conciusire’y the extent of Indian infloence in that
country.
The wave of Indian colonisation, as we have
already stated, came over first in Annam (Champa)
and Cambodia ( Camboja). Indian civilisation deeply
influenced both the Chains and Khmers. Indian
culture thus found its way into Indo-China. The re¬
ligion, which the Indians brought with them, was
Hinduism. The cult of Siva and Visau, therefore,
began to flourish there and magnificient temples were
dedicated to these gods of Brahmanic faith. In some
cases, these colonial temples were more grand than
those in the mainland of India. The superb temple
of Angkor-Vat may be cited as an instance on this
point. The magnificience of this temple can hardly
be surpassed by any Indian temple. It should, how¬
ever, be borne in mind that, only through ths influence
of Indian art such a marvellous piece of work had
been possible. Indian art inspired the local artists
with the high ideals of art. It is vain to expect such
marvellous work of art from Evhmers, the natives of
Camboja. It was not even possible for them to con¬
ceive such grand mo.numents. With the colonists,
came bands of Indian architects, who trained the local
Khmer artists. The Indian artists gave inspiration to
local workmen and conceived such beautiful monu¬
ments as are found scattered even now throughout
the Ko^mhoja Desa.
28
A question may, here, be raised : From where
did these Indian artists come ? Did they hail from
the north or south of India ? It is not possible, on the
whole, to restrict the limit in such a way. Like the bulk
of the colonists, they might have hailed from all parts
of India. Each band of colonists might have counted
among its number men from different parts of India.
The majority of artists might have come from the
South of India, because the style of architecture found
prevalent in Kdmhoja desa is Dravidian. We have
already spoken of the two routes which were used by
the Indian colonists in coming over to Indo-China.
It was possible for the artists from South India to cross
over the sea in coming to the coast of Indo-China.
Indians, coming as the inheritors of an ancient
civilisation, established a powerful kingdom under the
name of Camboja. The kingdom of Camboja flourish*
ed until the period when the followers of Islam began
to impose their religion on the people of Asia.
Though, Islam penetrated into India and made in¬
roads on the islands of the Indian archipelago, yet it
could not make any successful movement towards
Indo-China. This period, however, should be regarded
as “the commencement of the decadence of the great
Indo-Chinese civilisation.” With the gradual fall of
the kingdom of Camboja, Siam raised up its head.
The Thais became powerful by this time and asserted
their independence in the thirteenth century. On the
ruins of the Indian colony of Camboja, rose up another
Indian colony, namely, the kingdom of SyUma desa.
This is the beginning of the kingdom of Siam,
which commences from the year 1350. DvarUvaii
became the capital of the new kingdom under the
name of Ayuthia ( Ayodhya).
This new kingdom was essentially Indian in
character. The ruling princes of Siam still claim to
be descendants of Indian colonists. Their religion is
Indian, their manners and customs speak of their
Indian origin. We do not know whether the first
historic king of Siam, Indraditya, was an Indian by
birth, or whether he traced his descent from any
Indian colonist in Siam. His Indian name, if he was
a Thai Prince, shows how greatly he was influenced
by Indian culture. As the culture and civilisation of
Siam was only a legacy of India, we can call Siam—
an Indian colony. From the cultural point of view,
Siam has to acknowledge a debt to India.
With the foundation of this new kingdom, a
change came over Siam. Hinduism came to be re¬
placed by Buddhism in the thirteenth century. Bud¬
dhist missionaries came over to Siam to preach the
gospel of Lord Buddha. Sometimes, learned Buddhist
priests were invited from other countries to consoli¬
date the Buddhist church in Siam. They also brought
Pali literature with them to Siam, because it was Pali
Buddhism or Uinayana form of Buddhism which
Siam had accepted. There was a consequent building
of many new monasteries for the dwelling of the Bud-
dhist priests. The Hindu god Siva now lost his place
of honour and was dethroned by Buddha. There
wasj however, a serious loss from the artistic point
of view. With the rise of this new kingdom, the
class of artists wdiich had come from India, disap*
peared. The local artists, who were trained by their
Indian gurus, could not keep up the high aesthetic
standard set up by the Indian artists. This new’ age,
therefore, is marked by the decay of art and sculpture
in Siam. The superb temples of the former days were
succeeded by pagodas, though of colosal dimensions,
yet devoid of the architectural beauty of the temples.
The architects of this age of decadence were of inferior
type and could not successfully imitate the grand
models setup by their predecessors. The aesthetic
sense of the artists of the previous age did not find
any echo in the hearts of the new artists in the con¬
ception of new monuments.
It should net, however, be concluded that all the
Buddhist images are the products of this new age.
Some of the beautiful statues of Buddha w’ere execute
ed by the artists of the Cambojan age. Even at that
period, Buddhism had found its way into the Cambejan
Empire. It w^as flourishing side by side with Brahman¬
ism as proved by ^ Khmer inscription of Lophaburi,
and was enjoying royal favour like its rival. Thus the
artists of that age had to make the images of Buddha
by royal order as they would the Brahmanic images.
1. Le Siam Ancien—L. Fournereau, I, p, 58.
35
For this reason we have some images of Ecddha
which are very beautiful, while others are rather
crude.
Thus, we have seen that Siam emerges out as an
independent kingdom about 1350 A. D. From the
very beginning of its history, Siam is influenced by
Indian culture and civilisation. Siam might not have
been colonised by people from India directly, but it
was founded by indraditya, who had been thoroughly
Indianised. She has taken all the elements of her
culture from India. Her religion, which is Buddhism,
is Indian, her literature is Pali, her manners and cus¬
toms are also Indian. For these reasons, we regard
Siam as an Indian colony.
CHAPTER IV.
The Dynasty of Sukhothai.
In telling the story of Siam, we have to recount
the successive dynastic histories of the kingdoms of
Sukhothai, Ayuthia and Bangkok respectively. In
the course of six centuries the capital of Siam was
gradually shifted from Sukhothai to Ayuthia and thence
to the present capital Bangkok.
The history of Siam commences with the rise of
the kingdom of Sukhothai ( Sukhodaya ), for the study
of which we consult the following:
32
(I) Notes critiques pour servir a I’histoire
du Siam^
(2 ) Documents sur la dynastic de Sukhodaya
par G. Coedes^
(3) Le Siam Ancien par Fournereau®
(4) The oldest known writing in Siamese by
C. B. Bradley/
I—SRI INDRADITYA.
The Siamese chronicles give a confused account
of the beginning of the history of Siam. Like the
annals of other countries, they are also full of mythical
accounts. Leaving aside all the myths and stories,
we shall have to glean together the historical facts.
From the vast sea of legends and traditions, we can
just see the gleam of history in the first historic king
of Siam. This first historical king was Srz IndrUditya,
who has been identified with Sri Snrya Phrah Maha
Dharmarajadfiiraja of the Siamese Annals.® He came
to the throne in M. S. 1240 = A. D. 1218. His capital
was Sajanalaya Sukhodaya. Thus he was the
founder of this royal dynasty of Sukhodaya, which
lasted from M. S. 1240 to M. S. 1398 = A. D. 1218 to
1376. We are fortunate in having an important
inscription of Sukhodaya (now preserved at Bangkok)
1. E. E. F. E-0, XVI, 3. 1916.
2. Ibid, 1917.
3. Vol. I, p. 225.
4 Journal of the Siam Society, 1909 (VI, I).
giving an account of this dynasty. The estampage,
translation and transcription of this inscription are
given in Le Siam Ancten of M. Fournereau and in
the second volume of Etudes diverses of the Pavie
Mission, also in the Journal of the Siam Society by
Dr. Bradley (1909) and in B. E. F. E-O in 1916.
This inscription was brought to Bangkok in 1834 by
king Mongkut while he was a priest. Of this inscrip¬
tion, Dr. O. Frankfurter says : “It is a typical Bud¬
dhist inscription, recording, not so much deeds of war
and conquest, but the happiness which the people of
the realm enjoyed in the reign of Phra Ramkamheng,
what he did for the culture of the people, how he
understood the Buddhist religion, what are the maxims
of Government by which he was guided, how he was
the first to use the written Thai characters for record.
.of course attempts have been made to explain it.
We have first a version given by Professor Bastian in
the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol.
XXXIV ( 1864). He simply recorded what the
scholars in King Mongkut’s reign told him; no attempt
was made to elucidate doubtful points, and he did not
publish the original version by which to control it.
We have also in Bowring’s Siam a short reference to
this inscription. But the first scholars who seriously
attempted an explanation was the late Pere Schmitt.
He gave two different versions, first in the Excursions
et Reconnaisances, VoL VII and later in the Mission
Pavie, (Paris, 1898). There are small differences in
34
the translation, and we must admire the diligence
bestowed on it, but the Rev. Father can scarcely
escape the reproach that in his explanations he was
influenced by the Aryan Theory. Siamese versions
and explanations have likewise been published.^
This well known inscription was issued by the
third king of the dynasty Rsma Raja. We get a short
account of the King Indraditya, the first king, from
this inscription. His son says in the inscription about
his father: “My father's name was Si Intharathit.
My mother's name was Lady Siiang (Nan Suran).
My elder brother’s name was Ban Muang (Ban
Muran, Warden of the Realm). We, elder and
younger born from the same womb were five; brothers
three, sisters two. My elder brother who was first,
died and left me while yet little.®
The king Indraditya, therefore, had three sons by
his queen Nan Suran. Of these the eldest died early,
and there remained Ban Muran, and Phrah Ram
Khainhen, who was the youngest. During the reign
of this king, an attack of the enemies took place, in
which youngest son played a prominent part. The
story of the attack is thus related by the youngest
prince: “When I grew up reaching nineteen rice-
harvests, Khun Sam Chon ( Prince of Three Peoples ),
lord of Miiang Chawt, came to Muang Tak. My
1. Journal of Siam Society, VI, I, (1909) pp. 65-66.
2. Ibid., p. 25. .
father went to fight Khnn Sam Chon by the right.
Khan Sam Chon pressed on to meet him by the left.
Khan Sam Chon charged in force. My father’s
people fled in haste, broken and scattered. I fled not.
I bestrode the elephant Neka Phon (Host of Warriors).
I urged him into the melee in front of my father. I
engaged Khun Sam Chon in elephant-duel. I myself
thrust Khan Sam Chon’s elephant—the one called
Mat Miiang (kingdom’s Treasure) so that he was
worsted. Khun Sam Chon was vanquished, fled.”^
Thus the youngest prince defeated the enemy
Khun Sam Chon. The prince was duly honoured for
this act of bravery. He says: ‘ My father, therefore,
raised my name to the title Phra Ram Khamhasng, be¬
cause I thrust Khun Sam Chon’s elephant.’
The young prince serred his father faithfully in
his lifetime. He says in his inscription ; ‘ During my
father’s time I was support and stay unto my father;
I was support and stay unto my mother. If I got the
body of a deer or the body of a fish, I brought it to
my father. If I got any fruit, tart or sweet, that I ate
and relished, ate and found good, I brought it to my
father. If I went to hunt elephants, and got them, I
brought them to my father. If I went to hamlets or
towns, and got elephants, got elephant’s trunks, got
slaves, got damsels, got silver, got gold, I brought and
left them with my father.”®
1. Journal of Siam Society, VI, I, (1909) p. 25.
1. Ibid.j p. 25.
36
Thus reigned the King Indraditya, the founder of
the Sukhodaya dynasty with the active help and co¬
operation of his son, who became one of the foremost
kings of Siam.
II—Bx 4 N MURAN.
At the death of the King Indraditya, his second
son Ban Murah succeeded him on the throne of Siam.
His heroic brother Phra Ram Khamhaeng continued
to help his elder brother, now king of Siam, in the
administration of the kingdom. The king’s brother
thus says in his inscription—‘ My father died. I con¬
tinued to be support and stay unto my brother, just
as I had been to my father.”
Ill—RAMA RAJA OR RAM KHAMHEN.
( 1283 A. D.)
After the death of the king Ban Muran, his
younger brother RSma Raja or Ram Khamhen came
to the throne of Siam (before 1283 A. D.). He thus
speaks of himself in his inscription—‘ My brother died,
so I got the realm to myself.’
Rama Raja was one of the greatest kings of Siam.
It was he w’ho issued the celebrated inscription of
Sukhodaya. The story of the discovery of this in¬
scription is thus told by H. R. H. Prince Vajiranan:—
“In the year 1195 he (the Prince) made a progress
through the northern provinces, doing reverence at
various shrines, until at last he reached Sukhothai.
Here as he wandered about, he came upon a certain
large flat slab of stone set in niasoRr’v on the terrace
beside the ruins of an old palace. The stone ivas an
object of reverence and fear to al! the people. If an}"
one failed to bow before it, or presumptuously walked
up to it, he would be striken with fever or other
disease. When the Prince saw it, he walked straight
up and sat down to rest upon it: and, because of the
power of his good fortune, he suffered no harm what¬
soever. On his return to the capital he had the stone
brought down and set in masonry as a platform at
Wat Rachathiwat. After his accession to the throne,
he had it brought to Wat Phra Sri Ratana Satsadaram
(Wat Phra Kso). He also secured a stone pillar
inscribed in Khamen letters, and one inscribed in an¬
cient Siamese, both standing now in Wat Phra Sri
Ratana Sat-Sadaram;—of wonderful import, as if pre¬
saging that he would be sovereign of Siam, a king of
majesty, power, and goodness far-reaching, like the
Phra Bat Kamaradeng At,.who was king in
Sukhothai, as recorded in that inscribed stone.”
The most important work of the king Rama Raja
was the discovery of a new script for his people. In
his inscription he says that in M. S. 1205, he invented
a special kind of writing for the Siamese. He says:
‘ Heretofore, there were no strokes of Siamese writing.
In 1205 of the era, year of the Goat, Prince Khun
Ram Khamhaeng sought and desired in his heart, and
put into use these strokes of Siamese writing. And so
these strokes of Siamese writing are, because that
Prince put them to use.’
This is the beginning of the Siamese alphabet.
The script discovered by Ram Khamhen has develop¬
ed into the modern Siamese writing, which tries ‘to
express a language with tones in an alphabet.’ The
modern Siamese language, therefore, according to Dr.
G. Schlegel, consists of the most hetrogenous ele¬
ments, which elements the Siamese cut up, in order
to reduce them to monosyllables in the Chinese
fashion, so that it is no easy task to find out whence a
word is taken and which was its primitive form.^
What is the origin of this Siamese writing ?
Various theories have been advanced about its origin.
They may be grouped under three classes, namely,
(I ) Theory of a Pali and a Sinhalese origin
of the Siamese writing
( 2) Theory of a Burmese origin, and
(3) Theory of a Cambodjan origin.
Prof. C. B. Bradley examines all these theories in
his paper on The Proximate Source of the Siamese
Alphabet^ and comes to the conclusion that it is from
the Cambodjan alphabets that the Siamese alphabets
are derived. He summaries his arguments thus:
Cambodian culture was Brhmanical and Indwn
throughout. Cambodian writing retains its distinctive
Sanskrit features to the present day. Historically,
the shape of the Cambodian letters—originally Indian
1. Schlegel—Siamese Studies, p. 7.
2. Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. X, 1913, pp. 1”12.
39
—underwent gradual change, until in the thirteenth
century A. D., they are found to approximate very
nearly the Sukhothai letters inscribed a little later.
The close cultural contact between the two peoples
suggested by the epigraphy, is strongly corroborated
and extended by consideration of the very large bor¬
rowings from Cambodia found in Siamese speech,
ceremonial art and government/
According to Sir Charles Elliot also, this alpha¬
bet appears to have been borrowed from the Cambo¬
dian source, but some of the letters particularly in
their later shapes show the influence of the Mon or
Taiaing script.®
We, therefore, conclude that it was from the
alphabets of Camboja that the Siamese alphabets were
borrowed in the time of the king Rama Raja.
The king had his capital at Sukhodaya, of which
a glowing description is given in the royal inscription.
This capital city had four gates, where people throng
in large numbers on ceremonial occasions. As the
king himself was a Buddhist there were great temples
in the city of beautiful image of Buddha. The in¬
scription continues: ‘ There are reverend teachers,
there are venerable monks; there is a Mahathen
{Makaihera, Arch-priest). Toward sunset from this
city of Sukhothai is a forest monastery. Prince Rhun
1. Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. X, 1913, p. 11.
2. Hin duism and Buddhism, III, p. 80. n.
40
Earn Khamh^ng made of it an offering unto Phra
Mahathen (Mahathera )j the Arch-priest, the scholar
who studied the Tripiiaka unto its end, the head of
his order, and above every other teacher in his realnio
He came here from Sithammarat« In the midst of
that forest monastery is a temple-building that is
large, lofty and exceeding fair« It has an eighteen-
cubit image standing erectd^
The city of Sukhodaya was fully described. To
the East of the city, there vrere temples where lived
venerable teachers. Towards bed’s foot (north
there was a market, also a prasai and groves of coco-
anut. Toward bed’s head (south) the country pros¬
pered, if they were neglected, the country declined.
Justice was administered with proper discretion
during the reign of Ram Khamhen. If there was any
quarrel, the king would try to get at the truth and
decide the case righteously for his subjects. Like
the Indian king Asoka, the king could be approached
by all his ’subjects. He laid it down that Tf lolk
aggrieved within town or city have controversies or
matters that -distress them within and cramp their
hearts, which they would declare unto their lord and
prince,—there is no difficulty.® In that case, his
order was i ^‘Goring the bell which has been hung
1. Journal of Siam Society, 1909, p. 28.
2. It reminds us of the Indian custom of lying down with
foot to the north and head to the South.
41
up.” Prince Khun Ram Khamhasng, lord of the
realm, could hear the call. When he had made in¬
vestigation, he would sift the case for them according
to right.^
From this royal inscription, we know something
of the Siamese society. The nobles of Siam were
called Cdo or Khun and the ordinary people— Phrai
and Khu.
Towards the East, the kingdom of Sukhodaya
extended to the banks of the Mekhong and beyond
it to Chava; to the West to Hamsavati or Pegu.*
The king bore a high-sounding title— Pho Khun
Pam Khamhen Cao Miirah Sri Sajandlaya Sukho-
daya. The king was often called Khun Ndi (mean¬
ing Prince and master) of the Ma, Kao, Lao and Thai
races. He gave to his father the title of Pho Khun :
Pho meaning father, and Khun —one w’ho nourishes.
.The King Ram Khamen was the ideal king of
Siam. He enjoyed a long and prosperous reign. He
‘sought to be ruler and lord unto all the Thai, sought
to be preceptor and instructor to teach all the Thai
to know true virtue and righteousness. Among men
that lived in the realm of the Thai, for knowledge
and insight, for bravery and daring, for energy and
force, there could not be found a man to equal him—
able to subdue hosts of enemies with cities wide and
elephants many.’ _
1 . J. S. S., YI, I, p. 26 .
2 . Hinduism and Buddhism, III, p. 80 .
42
The inscription of this great king is dated 1214 of
the era, which has been identified with the Great Era,
Maha Sakkarat beginning in A. D. 79. So the date
corresponds to A. D. 1293.
iv_hrdaya JAYA JETTHA
( 1354 A. D.)
After the death of Kam Khamhen, Hrdaya Jaya
Jettha came to the throne of Sukhodaya. We cannot
say with certainty how he was related with his pre¬
decessor, perhaps, he was his son or brother.
From the Siamese record Vajirananarai, we
know that he had a son named Sri Dharmaraja, who
was made Phfdh Maha Upataja (the great Viceroy)
at Sri Sajanalaya. In M, S. 1269, the king became
dangerously ill and died. The Prince came with an
army, defeated the enemies and ascended the throne
of his dead father at Sukhodaya in M. S. 1276 = A, D.
1355. The Brahmans and mantrins consecrated him
and he was named Phrah Bat Somdet Phrah Cdo
Kamraten an Sri Suryavamsa Rama maha Dhar-
mikarUjddhirdja.
V—SRi SURYAVAMSA RAMA
(a. D. 1355)
This new king, who. came to the throne in A. D.
1355, was known as Hrdaya Raja = Sri Dharma Raja
= SrI Dharmikarajadhiraja = SrI Tribhava Dharaiji
Surijati maha Dharraikarajadhiraja.
1
The king was said to haYe a heart as vast as the
ocean and extreme compassion for the Sjr'i'as [ oeir.gs).
He used to preacn the law to tliose of iais iUDjcukSf
who were pious and willing to listen him.
We know this from a panegeryic inscription of
this king, which has come down to us. It iS in
Ivhmere script. It was discovered bj,' the aiug ^uana
Mongkut in 1834 Sutthodaja. in iSodj
it was brought to public notice and printed in £xci^r-
sions et Reconnaissances by M. Pavie. It was not
until M. Aymonier came to the field that it could be
found out that the inscription was in the Khemer
language and not in Siamese.* M. Fournereau^ ako
gave a translation and transcription of this inscription
in his Le Siam Ancien.^ In 1917 M.^G. Coedes,
Professor a I’ecole francaise d’extreme-orient, treated
of this Khemer inscription in his paper on Documents
suf la DynasiiB de Sukhodaya?
We learn from this inscription that in 1269 Saka,
his father the king Bra: pad kamrated ah hrdaya-jaya-
jeta fell ill. The king’s son Bra; pad kamraten an
Dharmardja gathered an army at Sajjanalaya, where
he was at that time. On the fifth day of the eighth
month, the prince marched towards Sukhodaya. He
attacked the revolted chiefs from all the sides at one
1. L’epigraphie Kambodjienae, \ni: p-253.
2. Vol I, pp. 167-179.
3. B. E. F. E-0, XVH, No. 2. 1917.
and the same time and put them to death. He
mounted the throne, where he replaced his father
and governed the kingdom of Sukhodaya with sagaci¬
ty and glory, thus following the glorious tradition of
his illustrious family.
In 1276 Saka ( = A. D. 1355) he received the
royal consecration and took the title of Brah pad
Kamraten an Sri Snryavamsa Rama mahadharma-
rajadhiraja.
During his rule both Hinduism and Buddhism
flourished in Siam, both Sramanas and Brahmans were
respected. Still, he seems to be a devout Buddhist.
He used to preach the law of Buddha to his subjects.
Six months after his coronation, the king aspired to
the state of Buddha. He tried to conduct the people
on the way to Nirvanci, so that they might not suffer
in the circle of transmigration. All his subjects, who
came to Sukhodaya from all quarters, heard the predi¬
cation of the king, observed the precepts of Buddha
and accomplished all sorts of meritorious acts.
To mark his reign by a chef-d ceuvre, he com¬
manded his s'(artists) to construct a mahima
prasdda ( great palace ) to be decorated with valuable
ornaments.
The king himself was a great scholar. He knew
the science of astronomy. He corrected the calender
and fixed the first and eighth day of the. month of
dshada (Sans, dshddhaj.
45
As a pious Buddhist, the king constructed many
Kiiti Vi/mras (monasteries) and a ceAya [sntpa) to
enshrine the sacred relics. He also made a statue of
Buddha from different metals.
In 1357 he made a sacred foundatioa for ensarining
Sf'i rainainahudhuiu at Hagar Jum, probably modern
Khamphen Phet. He used to reside more often at
Nagar Jum than at Zri Sdjan'alaya Sukhoaaya.
(For the date of the inscription of Nagara Jum, see
M. L. Finot’s article—Z55 dales de rinscripimt de
A^agar Jiiird).
Not satisfied with the erection of the statue of
Buddha, the king ordered his silpins (artists) to make
one statue of Pa^'amesvara and anotner of \ isnu and
consecrated them on the eleventh day of purvasadita
in the devdluya (temple) of niahdkseiya. Tne
Brahmins and ascetics {tapasvi) rendered perpetual
worship {^pujd miya ) to them.
Thus we find that toleration was the watch-word
of this king. He paid his loyal homage to Buddha as
well as to Siva and Visnu. He was also learned in
the sdsiras of both the Hindus and Buddhists. He
had studied traya piiaka (the three Pitakas) includ¬
ing Vinaya and Abhidharma. He knew the methods
of traditional masters {lokdcdryyakrtya). The king
was weli-versed in Vedas, sdVras, dharmanaya
and jyoiiiUstra (astronomy). Though he knew
"iTirErFrE-o. xvi, no. 3,1916.
46
the branches of art, astronomy was his special subject.
He set right the Saka era with its varsa (year ), masa
(month) also and candragrasa (eclipse
of the Sun and the moon ).
When this king had reigned for 22 years at Sri
Sajianalaya-Sukhodaya, in 1283 Saka (-A. D. !362),
ha deputed a rajapaodUa (royal Pandit) to m™_e a
MahSsatni Sahgharaja, who was a km^rava, a Snacarya
(religious preceptor) and who was profic.ent in Kdata
traya, residing in the island of Lanka (Ceylon ),
persuaded him to come to Siam.
When the king heard that the Sahgharaja was
approaching nagara (city) of Canua (modern Phrtsanu-
lok-Visnuloka), he began to make preparations fo
his reception. He ordered the siipins (artists)
build mis and vihnras for the monks in the western
part of the city of Snkhodaya. The mahuthsm and
Iht bhitsu smgha (the assembly of the bhik|us or
monks) began to march towards the capital of lam
in company with the court Pandita. The king made
arrangements to receive the holymau and his par y.
He asked his amaccas, iAstnantris (ministers) an
the rajakuias (the members of the royal family ) to go
and receive the great monk and render homage to
him. They went and received the royal guests wi
flowers and other offerings at Cannapura. T ey
halted also at Xiengtong, Candra, Bang and Var and
finally came to Snkhodaya*
x 4 fter receiYing tfee Maliathera with great pomp,
the king asked the Mahasaaii Sangharaja to enter the
vihara, (monastery) prepared for him, during the
rainy {varsa) season. In honour of the monk, the
king made rarious religious endow’ments. He made
a statue of Lord Buddha on the model of the statue
of Buddha which was in the middle of the city, to the
East of the Great Relic. The king also distributed
ten livres of gold and silver, ten sorts of precious ob¬
jects, civaras and many other things.
After the rains {varsE), in the month of Kaitika,
the king Sri Saryavamsa Rama mahadharmarajadhi-
raja resolved to observe the precepts of (for¬
giveness), dana (gifts) and Slla in the presence of a
statue of gold erected in the royal palace. The king
then invited the Mahasami Sangharaja, also iheras,
anuiheras and the entire assembly of bkiksiis (monks)
to the hema prasdda raja mandira (royal palace).
The king sat bowing down before the golden
image {suvarna praiimd) with hands joined in anjaii
and said—'“As phala pimya, I thus enter into the
religion of our Lord Buddha. I do not either desire
cakravariisampatii or Indrasampatti or Brahmasam-
paiti. I want only to be a Buddha to aid the beings
in traversing the three sorts of existence (namely,
kdmabhava = sensual existence, rUpabhava = corporal
existence, and = incorporal existence). ’
Thus the king took bis vow and sought refuge to
Buddha, Dharma and Sahgha. This is the account of
his taking pahbajjd.
There is a Pali inscription relating to this king,
which is known as the Vajirafla^a Library Stele. The
Pali gathas of Mahasami Sahgharaja give us the same
information as the previous Khmer inscription. It
tells us how the king Liddeya (or Lldayya) Dhamma-
raja took vow and entered the monastery of arnbavana,
1905 years after the parmirvana of Lord Buddha.
After taking pabbajja, the king continued to per¬
form miracles. His absence from the royal throne
caused troubles in the kingdom, and, therefore, a
deputation of his subjects waited upon him to request
him to return to his former duties of the king. While
the monks begged the king to stay in the monastery
as their preceptor, his subjects pleaded him to return
to his old life. The matter, subsequently, was referred
to the Mahasami Sangharaja, the spiritual guide of the
king, for decision. The Sangharaja decided in favour
of the subjects. At his advice, the king took up again
his secular duties and set to putting things aright in his
kingdom by defeating the people of Luang Prabang.
From another inscription of the same king we
learn that in Saka 1279 (=A. D. 1358), a cutting of
the Bodhi tree, ‘ under which Sri mahabodhi sought
refuge, our master Buddha, when after having been
humiliated by the army of MSradhiraja by the grace
of meditation attained omniscience and to the state of
Buddha,’—was brought from the island of Ceylon to
Siam. It should be mentioned that it was in the
reign of Asoka, the great that his daughter Sangha-
mitra took a branch of the Bodhi tree froa Buddha
Gaya to the island of Ceylon, where it was planted in
Anuradhapura. From Ceylon now a branch of the
Bodhi tree was taken to Siam. It is true also in the
case of Buddhism. Ceylon received the law of
Buddha from India, and Ceylon helped greatly in the
propagation of Buddhism in Siam.
With the sacred relic (perhaps bought from
Patna), the king made a stupa to enshrine the sacred
cutting of the Bodhi-tree. Besides the mention of
this holy ceremony, we have in this inscription a
series of prophecies on the progressive steps which
would lead to the extinction of Buddhism and in¬
cidentally speaks of the dharma Jatakas and the traits
of abhidharma, patthana and yamaka. It may be
mentioned, en passant, that many incidents of Jatakas
have been found sculptui ed in Sukhodaya belonging
to this period, as we find in the Bharhut gates in India
and Borobudur temple in Java. The writer of the
inscription also predicts that men in this age would
not have more than ninety-nine years of existence.
This Tha'ie inscription of the king Sr! Sfirya
vamsa Rama maha Dharma Rajadhiraja, is now pre¬
served in the Bangkok Museum. The character of
this inscription is the same as that of the inscription
of the king Rama Komheng. The translation and
transcription of this inscription are given in Explora¬
tion 071 Itido Chine of M. Pavie and also in le Siam
A 77 cien of M. Fournereau (Yol. If, p. ic).
50
From this inscription, we get the following chro¬
nological list of the kings of Sukhodaya;—
( I) Sii Indraditya
(2 ) Ban
(3) Rama Komheng
(4) Phraya Sua Thai
(5 ) Phraya Ridaya ( Hrdaya ) Raja
(6) Sri Suryayamsa Rama roahadharmika-
rajadhiraja.'
It should be mentioned here that during the
reign of Hrdaya Raja, the Thais invaded the basin of
Menam and founded Ayuthia, the future capital of the
Southern Siam,
The last inscription relating to this dynasty is
another Thai inscription, published in Le Siam An-
cien^ Unfortunately this inscription is mutilated to a
great extent, yet we can form an idea as to how the
king made new foundations with precious relics, how
a monk named Sri Sradha ruja cUldmuni of the very
illustrious island of Ceylon came to Siam at this time.
Among the relics {mahadhatu') consecrated we find
the famous Bodhi tree, a great statue of Buddha and
other smaller statues of Buddha. Perhaps these relics
were brought down from the city of Pataliputra.* A
Buddhist monastery {vihdra) was also constructed at
thejsame'time.
1. Fournereau—Le Siam Ancien, Vol. II, p. 11.
2. Ibid, p. 35.
3. Ibid, p. 40 . -
The most note
worthy fact
of
this
per
iod
:s
- a
disCOT€
TV of 51
T
aai inscript
lOn
S Wi'
:h
toe
ec
Udi
n umbel
- of Jataka
representation
in
Siam
ese
seal
ptL
»re«
Thougl
1 these io
SCI
•iptions are
3l da
ted.
they
are
similar
to the old
'K,
iukhodava t\
j j
*pe
and
to
last
m
en-
tioned
iDScriptiGD
We can, t
hei
■efore
P
lace
th
ese
sculptu
res to the
same epoch, r
lan
lely,
the
Saka y
ear
1279 =
A« I). 135
7 ,
during the
: r
eign
of
ri -
bn
Su
rva
Vamsa
Rama mat
I a
Dharmarajadhi
raja,
wh<
0 seems to
be toe
last of the
fa
tnous kings
of
Sokh
odaya,
wh
ich
was soon after ec
!ip
sed b\' the i
J
on
gdom
of
Ay
’Utl
lia.
Here \\
•e get the
fo!
lowing a
ka
or B
udc
ihist
Bi
rth
stories
represente
d;-
—
I. Seri Vanija—Jataka No. 3, (Es
ta rn page,
No.
13)
2. Cullaivasetthi—
11 4 ) (
n
14)
3. TanduianSli — „
5 , (
7}
»
15 )
4. Deradhamma— „
„ 6,(
n
P
16)
5. Kattahari — „
I) 7 ) (
n
P
17)
6. Makhadeva — „
» 9 ) (
n
P
19)
7. Nigrodhamiga—,,
» 12, (
n
If
22)
8. Kandina — „
» ^ 3 ) (
n
If
23)
9. Sukhavihari — „
>. IO, (
77
9 f
27)
IO. Tittha — „
» 25. (
1?
If
28)
1 1. Lakkhana — „
II
29)
12. Vatamiga — „
)! Mj (
5 !
ff
31)
13. Kharadiya — „
» 15, (
5 ?
n
32)
14. Tipalloka — „
» 16, (
51
33)
15. Maluta — „
» u, (
«
'll
34)
16. Matakabhatta— „
» 18 , (
31
n
35)
52
17. Ayacitabhatta— J. No. 19, ( Estampage, No. 36)
18. Nalapana — „
» 20, (
55
n
37)
19. Kurungamiga— „
21, (
9 ?
V
38)
20. Eukura — „
„ 22, (
n
ff
39)
21. Bliojajanlya — „
» 23, (
99
n
40)
22. Gajajaniya — „
!) 24, (
99
n
41)
23. Vattaka — „
„ 35 , (
99
48)
24. Sakoaa — „
« (
,5
49)
25. Tktira — „
» 37 , (
n
fp
50)
2&. Baka — „
» 38, (
n
»
51)
27. Nacca — „
32. (
91
52)
28. Kapota — „
,1 42, 1
n
5 !
54)
29. Yejuka — „
» 43 . (
S 9
11
55)
30. Makasa — „
>. 44 , (
99
11
56)
31. Robini — „
» 45 - (
99
1?
57)
32. Aramadusaka— „
» 46, (
19
n
58)
33. Varuni — „
„ 47 , (
19
11
59)
34. Vedabbha — „
„ 48, (
19
11
60)
35. Nakkbatta — „
„ 49, (
99
11
61)
36. Dummedha — „
» 50, (
99
SI
62)
37. Mahasilava — „
» 51, (
91
11
63)
38. Cnlajanaka — „
„ 52, (
99
ff
64)
39. Punnapati — „
» 53, (
91
If
65)
40. Phala — „
,, 54, (
19
If
66)
41. Pancarudba — „
55, (
19
If
67)
42. Kaacanakkhandha-
„ 56, (
19
ff
56)
43. Tayodhamma— ,,
» 58, (
■
11
69)
44, Bherivada — „
» 59 , (
11
ff
71)
45. Samkbadhamana „
>i bo, (
59
ff
77)
46. Asalamaota —
J. Xo. 61, fEstampage,
No. 73 )
47. Nanda —
« » 39 < (
» So”'
48. Khadirangara —
n n 4^1 (
„ Si)
49 . Efalakanni —
„ If (
11
)j 82 j
50. Atthassadvara —
IS ^ 4 ? (
1?
>» ^ 4 )
51. ? Jataka
? (
n 86)
These fifty-one representations of ibe Jataka
stories in the far-off kingdom of Siam offer interesting
study. The earliest representation of the Jstaka
stories we find in India on the pillars of Bharhut,
where the names of the Jatakas are also inscribed in
Asokan character. With the introduction of Buddh¬
ism in Burma, Java and Siam, these stories became
popular in those countries, and we find their repre¬
sentations done beautifully in all these kingdoms.
With the foundation of the kingdom of Sukho-
daya, Siam became independent and continued to
have separate political existence. Indian culture had
already penetrated into Camboja, from which Siam
received Indian culture and civilisation. The family
which established the first royal dynasty had long
been Indianised and trace their descent from the
famous Surya- Vamsa, from which the epic hero
Ramachandra descended. Buddhism was patronised
by the new kings, who invited MahSsSmi Sangha-
maharaja from the island of Ceylon to propagate the
faith of Lord Buddha in Siam.
CHAPTER V.
The Kingdom of Ayuthia.
The glory of the old kingdom of Sukhodaya was
soon eclipsed by the new kingdom of Ayuthia, which
had been established in A. D. 1350. The ^influence
and power of Sukhodaya continued some time after
A. D. it 6 i, when Ayuthia became the centre of Siam,
both from the cultural as well as from the political
point of view. A new royal dynasty was established
io Avuthia, It continued to exert its sopremacy over
Siam until the political centre was transferred to the
city of Bangkok.
We are fortunate in getting a Pali record of the
kingdom of Ayuthia (^AyodhyU). It is the oldest re¬
cension, according to M. George Coedes, of the Annals
of Ayuthia.* It was written in 1680 at the request of
Phra: Narai. In 1907 the Ms. of the Annals was
found out and published by the Siamese Prince
Damrong from Bangkok, in the same year. The Ms.
has now been preserved in the Vajirana^a Library.
This Pali history of Ayuthia has been translated into
English by Dr. Frankfurter in the pages of the Journal of
the Siam Society under the title— Events in Aytiddhya
from Choia-Saharaj 686-g66d 1 his Pali history has
been described as a Bangkheb = Sahkhepa = Sankshepct
1 . B. E. F. E- 0 , 1914 .
2 . J. S. S., VI, 3 , 1909 .
(concise) type of the Anna’s, being an ennmeration of
the historical facts regarding this new kingdom since
the foundation of the capital at Ayuddhya up to
A. D. 1604.
Besides this Pali annals, there is another history of
Ayuthia, namely, Phongsdvada?t Krung Kao, of which
two versions have come down to us. The first version
was translated by Taylor Jones in 1836-3810 the Chinese
Keposiiory (V, Yl, VII). The other one was com¬
piled in 1840 during the reign of Phra: Nang Klao
by the Prince Paramannxit Xinnorot and printed by
Bradley at Bangkok in 1865. This work served as
the basis of the history of several writers like Pallegoix
(Description du royanme Thai), Bowring (^Siam)
and Smith {^History of Siam, Bangkok, 1880-1882).
Unlike the Pali recension these are of phiisacian or
vistdra type.
The Pali history is known as Sahgiiivamsa, of
which another recension was completed in A. D,
1789. It differs from the earlier recension of i68o.
In B. E. F. E -0 ( 1914) M. G. Ccedes gives a part
translation of the Annals relating to the history of
Ayuthia. The Sahgiiivamsa or Sahgtiiyavamsa was
composed in the year of Buddha 2332 in the month
of Citia ( = 27 March-ro xVpril 1789) by a monk
named Vimaladhamma. In the introduction, he
savs:—
J
Visuddhivansam pavaran ca Buddham
Visesakhemaip Vimalan ca Dhammam
Visuddhisilatn abhivandiya Samgbam
Karomi Sangitiyavadsanamam.
From the above sloka, M. G. Ccedes concludes
that the name of the writer was Vitnaladhamma. The
work is as the name indicates, a history of Sahiltis
or Buddhist councils. The author enumerates six
such councils, five in Ceylon and the last one at
Bangkok in A. D*
The book is div'ided into pattcchedds or chapters
of which the first deals with Jambudipasahgtiimddesa.
It begins with the prediction of Dipafikara, of the
birth and youth of the Bodhisatta and quotes the text
of the well-known Dhammapadatthakatha. After
quoting some stanzas on the Sambodhi and Parinb
bana, the writer Vimaladhamma states the tradition
about the first Sangld or Council. After quoting
some stanzas from Makdvamsa and Saddhammasangha,
he gives the history of the second council in India.
The account of the conversion of Asoka, the third
council atPataliputra,The mission of Mahinda toCeylon
—were inspired by Samaniapdsddikd, Saddhamma-
sangha, Mahdvamsa and Dtpavamsa. The second
pariccheda is known as Lahkadipacatuthavarasanga.^
haniddesa conizinmg the account of the fourth Council
in Ceylon and record of Buddhism m Ceylon. It
gives a genealogy of the king Asoka and the first
kings of Ceylon.
The four following chapters reproduce the last
two sections A. The s^Y^niXiparicckia
is called Anukkamac/iaimsara^'anidflesa or the historv
of thirty-six kings of Ayutbia. This is the really
important portion of the Annais of Ayutbia for cur
purpose. The eighth pariccheda-Navamadhamma-
sahgahaniddesa gives an account of the ninth council
held at Bangkok in A. D. 178S, The last chapter is
miscellaneous in character.^ This Pali Anoal is
very valuable for our purpose because we get here
the political history of Ayuthia as well as the history
of the Buddhist church in Siam.
I—RAMADHIPATI SUVANXADOLA
(a. d. 1350-1369)
During the reign of Sr! Sfiryavamsa Rama Maha-
dharma rajadhiraja of Sukhodaya, the kingdom of
Ayuthia was founded and began to rise in eminence
with such rapidity that it soon surpassed the kingdom
of Sukhodaya in power and glory. The history of
Siam from A. D. 1350 to 1604 is nothing but the
history of the kingdom of Ayuthia. Soon after the
death of the king Rama of Sukhodaya, the new king¬
dom of Ayuthia rose into power and usurped the place
of Sukhodaya. The first king of Ayuthia was Rama-
dhipati Suvannadola. In the year of 1892 of the Era
of Lord Buddha ( = A. D. 135*^)) when he was of 37
years, he came to the throne of Aymthia. The last
part of his name Suvannadola is exactly the equiva¬
lent of U Thong, the surname of the founder of the
1 . See Ooedes—B. E. F. E- 0 , 1914 .
^8
kingdom of Ayuthia. RamUdhipaii is his sacred name.
He'^established many cities, palaces, monasteries, rooms
andc./Aa. He reigned for 19 years till
A. D. 1569-
II—ramessura
(a. d. 1369-1370)
Tlie king Rimadhipati was succeeded by bis son
Ramessura. °He came to power when he was 30
tears old. -According to our Pali -Annals, he reigned
for only one year, but according to all other wersions
Rdmesuin reigned only for one year.
It is significant to note that though these kings of
Ayuthia belonged to the Thai stock, yet they had
been Hiaduised like their predecessors. The Indiaii
culture and civilisation began to influence the roya
family as before.
Ill_ paramarajadhiraja
(a. D. 1370-1388)
The next king, according to the Siamese text,
was ParamarnjdLdhirnja (Borommaraxathirat), but
according to our Pali Annals his name was Banu-
Mahdndyaka, the maternal uncle of the second king
Ramessura. He is said to have usurped the royal
throne. According to the Siamese text, he bore the
title of Khun Luang Phongua. Bradley calls him
* the brother of the wife of Chao u Thong, the first king.
He was, therefore, the maternal uncle of the second
59
kino as said in the Pali text. He reigned for 13 or i 3
O
years, may be for 18 years as suggested by the Pal:
Annals.
There is an inscription bearing the date 750 of
the small Siamese Era, equivalent to D. 1388. It
is a Thai inscription, first published in Excursions et
reconnnissances {Saigon 1886) of R. P. Schmitt and
afterwards in M. Fournereau’s Le. Siam Ancun}
We learn from the inscription that in 750 of the
Small Era of the Siamese, at the death of the monk
Padunnitiara mahd thera, the monks followed Tan-
hahkara mahu ihera. The place of Tanhaiikara maha
thera w’as successively taken by T'essabhu mahd Jie> a,
Mantrisavinnanaka mahU thera, Saripuita mahd any a
thera, Brdhma-kassapa mahd thera. This shows that
the Buddhist church was in a flourishing condition in
Siam. The Buddhist church was presided over by a
celebrated mahd thera, whom all other monks followed
without any grudge or murmur.
At the time of the retirement of the king Maha
Dharmarajadhiraja, the queen mother Sri Dharmaraja-
mata, escorted by Nay-svar-prajja, Padharma-trai-
lokapal-rajamatya-sai, Khun-sugandharasa-rajamantn,
Nay-beni-bimfiy-raja-sas went to the village Pagoda
under the direction of Sangharaja-fiana-ruci maha
thera, Trai-pitaka maha thera, BuddhavaSsa thera,
Maha-ariya-sri thera, Paoana-gandhita, Ps-svar-deba,
Pa-rahu, and Pa-5ana—vilasa.
1. Vol. I, rr- 278 - 281 .
6o
From tie oames given above we know t
,„,e, some names of tie S.amese
j 'T'liiic WP 'O'Gt tbc BSHISS -£vtl/w
iad been Indraniseo. Thus »et
„,„rvn-a,r.- meaning “r It
,ve have Rnj.,na,Uri -“"'"SyT' officers known
shonld, however, be remembere ,„antrins.
aa a,n^ya were differentiated from the
The Urre nnmber of the names of monks also shows
^;r,,:..,ar;tv of Bnddbism in Siam. There w
' of the Buddhist churcn with
oper „f the Pali lite-
Saii^nafajii as us ncaa. Tli.-i«!P
rature used to be studied by the mon^s,
monks who could finish the whole of the three
took the title of Traipitaka.
During the ceremony of retiring to the or
the following monks were present:
mahathera, (a) Khema.mahgaja
Dharmaghosa mahathera,
,hera. (5) Samaua-deba mahathera, (/) ^
vamsa mahathera, ( 7 ) Suriya mahathera, ( )
mahathera, (9) Dharmasenapati mahathera, ( ^
Qadhika mahathera, (u) Subanna-syama m ‘ ’
(i2)Nana-vid mahathera, (i3)Ananda mabathe ,
(14) Arggailana mahathera and (15) Dharnaavitti
thera.
In 768 Saka raja year ( = A. D. 1406) ®
ceremony of petitions offered to the king Mahi
Charmaiajadhiraja in the Vihar-sima at the time ot
the uposaih festival, the monks conferred the supreme
authority of the Sahgha to P/ira: paratna guru
Tiloka-iilaka-siraiana-silagandha-vandvM-dhar-
makitii-sahgkaraja-t 7 iahasvdmi~chao. It will be seen
how a long high-sounding title was given to the head of
the Buddhist Church iu Siam. As before he had the
titles of Sahgha raja and mahasvdmi. But a signifi¬
cant title has now been added, namely, Parama guru,
(the great spiritual preceptor). It may be due to the
influence of Tantrikism, in which plays an im¬
portant role.
After the death of this Paratna guru,, the monks
with the advice of the king Dharmarajiidhir.ija and
the queen mother and monks in general, gave the
supreme authority to the monk Phra: ratana-
mahgala-vildsa mahathera.
At the death of this monk, they made another
bhik^u their chief. The name of this bJuktu is not
given in the inscription.*
IY_SUVANNACANDA
(1388 A. D.)
After the death of the king Paramarajadhiraja,
his young son Suvannacanda came to the throne.
He is known in the Siamese Text as Thong Lan and
Thong Chan in the Mongkut Text. Unfortunately,
he reigned only for 7 days, after which Ramessiira
usurped the royal power again and reigned for six
years(A. D. I 388 “t 394 )- _____
1. Le Siam Aneieiij I, p. 2D9*
62
y —ram AR A] A
(A. D.1394-97)
After Riimessura, his son came to power. He
was also known as Ramarajadhiraja and Phrarj Chao.
He reigned only for three years, or according to some
f'
een years.
We hare a Thai
the Empire of Ayut
inscription of the king Sri
ng to the fourteenth century,
len Sukhodaya was annexed
ia. In M. Fournereau’s Le.
Siam Ancien we
of this inscription
get the transcription and translation
as given by R. P. Schmitt.
It is a Buddhistic inscription. It tells the story
how a building (perhaps a monastery) was erected
for the service {puja) of Lord Buddha, whose image
had been made of bronze. Along with this a caitya
was also constructed, where a coloured lamp with ten
other lamps was placed. Venous vessels, vases and
other objects were offered to the monks lor their use.
A library, perhaps, was also provided for the use of
the monks. Many ladies made various offerings to
the monks. The king Phraya Sri Dhamasokaraja in
his devotion offered to lord Buddha all the village
situated on the East till the end of the world. The
king also offered his sister Yot to the service of Lord
Buddha. Thus he was working in honour of Buddha
and Dharma in order to gain svar ga-nihban. The
1. Le Siam Aneien, 1. P- 209.
king thus concludes; ‘ As ior me, I desire to attain
budhisamblidra. If this bodhisambhdra is refused to
me, I want to be born in my future incarnaiions, in a
state of wisdom and perfection, free from all maladies.
Al! the merit I hare acquired, I give in part to my
guru-upajj’hRya, to ray parents, to my brother, to tas
princes and to all beings so that they may enjoy tiie
consequences of meritorious acts, wnich I nave gained
in the devotion to the cult of Buddha.’^
This inscription also testifies to the popularity of
Buddhism in Siam. Like other BodnisthtvuSi this
king wants to see the happiness of all beings, and him¬
self desires to attain to hodhhamhhdva.
VI-NAGARAINDA
(a. D. 1397-1417)
The maternal uncle of the last king, Nagarainda
by name, was the chief of the city of Siivannabhutm
( = Snvannapuri = MuSng Suphan ). After the death
of Ramaraja, he usurped the royal throne and reigned
for twenty years. He is said to have done many good
works.
VI [—para m a r a j a d h i r a j a
( A. D. 1417—M 37 ,)
After the death of the king Nagarainda, his th-rd
son Chao Sam came to the throne with the title of
Paramardjddhirdja and reigned for twenty years.
1. Le Siam Aiicien, I, p. 214
64
We have a curious and interesting inscription
belonging to this period, namely, that of Bnddtapada
ofSukhodaya. It is preserved in a o at^ ang
„a at Bangkok. 11 was first discovered in 1 834-
This inscription in Pali bears the date 14^6 or
I4->7 4 . D. This Buddhapada is interesting rom
the historical and artistic point of view. A'
divides the inscription into two partsi (i) the history
of the monument in prose and (ii)four anustubh
slokas and formulas of benediction for all men and for
the religion of Boddha
This Buddhapada may be grouped in the category
of other Buddhapadas of Northern India and of Indo-
China. Its prototype is the Sripada of Adam’s Peak
in Ceylon. From the inscription we learn that t e
Mahathera Sri Medhankara engraved on the stone o
Sukhodayapura all the symbols of ratnapadacetiya as
manifested by Lord Buddha on the Samantakuta
( Adam’s Peak).
In some respects, the Buddhapada of Sukhodaya
is superior to other p 5 .das of Lord Buddha. While
the rainapuda of Ceylon is simple and has no artistic
decoration, that of Sukhodaya surpasses all in its
artistic excellence. It stands by itself as a work of
art. From the representation of the as given
in Fournereau (I, p- 242, pi. LXVIII) we see that
in the centre the padas of Buddha are
1 . Le Siam Ancien, pp. 242 - 248 .
on them are t'.vo cakras, each containing six circles.
Inside those circles are distributed io8 signs thus ;—
1st circle
32
signs
2nd „
...
24
n
3rd „
...
16
jj
4th „
...
16
5th „
...
12
)}
6th „
8
5 ?
Total ... loS signs.
According to M. A. Barth, these signs are a sort
of symbolic resume of the past, present and future
j
universe, figured on the feet of Buddna to mark his
universal royalty.
Below the padm are represented a large number
of iheras (monks) forming a procession. These
iheras are standing with their hands folded and heads
inclined as if paying homage to the BuddkapUda. It
is happy to note that the na.mes of these disciples of
Buddha are given there in Pali. We are grateful to
R, P. Schmit
for transcribing the names of the dis-
cipleSj which are giTen below t—
I, Phra:
Labbha thera
2 .
LabiiiihS.bhabaiiiiiiahinda thera
3-
«
Ehi ¥ari paraveka lliera
4-
Tf
Vajjita thera
5-
15
Hemmaka thera
6.
IS
Atliabbanaveda thera
7-
n
' PoBBaka' thera
66
8. Phia : Yanthitta phra: thera
n MahanSma thera
o . Raseka thera
II.
59
Evadassa ttiera
12 .
19
Bhavabhiya thera
J3-
19
Ananda Kasyapa thera
14-
n
Yaso phra : thera
IS¬
«
Vatthuka thera
IS.
19
Posavaka thera
17.
59
Tissa metraya thera
18 .
99
Maha SuBna thera
19.
91
Dhota phra *. thera
20.
51
Uruvela Kasyapa thera
21.
n
Puppha vara thera
22.
Sangbareva phra: thera
23 -
Hema phra ; thera
24.
>1
Bahima thera
25.
Khuramba thera
26.
1 !
Sonpa buddha bhadva thera
27 -
Vimala thera
28.
II
Buddhana thera
29.
J!
Yasali thera
30 -
n
Utthaya thera
31 -
1 )
Sajjita thera
32-
n
Pankhya thera
33.
n
Vallabha thera
34 *
n
Dasa magga puta thera
35.
n
Yaddhi phra: thera
36.
m
Sonaa buddhiya thera
GJ
37.
Phra:
TherStthasaka thera
38.
>!
Upbhana thera
39-
11
Mahajita thera
40,
»
Masa thera
41.
II
Dalthiya thera
42.
n.
Bahiya tharu chiraya thera
43-
Jotsavala thera
44.
n
SoBBa buddhi dattha thera
45-
n
SoBna bodhi visa thera
46.
n
Sabbhaya thera
Al '
n
U path era thera
48.
II
Bhasajita thera
49.
If
Bhabba thera
50.
If
JakaruQQa thera
51*
II
Narada lavabhama thera
52 -
11
Mantranya theraka thera
S3-
IS
Maha bhattha para thera
54-
If
Nanda thera
55-
«
Pamsu phra; thera
56.
n
Dodaya thera
57.
n
JarubhaDBa thera
58-
n
Khuddasira thera
59-
n
Kumara Kasyappa thera
60.
5 ?
Bhaddam bhava gotama puta thera
n
Uruvela vassa thera
62.
n
Bhasaka thera
63-
Maha Kasyapa thera
64.
IS
Vara Buddha thera
65-
Upasi thera
66 .
67 .
68 .
69 .
70 .
71 .
72 .
73*
74-
75-
//•
7S.
79 .
8 0.
Pbra : Paadotavaka devaya thera
Phia
11
Mettagti.
Tbiipa sona andhaka p«ra t era
Vammala thera
SoBa bho r^assa thera
Subahu thera
Punna labbha thera
Gambhira thera
VaBBa Koadaniia thera
Nan da Savaka thera
Sariputta thera
Punaalabbhana puta thera
Anuradha thera
Maha moggalana thera.^
M. A. BarA thinks that this list of ^
„as probably that of eighty d-ples of B„ a ^nd
that they were mostly contemporary of Buddha. No
lere, however, a complete list of Buddha’s d.sctple
is to be found. Many names of this list are amt la
to 11S5 but some are quite strange.
From this Pali inscription of the Buddhapaia of
Sukhodaya that on the year 1970 after the
of the master Srl-Sakyamuni Gotama, when Sr.
Sumedhamkara was sangha-raja, the son o t e sup
reme king of the law {rnahadhammddhiraja-raja),
who by his prosperity, his knowledge,^ Ws lngh q^^—^
1 . Le Siam Ancien, JP- 245 - 24 i.
69
ties became the supreme protector of Sn-Siirv.a-
vamsa, brought to Sukhodaya a large piece of stone
and had the sacred monument of the precious/ai/tr
as manifested on the Saraantakfita in the island of
Lanka (Ceylon), engraved in conformity with the
measurement of the pada of Ceylon. 1 hese pddas
of Sukhodaya were engraved by Medhamkara, the
chief of Saman is ( Sramanas - monks ) on the express
favour of the king of the Law for the prosperity of
Dhamrno.}
Y1 n—P A R A M AT ILO KAN ATH A
(a. D. I 437 -M 57 )
After the death of the king Paramarajadhiraja,
his son ParamatilokanUtha came to the throne.
Possessing great merit, he did many good works. He
reigned for twenty years. Abdicating his royalty in
favour of his son Indaraja, he entered religion.
IX—INDARAJA
(a. D. 1457)
On the abdication of his father, Indaraja ascended
the throne. He had a long and happy reign extend¬
ing over thirty-seven years.
X— RAMADHIPATI
The king Indaraja was succeeded by his son
Ramddhipati, who also was blessed with a long reign
~~1. Le Siam Ancien, I. pp. 249-254.
of thirly-eight years. He practised, virtue and
liberality.
The period from Nagara-Inda to Rimadhipati is
a complicated oBe. Annals do not agree m tracing t e
rcistion#
With this king end the account of the first ten
kings of Ayuthia.
For this period, we have a few inscriptions. One
of them is a Thai inscription of Sudhamanagan or
Luang-Phrabang, bearing the date 1431 Saka = A.
1509. It begins with Subhcm asiu.
We learn from the inscription that is 1431 Saka,
the chief Phan-Devarak§a with Phan-Snriya-masa and
their wives made offerings of garlands to the gr^t
pagoda of Susartia-stlastia-sradhabah and the maha
tbera Rahuladeva registered five great villages or
making a park for the pagoda®
In Saka 1434 ( = A.D.ISI2) they asked their
wives to procure objects of decoration. A deputation
waited upon the monk Phra: .sarvajfla to
request him to quit his forest hermitage and live m
the Vihoffa bUii.
This act of merit was accomplished in Saka 1437
( = A. 0.1515)-
In Saka 1440 ( = A. D. 15 18 ) the chiefs dnvited
all the monks and asked the chief of the Sangha of
Sudhamanagari, Sahgka-parinayaka-sa: dharma-
7‘
tilaka-paratna-vedhasdmisa~paviira-sncarita~ciia to
declare the uposatha Dharma-sarga-budha. They
also established a vihdra (monastery) known as Vihdra
Srt-phala}
There is a curious inscription, which, according
to Sir Charles Elliot, asserts the identity of Buddhism
and Brahmanism.’ It was engrared on the pedestal
of an image of Sira, found at Siikhodaya and dated
1432 Saka ( = A. D. 1550),
The inscription says that in 1432 Saka, the lord
Phrayd ^ri Dhatmasokardja errected a statue of the
god Phra: Isvara (Siva) in the province of Kampheng-
Phet. It appears strange that this image of Siva
might be meant to exalt the Buddhist religion and the
Brahmanic religion. Siva is a Hindu god, we donot
understand how he could exalt Buddhism. We have
heard of kings, who made donations to both Hindu
and Buddhist temples, but of no king who could use
a Brahmanic god to exalt Buddhism. Like a devout
Buddhist, he also rebuilt the places containing the
mahddhadu (relics) as well as the monasteries. The
era used in this inscription is Sakardt, which has been
explained as the era of the Saka rajas.*
1. Le Siam Ancies, I, pp. 146-154.
2. Hiiicloism and Biiddliisitij III, p. 85.
8. Foiirnereaii—Le Siam Aiicien, I, pp* 1S6-1SS,
72
T’j_SAMATICCA BUDDHANKURA
( A. D. 1529—1534 )
In the year 2072 of Buddha Era ( = A. D. 1529X
the son of Ratnadhipati, Samaticca Buddhaukura
ascended the throne of Ayuthia. He reigned for five
years.
_VARA-RATTHADHIRAJA KIJMARA
(a. D. 1534)
When the son of Buddhaiikura was of 5 years
aoe, Vara-Ratthadhiraja Kumara came to the throne.
He ruled only for five months.
XIII-XIV—JAYARAJASI and HIS SON
(a. d. 1534)
Then the son of Ramadhipati’s Jayaiaja^-i
came to the throne (A. D. 1534 ) ruled
thirteen years till A. D. i 547 ' succeede y
his son Bayatta, who is known in the Siamese text as
Phra: Jot Fa or Phra: Keo Fa. He was only a
boy of ten when he became king. He ruled for three
years (?).
X V— V AR A-DHIR AR A J A
(a. D. I54S)
In A. D. 1548, Yara-Dhiraraja (according to the
Siamese Text Phra: Thienrat), the son of the sister
of Jayarajasi sat on the throne of Ayuthia. He gave
to Guna-Birenadeva the title of mahUhammaraja as
well as the GoTernment of Phitsaniilok (Vissanu-
loka).
It was during his reign that we have the Burmese
invasion of Siam. We give below an account of the
same from the Hmannan Yazawindawgyi, a history of
Burma in Burmese compiled in the year 1191 of tne
Burmese Era (= A. D. 1829).
The first attack came from the king of Siam, who
sent an army of 200 elephants, 1000 horses and 60,000
men to capture Tavoy, which fell on the approach of
the Siamese army. When the king Mintara Shweti
heard of it, he sent a large army which defeated the
Siamese.
In 1548 A. D., the Burmese king made elaborate
preparation to invade Siam with a view to take retali¬
ation also with a view to further conquest. In the
month of November, the Burmese army marched
against Siam. The king of Siam, hearing of this in¬
vasion, rose equal to the occasion and gathered a
large army to fight the enemy. For several months
the king of Pegu {Hamsanagara) invested the city
of Ayuthia. The Siamese army attacked the invading
army incessantly. The son and son-in-law of the
Siamese king were, however, taken prisoner. Peace
was made on condition of the release of the son and
son-in-law of the Siamese king and on the promise of
paying of 30 war elephants, 3CO ticals of silver and
the customs revenue of Tenasserim by the Siamese
74
king, wlo also gave two white elephants richly adorn¬
ed. This Burmese lovasion in Siam Ia»te or ve
months/
Tiioiigh the king, Vara-Dhiraraja reigned for
sixteen vears, yet the loss of the white elephants
rroribled him much and he abdicated the throne m
faxour of his son in order to enter the orders.
X V I—M A H A M A HIN D A
In the Burmese history, the date of the first
Burmese invasion of Siam is giren as 1548, where as
in the Pali chronicle of Siam, it is 1563. The second
Burmese invasion is dated 1563.
In 1563 the king of Pagu, heard that the Siamese
king had acquired a lew new white elephants. As
the possession of the white elephant was thoug t to e
the distinctive mark of a Buddhist king, the king of
Pagu demanded one of the white elephants. lo
this demand, the king of Siam gave an evasive reply.
The king of Pegu, therefore, sent a large army to
punish the king of Siam. The Burmese army invest¬
ed the city of Ayuthia. After a long war, the king of
Siam had to surrender. The king, his queen and his
younger son were taken away as captives, and the
Crown Prince Bra Mahein ( Bramahin ) was proclaim¬
ed and installed as king of Siam.® ( A. D. 1564)- _
1. Burmese Invasions of Siam—Journal of the Siam So-
cietj" V, 1908, I, pp. 1-12.
2. Ihifl, l>p. 21-29.
In our Pali chronicle, we read that the king of
Pegu again invaded Siam, took the king Mahamahinda
prisoner and returned to his kingdom after having
proclaimed Mahjidbammaraiasi, the Governor of
Phitsanulok, the king in the capital Aytuhia.
About the third invasion of Siam, we read in the
Burmese history that in A. D. 1568 the captive king
of Siam asked permission’of the king of Pagu to
enter religion and return to his native country. When
he came back to Siam, his son Bramahin, the tributary
king, began to assert his independence against the
Burmese king. In this attempt, he was supported by
his old father. A large Burmese army was then sent
to invade Siam again. In the end Bramahin was
made prisoner, and his capital was given up to plunder.
Bramahin either was executed or committed suicide.
Thaungkyi was then made tributary king of Siam.*
(A. D. 1569).
XVI I—M A H ADH A M M AR A j ASID VIR ATNA
According to the Pali Annals, be was appointed
king of Siam by the king of Pegu after he had defe¬
ated the Siamese king Mahamahinda. He is said to
have reigned for a period of twenty-two years.
xvni —narissaraja
His son Narissaraja {Phra: Naret) reigned at
Phitsanulok. He engaged himself in a war with
1 . Burmese Invasions of Siam—Journal of the Siani So¬
ciety V, 1908, I, pp. 46-70.
SS..L-
XIX— RAMESSARA
(a. d. 1605)
In 160=;, the younger brother of Naiissaraja,
.r^^^me^s^x^iEkadaiaraiha), having the title
anujadhir^dt became lOj^. =>
seven years (five years ?).
XX—indaraja
(a. D. 1610)
The kint^ Ramessara was succeeded by his son
Indaraja in “a. D. .6.0, He reigned for mne.een
years.
During the reigns of all these kings, the assembly
of bhiksus^, versed in Dhamma and Vinaya 1 no
meet in Council to preach the religion of Lord
Buddha.
The dynasty continued to rule at Ayutbia for a
long time. After Indaraja, we have the following
kings:—
1. Jetthalaia (Chao Song Tham )—8 months
2. Adiccavamsa (1628 a. d.) i month and
eight days
3. Si-Suddhammaraja—18 years
4. Diyara
5. SuTannapasada
6. Naraya.
By this time the route to the East had been
discovered and the Portuguese were coming to trade
with the rich East. They were followed by other
European nations. In 1604 the Dutch East India
Company established a depot at Ayuthia. The Freoc
also came over to Siam. Many Jesuists also came to
this country to preach the gospel of christ. In 1656
Phra Narai at the suggestion of his European minister
Constance Faulcon (Phya Vijayen) opened up the
Siamese ports to the Spanish, Portuguese, English,
Dutch and French and sent two embassies to Louis
XV for ^ commercial treaty and an alliance
mutual help.
With other European nations, the French also
came to Siam, but it is said that the. French had to
leave Siam a year after their arrival, ‘ notw.thstand.ng
the promises given by the Court regarding the stabili¬
ty and safety of their establishment.’ We need not
go far to seek its reason. ’The events which led to
the ovetthtow of Phya Vijayen (Constance Faulcon)
and the consequent departure of the French from^
Siam, in 1688, in the reign of Somdet Phra Natayana
—are explained in an early narrative called Siam in
i 6 SS, translated by Dr. O. Frankfurter.
In may 1688, the Siamese king Somdet Phra
Narayana fell dangerously ill and Opra Petracha, one
of the inOuential men of Siam wanted to take the
crown with the help of the Dutch. He showed the
people ‘how dangerous it %vouId be if the true suc¬
cessor to the Crown should be elevated to the throne,
because M. Constance would become only more
-owerfu!.’ At the head of 15,000 men, he occupied
all emrances to the palace of the .king. M. Constance
on the other hand, assembled all Catholics and asked
the Governor of Bangkok to come to his assistance.
In the meantime, Opra declared himself the king
of Siam, arrested the adopted son of the king and cut
him into pieces with a cruelty without example. M,
Constance had been arrested at the same time^ with
arms in his hands accompanied by several Christians
fighting for the faith of Jesus Christ, and, having wit-
iiLed this spectacle, suffered the same torment as
the prince.’
When the Siamese king died, the usurper pro¬
claimed himself king and succeeded in expelling the
French from the country of Siam.
We have an account of this time written by
Jeremias Van Vliet, formerly chief of the factory of
the Dutch East India Company in Siam. It i s known
“Tlmdlf Uie Siam Society, V. 1908 , part 4 , pp. 1 - 50 .
:S the Description of the kingdom of Siam ( published
n 1692 ). It also contains the account of the rerolu-
ion in Siam in 16S8 and the life and deeds of Con-
;tantyn Faulcon, the principal privy counsellor of the
dngdom of Siam. About the king and his po-.ver the
.vriter says: “Since the time that the kingdom of
Siam was established the king has always had almost
sovereign power, but according to the written laws
His Majesty had to consult the imperial council, and
where His Majesty used bad judgment, partiality or
exa2°'eration, the Mandarins had tne power to check
him. The kings have ruled during a long
period as monarchs with entire authority over peace,
war, treatises, justice, rem.ission of penalties and all
other offairs concerning the empire and the population.
The kings could make laws and prescriptions as they
pleased, and they did not consult or ask the counsel
of the most influential men or nobles nor of the diffe¬
rent classes of people, unless His Majesty of his own
free will thought it advisable to consult them.
About the relation of Siam with the European
nations, the author throws some light. The Portu¬
guese for a long time enjoyed free trade and great
friendship in this kingdom. He says:—“ Besides the
free trade in the entire country, the public church
and worship of the Roman Catholic religion were
allowed to them, yes, even monthh’^^a^^as^ran^-2_
"iTjoiirnal of the Siam Society, YU, part I, 1910,
pp. 13-14.
So
for assistance. Also His Majesty licensed his vessels
to trade with their junks full with cargo to Mal-
lacca,”*
Of the Netherlands Company, our writer says :
“It is now more than 30 years ago since the Nether-
landers came to Siam. They won the confidence of
the king, so that the United East India Company
found it advisable to establish a comptoir for the
trade and enter into an alliance with the king, in
pursuance thereof a house or factory of wood was
built in Judia. In this house they traded for many
years; and native products were sent every year to
Japan. Although the Company did not make much
profit by this trade, the Company entered into great
friendship with the kings and was honoured more and
enjoyed a higher reputation than any other European
nationalities.”^
We now rapidly approach the fall of Aynthia
(1767). E^en before its Goal overthrow, it was
koown as the centre of Buddhist culture* In
the king of Ceylon heard that Buddhism was in a
ioiirishing condition in Siam and that it was more
pore in Siam' than in Ceylon* The king of Ceylon^
accordingly! sent an eni/oy to Mahakala, the king of
Siam, who received the envoy warmly. He sent to
the king of Ceylon images of Lord Boddha in gold
1. Joiiriial of the Siam Society, YII, part I, 1910, p. 52.
2. Ibid, pp. 54-55,
and silver, Texts of Vinaya and Dhamnia and an
assembly of bhiksu with a royal message. It is to be
noted that it was from Ceylon that Siam had received
the gospel of Lord Buddha, and now Siam was sending
monks to Ceylon to teach the Ceylonese the true re¬
ligion of Lord Buddha.
We have already referred to many Buddhistic
inscriptions in Siam. There is another, which has
been deciphered and translated by M. Finot in his
Notes D"Epigraphie^ (XlV Les InscriptNis du Musie
de Hanoi). It is stele of Dansai, dated iSaka 1482 =
A. D. 1560. The inscription tells us that in Saka
1482, there were two kings : S. hi. DharmikarSia, who
reigned in Candapari Sri Satanagaaahuta Mahaaagara
ratana, and S. M. Parama Mahacakkavarttisvara Vara
rajadhiraja, who was the king Sri Ayodhya mahatilaka
bhaYanaga( ra)ratna. They were pious Buddhists
and called together through the two uparal all the
Tirtuous monks of the two kingdoms. Thus came
from Candanpuri—(i) Maha upSli, (2) Sri Arija-
kassapa, (3) Maha Dharmasenapati, (4) Buddhavililsa
mahathera, ( 5 ) Silavisuddha mahSthera, (6) Miriya-
dhika muni and ten other monks. From Ayodhya
came the following—( i ) Pra Kru Pararaacarya arya-
muni Silavisuddhi uttamasatya, ( 2 ) Pra Kru Sumedha-
ruciviniia, (3) Maha Saddhammatulya, (4) Maha
Brahmasara, (5) Maha Rajamuni and ten other
monks.
1 . B. E. F. E- 0 , XY, 1915 .
82
When all the monks had gathered together, they
uttered the following promise: , . y
..Thus the king of Satanlganahuta and the k g
ofAvuthia(Ayodhya) have resolved m *em ear
°o unite the two races, the Sfryavapada -d »
vainsa and to procure the happiness of Samana^,
brahmanas, acaryas and all their subjects.to
the end of the Kalpa. ’
Other monks, who joined this assembly from
Ayodhya, were:— _ _ .
1. Samdac pra Sangbarajadhipati
2. Pra Sahghanaranayakatilakalokacarya
3. Pra Mahavikramabahu
4. Pra Kru Dharmacarya
5. Pra Kru Paramacarya aryamuni, and
6 . Pra Kru Saddharma.
Of the laity, the following went
( I) Maha Uparat Cao, ( 2 ) Praiia Mahasenapati,
(3) Prafia pra Sdac Surindadhipati, (4) Sri Rajakosa-
dhipati, (5) Pra Srisvara Raja, (6) Khun Vijaya, and
( 7) Khun Sri Racesvara.'
Here we find some Indian titles used, namely,
Uparat meaning Viceroy, mahasenapati or the com¬
mander-in-chief, and RajakosUdhipati or the royal
treasurer.
The fall of Ayuthia marks the second stage m
the political history of Siam. When in India, the
British were trying for political supremacy after the
fall of the Mogul Empire, and
1 , Ihid. pp. SI— 36 *
R 2
of Pias^ey !:i.; tdic A :hj M .;-rr. ra'.t- .n
India, the Siair.ese wert busy founding a ne'.^ capita!.
This Indo-Siamese coiony ivas established in tb?
thirteenth century A. D., vvhen erea in India, the
Hindus bad lost their inaepenpence except in a feiv
far-off kingdcms. it is lortunate that even when the
British po'.ver became supreme in India, this Indo-
Siarr.ese colony diO not lose its indepeadeiice, but
gamed a fresh lease of life by establishing a new
dynasty and a new capital at Bangkok, which continues
to be its capital even in the present day.
CHAPTER VL
The Dynasty of Bangkok.
With the establishment of the new capital at
Bangkok and a - new dynasty, begins the modern
period in the history of Siam, Passing through the
medieval period at Aynthia, it comes to the modern
age, when it still keeps its independence. We know
that various Indian colonies had been established in
the past in Champa, Cambodia, [ava and other coun¬
tries, but none could survive to the present day except
this kingdom of Siam. Asa colony of India, it stiii
holds the torch of Indian culture and civilisation in
the far East.
Ayuthia continued to be the capital of the king¬
dom of Siam until the year 1767. The fall of Ayuthia
was due to the attacks of the Burmese, who, though
Buddhists, were fighting against the Siamese for a
84
Tn i-e? these Buddhists of Burma did
long tune, -n , / numerous
crrimle to destroy Ayuthia as wen
r of the citv. The ooostant Barmese
temples and mages ot t
invasion had ^ ruling royal
seemed as tfthe
tagdom of Siam would die out, but .t was not » be
te A Siamese leader of Ch.uese or.g.n, named
^.vaTak Sin rallied the scatteted S.amese atmy
drove the Burmese and established the new capita! at
BaneVot which is called the capital of the Angels.
Unfortunately, Phaya Tak Sin could not J
lo^a time. With the fall of Ayuthia, the monks had
become disorganised and corruption was ‘"8
the Buddhist church. The new fang
tolerate such corruption and iutroduced drastic refor
in the church. But it was not liked by many, accord-
ingly be was deposed in 1782.
T—CHAO PHAYA CHAKKRl
(1782)
Tn the same year another dynasty was established
Bangkok by Chao Phaya Chakkri (1782). The
present ruling king of Siam claims descent from this
Lw dvnasty, being the sixth king of the dynasty
For the purpose of reforming the Buddhist church,
Chao Phaya Chakkri called together a Council to
revise the texts of the Tripitaka. Thus this new
dynasty began its rule by the reformation of the
Buddhist church. The new king also made a special
hall to keep the texts of the holy Tiio:taka as --
by tne Council. These councils rsrnind us of t’’©
glorious days of Buddhism, when great kings like
Asoka and Kanishka had convened these meetings.
While the former meetings had been held in India,
tnese later Councus were held in Ceylon and Siam,
where the Buddhists felt the necessity of bolding sue;:
meetings to reform their church.
H—BUDDHA LOT LA.
The king Cnao Pnaya Chakkri was succeeded bv
Phra. Buddna Lot La. It is very interesting to note
that though busy with his administrative work, he
found time to satisfy the goddess Muse. He is ’said
to be the best poet of Siam and is still respected as
such. We have two instances of king Hala and king
Harsha in India, who also distinguished themselves by
their poetical compositions.
in—PHRA: NANG: KLAO.
The king Phra : Buddha Lot had two sons; ( i)
Phra: Nang: Rlao, and (2) Mongkut. When the
king died, his elder son Phra : Nang: Kalao ascended
the throne of Siam, while the second son Mongkut
became a monk and passed through the strict dis¬
cipline of a monk during the reign of his brother.
The king Phra: Nang: Kiao reigned until the vear
1851.
IV—MONGKUT
(iS5i-!868)
One of the most glorious kings of Siam, who
worked for the moral, intellectual and social uplift of
86
1 the kins Mongkut, who came
the Siamese peop e, " ^ |^g ],ad become
years as a monk The
king, le pasa . jjj 33 beneficial to him and
sovereign. It is
„adeh,n. parsed from the middle
during ms reig ^ ^ ^
recr°°Se was e'ager to study other religions with
mmd He was proficient m mathematics and
"r'seCi books on history and another on
:rm:r He ordered the Siamese Annais .0 e
:dked He consolidated the position of Sum by
“^treaties with the great Entop^
abolished slavery, gambling and usin, F
opilini*
V— CHULa^LONGKORN.
( 1868—ign A. D.)
! • \T-nahiit was succeded by his son
The great king Mongkut \\as su o
Chulalongkorn (=■ Cuidiahkd} <i) i j ug
?hatvery",ear he'decreed that no Siamese could he
'“"Hep^biishedthe whole of the Tripitaka in Sia¬
mese character and had the copies distributed to var
ousscholarsinthe world. R. Chalmers describe *
tag nySiniirs £*«■»« of 0 “ P’^!' ,
A S 'i Ian 180S ). He opened many new schoo
and benevolent institutions with the help of his brother
.. Prince Daairong.
87
VI—YAjIRAYUDH
( igii —1926 A. D.)
The king Chulaiongkorn was followed by his son
Yajiravudhin 19! I. He was born on January i, 1881,
He was also an enlightened Prince and followed the foot¬
steps of his iilustrioos father and grandfather. He was
in close friendship with the European powers, specially
with France and Britain. In 1914 a. D. he assumed
the title of Rama YL la 1925, he came over to
India on an extensiwe tour wisiting the holy places of
India. No other king of Siam, perhaps, came to India.
Being the sixth sovereign of the present ruling dynasty
he had his training at Oxford, forswore polvgamv and
abolished the harem maintained fay his predecessor.
On the death of the king Rama VI on November 26,
1926, he was succeded by his younger brother Prince
Prajadhipok. ^
(^uliuTal
of
SIAM
CHAPTER VH.
Monuments of Slam.
In trying to give the cultural history of Siam our
attention is drawn primarily to the monuments now
prevailing in that country. The monuments may be
broadly divided into two classes: Hindu and Buddhist.
Though, at present, the state religion of Siam is Bu¬
ddhism, yet, it must be remembered that Hinduism
preceded Buddhism in Siam. We have, therefore, re¬
mnants of Hindu culture in Siam, namely, a few images
of Vis^u, Laksmi, Siva and others, and a few old
temples. Of Buddhist culture, traces, however, are
numerous, including numberless monasteries and
images of Lord Buddha.
It is fortunate that we have got an interesting
archasological survey of Siam from M. Lajonquihre,
who wrote about :
(;) Le domaine Archeologique du Siam^
(ii} Rapport Sommaire Sur une mission Arc-
beologique^
(iii) Essai d’inventaire archeologique duSiam*
In our attempt to give an account of the monu-
1. Bali, lie la commission archeologique de 1’ Indo-
chine, 1909 p. 188.
2. Ihid, 1909. p. 162.
3. Ihid, 1912.
ments of Siam, we mainly draw from these sources,
supplemented by M. Fouroerean’s chapter on construc¬
tions in his Le Siam Aiicien ( I, pp^e—11 j
It seems that the domain of archaeology of Siam
is jast. The Hindu colonics w-re established at
diherent epochs in almost all parts of the kingdom,
Ihe documents of the e’ctreme East, which heln us to
throw light on its obscure history, may be divided,
according to M. Lajonquiere, into four groups, namely;—
Indo-Cambojan
(ii) Hindu ( Xon-Combojao)
(,* Siamese, and
(iv) Laotine.
We shall presently deal with the Hindu period,
anterior to the foundation of Ayathia ( A. D. 1350).
W e cannot strictly draw a line of demarcation
between the two ancient kingdoms of Canaboja and
Siam. The ancient Camboja at present comprises
both ( I ) Camboja, under the French Protectorate,
and ( 2 ) Siam proper. It should also be borne in mind
that Siam in the early centuries of the Christian Era
had no separate existence. Therefore, in tracing the
history of art in Siam, we have to go back a little tc
tne pre-Siamese days, when the artistic development
took place in Camboja. As the inscriptions in kfcmer
and in Sanskrit (relating to Comboja) embrace the
period from the sixth to ninth centuries, we can fix
the extreme dates between winch the artistic mani¬
festation of the Indo-Cambojan school took place.
90
This school is almost exclusively religious in character.
In Camboja, the Brahmanic cult appeared in all
its artistic manifestations. The Brahmanic images
induce those of Brahma., the creator, Indra, the kin^j
of Heaven, Vi-snu, the Preserver and Siva, the des¬
troyer. They are found in almost all the temples.
There are Buddhist images also, but Lord Buddha
was there as one of the avataras of Visnu. In the
sanctuary cf Phimai, the image of Gatuama has got the
place of honour on the linteau of the principal door,
while the Brahmanic gods have been regulated to a
secondly place. M. Lajonquiere thinks that it might
have been built at a time when the Brahmanic faith
was in decay.
The remains of this Indo Camboja group of art
occupy a great part of the archaeological domain of
Siam. The valley of Menam is entirely full of khmer
inscriptions and monuments belonging to the ancient
Camboja.
In the Province of Chantabun has been found a
fragment of stele bearing an inscription partly in Sans¬
krit and partly in khmer. The readings of P- SchmidP
and of M. Aymonier^ donot give us any interesting
indication. The latter, however, concludes from the
language of the document that it belongs to the tenth
century A. D,.
Another fragment of inscription is preserved in-
the same stele, which leems to have been erected by
1. Fouruereau—Le Siam Aucien, I, p. 137
2, Le Cauibodge, II, p. 80
91
tiic CsinoOjEO 1, 3,soi' 3,irii3,n in t'O.6 niiitli cciitury \ '|3
x4mcog the remains of this proYin,ce are, a fra<f»
ment of hnieau decoraitf md a tympan of a do^or like
the one found at Phamniep,
The ruins of Pkamniep hmt unfortunately been
exploited lor a long tune. The remains of pagodas
and edifice& in lOe neigiibournood led M« La]onc|iiiers
to thiolc that tile piace preserves a Brauinarjic name—■
Ban Fhra i\fofa/= Village of YhnnP
The traces of the resideoces of the king or lords
can stiii be seen there. A iympan of a door has also
been discovered^ At the two extremities are the two
heads of the makara and in the centre Garuda perhaps
carrying VisiiUj whose bust is missing. As in Champai
this is a common motive in Caaiboja on the decorative
iinieau.
From other remains of this valley of Chantabuo,
M. Lajonqoifere concludes, that it was colonised in an
unknown period by a group of Hiodos. About the
ninth century A. D., this colony had been annexed to
the kingdom of Camboja. This explains the co-existeo-,
ce of .edifices presenting peculiar characteristics
and inscriptions in Sanskrit ao.d Khmer,
Certain monuments of Lophburi can be classed
under the IndO'Cambojan group. Of the three sanct¬
uaries of Thesathan one is in brick and two others are
Cambojaii. One has a iinieim decoratif oraamented
1. See Fig 2, p„ 195 of BiiiL de la Oornmissiori ArcheO”
iogiqiie de Y Iiido-Chif^.e 1909,
93
with the figure of Indra. The remains of this place
also, led M. Lajonquiere to think that the sanctuaries
were first destined for the Brahmanic cult and after¬
wards utilised as Buddhist temples. The great sanct¬
uary of Vat Xapathat also belongs to the Indo-Cambo-
jan school.
There was a Hindu colony in this part, which was
perhaps anrie.xed to the neighbouring kingdom in the
tenth and eleventh centuries.
VALLEY OF MENAM SAK
According to Prince Damrong, there are two old
monuments in brick on the bank of the river Menam,
which by their characteristics may be classed under the
Indo-Cambojan group. One is—Muang Si That,^ sit¬
uated at 4 Kilometres to the East of the administrative
centre of Vi.xien, the other is—Sat Sumphra at 11 ki-
lorcetres from X^ibadan.
SUKKHOT H Al—SA X ANL AT
The monuments of tne former capital of Siam
bear the characteristics of Indo-Cambojan group. Of
these two cities Saxanlai is the oldest. In tne interior
are found in the same line, three temples, in each of
which the principal edifice is constructed by one or more
stupas. Lihgas have also been found. Other impor¬
tant monuments were raised by the king Rama Kom-
Leng, who in his inscription says—The relics were
enshrined in the middle of the city of Saxanalai. Over
1. Ihld, Fig 3, p. 199.
93
which a chedi was built, which took six years. Another
chedi with stone columns took three years.
Another edifice attributed to the king Riirr.a Soni-
heng is of a rough construction. On an octagonal
base which measures 120 metres is a circular stuia.
Some statues of Buddha are put in several places. It
is the only monument of this type which was construc¬
ted in the ancient epoch of Siam.
The moauments of Vat Sisavai of Sukkhothai re¬
produces the principal characteristics of the group of
three sanctuaries. It was primarily destined for the
Bratmanic cult. Its construction and ornamentation,
however, were abondoned before they were completed,
MUANG SING
The temple of Muang Sing presents the principal cha¬
racteristics of the Indo-Cambojan group. The plan of
the temple suggests it to be of the go pur u type, which
is so much prevalent in South India. The artists of
this temple might have, therefore, hailed from the
Southern part of India. In the centre is the sanctuary
with four faces. A system of four galleries surrounds
it like the Indian gopuram.
PECHABURI
To the East of the central sanctuary is 2. gopuram
exactly on the above model. Here also the temple
was originally built for the Brahmanic cult, but gradu¬
ally the Buddhist figures took the place of the Hindu
gods. The original figures namely, Visau on the back
of Garuda and DvUrapdias can still be seen.
94
In tliis enumeration of the remains of Indo Cam-
bojan group, we hare not taken mto^ consideration (i)
tbe of Pho with its inscription in Sanskrit
and Ktaer ( 1317 A. D.), (») other diverse Khmer
inscriptions on the statues preserved in the Museums
of Bangkok and Ayuthia, in the royal Library and cer¬
tain pagodas.
THE HINDU SCHOOL OF ART
We now come to the purely Hindu School of Art
in Siam. In the valley of Pachim at Vat Na Prasat
two small fragments of statue have been found. One
is the crowned head of a iidga coming from a statue of
Buddha.
At Maang Phra Rot in the southern exterior is a
rectangular Fosse on which are seen a series oi figures
eti reliefi namely, of elephants, makara and tigers.
These documents are quite new in the Indo-Chinese
archology^. Outside there are some constructions
which probably were religious edifices. A lihga with
Stmnadroni shows it to belong to the Saiva cult.
Following monuments have been discovered
here ;—
[a) Complete statues of Buddha or fragments re¬
presenting the Master standing or sitting on a throne.
It is remarkable that this latter attitude is not represen¬
ted in the actual Siamese religious statues.
( 5 ) A stele representing Buddha standing bet¬
ween two women.
1. Idh], p. 212
95
(c) An interesting fragmeRt represer.tl:',7 BudJsa
seated on a throne, on his sices are two celestiai wo¬
men, sitting on his right are five personages, and five
on the left. The dress seems to be similar to the
Dravidian Sculptures in the Madras Museum. It is to be
noted that the worshippers on the right represent the
Thai, and those on the left the Hindus. M. Lajonqui-
ere thinks that this was the political state of the country
at the time of the erection of the monument.
( d) A curious fragment of stele representing Bu¬
ddha t' ? I sitting on the head of Garada. As the
upper part is missing it is impossible to identify the
figure.
(e ) Various fragments including heads of Buddha
and a vase bearing a Buddhist inscription.
These are all of Buddhistic origin. There are,
however, some of the Brahmanic cult, namely, a liiiga
and many pedastals with Snanadrcnt.
MUANG SUPHAN
Here we get a c -jllosal statue of Lord Buddha in
a sitting posture, about i6 high.^ There are
also a few shipas- There are two Brahmanic images
en haiit relief preserved in San Chao.’
KANCHANABURI KHAO
We get here an image of Lord Buddha in a sitting
posture, but it is kept not in a vihUra (monastery) of
ordinary form, but in a rectangular sanctuary.
1. Hid p. 223, Fig. IS
2. Ihi’i p. 225, Fig. 19, 20
RATBURI
In the grotte of Phu Khao, there are some inte¬
resting sculptures. There is an image of Lord Bud¬
dha in a sitting posture, which is similar to that of Phra
Fathom.^ Another image is of the ascetic Buddha,
which reminds us of the similar Gandhara sculpture
in the Punjab.^
XAYA
In a sanctuary at Xaya, the decoration on the
principle side consists of the Buddhistic figures and
on the secondary side, of Brahmanic figures. In the
niche is found the figure of a seated Buddha. Some
think that Buddha is here considered as an avaidra
(incarnation) of Visnu and is, therefore, given a se¬
condary place, while the statues of Siva and Vimu
have been placed in the interior.® Of the two fra^-
ments, which have been brought to Bangkok, one frag¬
ment of a statue is remarkable for its execution and
belongs, as appears from the dress, to the Indo-Cambo-
jan group.
VIEXG SRAS
A statue of Vimu has been found here. It has
subsequently been removed to the Museum ofAyuthia.
The religious foundations of Nakhon Sri Tham-
marat are of great importance. There are still found
Shipa^ and VihUra, of which only the columns remain,
and great Buddhistic images. The scenes described
97
represent the carrying of Lord Buddha by the dancers
to the celestial regions. Another scene is of Lord Bud¬
dha on horseback. In the Na Phra Narai sanctuary
are some Brahmanic statues in bronze. One of them
is Ganesa, bearing an inscription in Tamil character.
The grotto of Yala was transformed into a Bud¬
dhist caTc, where numerous images of Buddha, sitting
mdhyana (meditation) posture, are found.^ On the
earthen bowls were engraved images of Buddha and
profession of the Buddhistic faith in the Sanskrit lan¬
guage. A few inscriptions are also in Thai character.
In the Province Wellesly three inscriptions, going
back to the fourth century A. D., have been discover¬
ed. The Makara placed on the wall of the old Por¬
tuguese church, where the body of Francis J^avier
was deposited, shows it to be in effect an old temple.
An image of Siva was found at Takua Pa.* At
Khao Phra Narai (the mountain of Visnu) is a great
stele on which are sculptured en haul relief three per¬
sonages. Siva seems to be in the middle, and on two
sides are two celestial dancers. The dress, profusion
of jewels, elegant movement of the body show the ar¬
tist to be of Indo-Dravidian School. On one side is
an inscription in six lines in an archaic character.
In a fragment of stele of Mergui, is an inscription
with the figure of a seated Buddha. The character in
1. Ihkl, pi. V, Fig. 12. 2. Ibid, p. 232
3. Ibid —L© domaine Archeologiqae du Siam (1909,
p. 188).
98
whicli the inscription was recorded, has not yet been
identified.
The monuments and archaeological documents of
the Siamese or Thai school are more numerous than
the preceding groups,*
There are many monuments in the city of Bang¬
kok. The Prince Damrong deposited many relics in
the pagoda of Vat Phra Keo, where.we find
fi) A fragment on %vhieh are sculptured some
figures of females, with joined hands offer¬
ing flowers,
(ii ) An image of Ganesa,
(iii) A certain number of statues of Buddha,
whose Javanese origin is evident,
(iv) A nice statue of Ganeia on a pedestal,
The famous inscription of the king Rama Kom-
heng is also in the monastery of Vat Phra Keo, as well
as a lihga bearing an inscription of four lines, dated
Saka 1239 ( = 1317 A. D.).
The Siamese National Library, known as Vajira-
nana, contains several monuments, inscriptions and
valuable manuscripts.^
In the Bangkok Museum, there are many images
of Hindu gods and goddesses, namely ;—
( I) Images of Ganesa in bronze®
1. Ihicl —Le domaine Archeologique du Siam (1909,
p. 188).
2. Ibid —Essai d' inventaire Archeologique du Siam
(1921) pp. 33-41.
3. Le Siam Aucien—I, plate XXIV
99
(2) Images of Visnu ar.d his consort La’s:-m
in bronze^
(3 ) An image of Siva in bronze*
{4; An image of Sakya Moni ( Buddha) in
bhumisparsamudra Abe attitude of touch¬
ing the ground), in bronze*
(5 ) An image of Buddha in the same attitude,
in bronze*
(6) Buddha in the attitude of dhyana (medi¬
tation ), in bronze®
( 7) Images of worshippers of Buddha, in bronze*
(8) A standing figure of Siva, with two hands,
highly decorated, in bronze,*
( 9 ) A standing figure of Visgiu, with-four hands,
in the upper two arms bearing sahkha
(conch) and cakra (disc), in bronze^
(10) Two images of Siva dancing iandava
dance, in bronze.*
These images offer interesting study. We can
easily distinguish them into two different classes: one
class of images made by expert Indian artists, and the
other class by local Siamese artists. Those Indian
silpins, who came to Siam, they made several images.
They also trained the local Siamese artists in the art of
1. Ibid, plate XXVIII 2. Ibid, plate XXIX
3. /6k?, plate XXXIII 4. /6i<?, plate XXXIV
5. Ibid, plate XXX7 6. Ihul, plate XXXVII
7. Ibid, plate XLIX 8. Ibid, plate, L
9. J6k?, plate XXVII
100
image-making. The execution and the style of the
Siamese artists was not so elegant as that of the Indian
artists. The figures of Siva dancing tdndva dance
speak for themselves. .They remind us of Naiardja
Siva of South India. The artist was an Indian, most
probably, South Indian. He reproduced the exact copy
oiNaiarqja Siva dancing the cosmic dance. It is
purelv Indian and has not changed by its introduction
into Siam. So also the image of Sdkya Mum ( Bud¬
dha) sittting with crossed legs in the attitude of touch¬
ing the ground. There we find a clam expression
closely resembling that of the Gupta statues in India.
While in strange contrast to it stands the figure of
Buddha in the same posture or Buddha in meditation.
The figures of Visnu or Laksml or Siva also lack ele¬
gance of expression.
LOPBURI.
From the account of Mr. P. A. Thompson, we
know that the most interesting remains of Lopburi are
the ruins of an old temple. Of this temple, we read^:
‘The temple is of the Hindu type,and was built during
the supremacy of the Cambodians in Southern Siam.
It is in fact, identical in style with the sanctuaries which
are found farther east, in Cambodia itself. It consists
of three small cubical chambers, entered through low
square doorways, and surmounted by blunt spires pos¬
sibly dedicated to Brahma, Visnu and Siva. The
chambers are connected by short covered galleries.
1 . Journal of the Siam Society, V ( 1908 ), III, p. 20-21.
lOI
* WliateTer may aa^e been tbe original aedicii’on
of the tempicj it was at some eariy cate converted to
Boddhist oseSj for the galiertes are foil of iift-size
images of the Bodchi^Terv fioelv carved in sand stone
and with seven fold hooded cobras rising faa-Iike behind
their heads.’
We, therefore, find Siam rich in artistic monu¬
ments both Hindu and Buddhist. Though Buddhism
is now the prevailing religion of Siam, Hinduism has a
small following in Siam. The monasteries of Siam
are full of diverse images of Buddha. Hinduism pre¬
ceded Buddhism in Siam, so we get a large number
of Hindu images, of Brahma, Vifiju, Siva, Laksmi,
Ganes'a and others.
Chapter VIIL
RELIGION OF SIAM
The state religion of Siam at present is Buddhism.
It is the religion of the king as well as the people of
Siam. Buddhism is essentially Indian in character. It
came from India through Cambodia and Ceylon. In¬
dia has given to Siam her religions: Hinduism and
Buddhism, her sacred language Pali with its vast lite¬
rature, her system of writing, her art and sculpture.
The culture of Siam is thus Indian. .This Siamese cul¬
ture is again in the hands of the Buddhist monks, who
are about loo.coo in number ‘attached to about 20,000
monasteries ’ (or Vat as known in Siamese ).
Buddhism came to Siam through Cambodia in
A. D. 422. Though the introduction of Buddh'sni,
may, thus, be traced back to the fifth century A. D.,
102
yet it took a long time for Siam to consolidate the Bud¬
dhist church. It was not until Siam became a separate
independent kingdom in the fourteenth century, that
the Siamese Buddhism took its present form. In the
early days, Buddhist missions had come from Burma
and^Camboja. When the king Suryaramsa Rama,
came to the throne, he invited a learned monk from
Ceybne to consolidate the Siamese church. From
this time, Buddhism took a firm footing in Siam.
The Siamese are very religious. Their zeal for
Buddhism is shown in the large number of monks and
monasteries in Siam. The appearance of these temples,
according to a European writer, is often more beauti¬
ful than that of churches in Europe, only they are dark
as no glass is used. The pagodas are like so many mo¬
nastic towns in the middle of nice gardens with shrines
dedicated to Lord Buddha. There are preaching halls
and temporary accomodations for pilgrims and
houses for monks. In Siam, generally the pagodas
are built on the banks of rivers, and it is a pleasant
sight to watch the monks, dressed in their yellow robes,
go out begging on boats. With their boats they come
to the doors of the householders on the banks of the
rivers and ask for alms. The householder, ready
with their quota, fill the begging bowls of the monks
with a view to attain punyti (merit). The monks live
entirely on public charity.
We get an interesting picture of the Siamese Bud¬
dhist church from Jeremias Van Vliet about 1692.
103
About these Buddhist monasteri-s, he savs : ■Through-
out the whole country there are many large and small
temples built expensively and inngeniousiy of stone, lime
andwood, x x x Each temple is Slled with innumerable
idols made of various minerals, metals and other ma¬
terials, Some temples are covered with gold, silver
and copper, so that they look elegant and costly. In
each temple is a big idol, 4, 6, 8 to 10 fathoms in height
usually sitting on an elevated alter. One of these sit¬
ting idols would even reach 20 fathoms or 120 feet
when standing upright. Under the seats of the idols
in some temples, big treasures of gold and silver have
been buried, also many rubies, precious stones and
other jewels have been put away in the highest tops of
some towers and pyramids and these things remain there
for always for the service of the gods.’
The writer, then continues, to speak about the life
of the monks. He says ‘ All monks, without any ex¬
ception, are clad in bad (?) and common yellow linen
cloth; only a few principal ones had a red cloth over
the right shoulder. Their heads are shaved. The
most learned become priests, and from these priests the
chiefs of the temples are chosen, who are held in high
honour by the people. Marriage is forbidden to the
ecclesiastical persons under penalty of being burned.
Also conversation with women is forbidden, but
they may leave the priesthood, which is done by many
out of sensuality. But when tired of marriage they
may put on the priestly robes again, and even persons
104
who do so are kept in great honour. In all monaste¬
ries the headpriests, priests, clerks and temple servants
read and sing during the evening and the morning,
they do not accumulate any treasures, nor are they
ea'^er for any other worldly goods or riches. They live
partly on what the king and the mandarins bestow on
them, also on fruits and profits derived from the
grounds which belong to the church. But most they
receive from the common people who furnish them
with food and other necessities. From each monastery
each morning some priests and clerks are sent out with
a wallet. But they do not collect more than is suffi¬
cient for one day. They are not allowed to drink
wine or spirits, but only ordinary water or coconut
water, and they may partake only of common food, and
when the sun has passed the zenith they may only chew
some betel. From all this we may conclude that the
priests have to live in a very modest way’.’
This is the picture of the life of the monks of Siam
in the seventeenth century. Though three centuries
have elapsed, yet there has not been any vital change
in the life of these monks. Besides the monks, the
writer says, there were many old women connected
with the monasteries. They had to shave their heads,
put on white linen. They were present at all sermons,
songs, ceremonies and other occasions connected with
the religion. They were not subjected to any extraor¬
dinary rules.*
””” I. J. S. S. YII, part I ( 1910 ) 7 pr 76 -^
2 . Saunders—Epochs in Buddhist History, p. 115 .
105
In the name of the Siamese monks, v;e find t’ls
remnant of the Indian name. They are cailed Phikh:',
which corresponds to Paii bhikkku or are aiso known
as Phisu (=Skr. bhiksu ). The early European trare-
Ilers, however, called the Siamese monks ialapoins
{iaia: pat, the name came from the fan which they
carry with them). The Siamese monks as a rule
follow, as in Ceylon and Cambodia, twenty-seven arti¬
cles of the book of discipline, known as Paiirnok,
which is nothing else but the corruption of Patimok-
kha, as W'eli as the commentaries of the Phra: Vinai,
which is but the text of Vinaya of the Tripitaka.
The orders in the Siamese church include:—
(i) Samanera ov a Novice (Siamese,
neft)
(ii) Bhikkhu or a monk ( Siamese, Phikhu ),
and
(iii) Thera or Elder (Siamese, ^hra ).*
The Siamese King as the Defender of Buddhism
is the head of the church, but he seldom interfers with
the interna! management of the church, which is, how¬
ever, under the direct control of (Skr. Sak-
ghardi,=Sahghardja), nominated by the king. In
Siam, the brother of the king is generally the Saiigha-
rdt, who is the bead of all Siamese monks. He deci¬
des all religious controversies with the help of the king.
As the head of the church, he presides over the meet¬
ings of monks convened for the discussion of impor-
1. Saunders—Epochs in Buddhist History, p. 115.
io6
tant theological questions. Under the SahgharUja^
there are four abbots, who are known as Somdei chao.
These abbots are in charge of four royal monasteries.
They are also nominated by the king and are helped
by a vicar (Siamese: Khun pali&i') and a
chief secretary. All the monks of the monastery are
under the abbot. Under the monks come the Santa-
nen ( Pali: Samanera), who are novices in the church
and are generally below the age of twenty. When the
novices are ordained, they are to take Pabbajju by put¬
ting aside their rich dress and taking in its stead the
yellow robe of the monks. They have to shave their
heads and take upasampadS^ or the ceremony of ordi¬
nation. Thus the monks lead their simple lives in the
monasteries, which even now serve as the centre of
Siamese culture, which again is deeply influenced by
Indian culture. These Buddhist monks help to preser¬
ve Indian culture in these distant lands.
The Buddhist festivals in Siam, as in other Bud¬
dhist countries, are associated with the chief events of
the life of Lord Buddha. The festivals of the birth,
enlightenment and nirvdtia of Buddha—all fall on the
fifteenth day of the sixth waxing moon. For three
days the festival is celebrated with great pomp and
solemnity. The monks donot go out begging these
days, but spread the begging bowls in a line, which are
filled by the laity. The laity hear recitations from
the sacred books and sermons are preached for them.
Processions go out during the day, and there is illu-
flowers to ihc images of Bodciiia and food and clothes
to the clergy* On the third day^ the entire population
indulge in gambling, excepting the clergy^ Another
important festiTal is known as Tiiot IviHuifi ' Pildo
Mapiina winch takes place after the raioSj when
roDes are distributed to the monks. In Bangkok^ the
king himself or some officer of high rank, goes to erery
temple to offer robes to ihe monks*
With the present age, a tendency to reform the
church has come over Siam, This reform moTemeDt
liad been headed by the king Mongkut, who looked to
the original P^ii sources and made proFisioms for the
■Study of Pali io Siam, He was successful io brino^incj
& t5«
about the reformation of the rules of discipline of the
church. His minister, Phra : Klan Chao Phaya Thi-
pakon published in 1869 a book Kichanukit or “Book
explaining things clearly’’ in which stress is laid on
the Four Noble Truths of Lord Buddha and the para-
matha of Abhidhammapitaka.
The result of this reform raorement is to divide
the Siamese church into two sects: one, the old ortho¬
dox sect and the other, the Dhammauici or the refor¬
med sect.
Since then there is a revival of Pali studies in
Siam. It received further impetus by the publication
of the whole of the Pali Tripitaka in 39 Volumes in
1893 by the king Chulalongkorn at his own expense.
It was followed by the establishment of the \ ajirafina
National Library (at Bangkok), which also publishes
Pali texts. In recent years, the king of Siam has pub¬
lished some of the commentaries in Siamese character.
BRAHMANISM
It is to be noted that Brahmanism could not
make such headway in Siam as in Champa or in Cam¬
bodia. We connot, however, deny that Brahmanism
was the first Indian religion to penetrate into Siam,
when Siam was a province of Cambodia. With the
establishment of the first dynasty in Siam, Brahmanism
began to die out and Buddhism took its place. There
are still traces of Brahmanism left in Siam in the
images of Siva, Visiju, LaksmI, Ganesa. Many festi-
Tals of Siam still betray the Brahmanic influence on
them. It is interesting to note that even now there
are a few Brahmans even in Siam, who try to keep up
their old religion. They profess Hinduism and are not
disturbed because of their religious faith. On the
other hand they occupy a very prominent place in the
Siamese royal court.
From an inscription on a statue of Siva, we know
that in A. D. 1510, DharmSsoka, the king of Kamph-
engphet, introduced the worship of Siva. He exalted
both the cult of Brahmanism and the cult of Buddha.
From the inscription of Takopa, we learn that as
early as the eighth or ninth century A. D., there had
109
been established in Siam, a temple of V'so';.
At present the Branmms of Siam are kroorn cv
the name hrams, v^hich. might be a corrupt; to from,
the Brahmana. They claim descent from the perse¬
cuted Brahmins of India,’.vho 9 ed to Pegu and thence
to Siam during the fifth and sixth centuries of the
Christian Era. The Brahmins of Siam constitute a
a small community of Bangkok. They are very few in
number, 8 o all told and live near their temple Vai
Eot Phram, which means the ‘‘Pagoda of the Sanctu¬
ary of the Brahmans.” This sanctuary comprises only
three brick temples iu an enclosure. There can be
found the colossal image of Trimiirti or the Hindu
gods of Trinity, known in Siamese as i^hra: Malta-
raxakhruvitthi ( = Skt. Maharaja guruviddhi).
The Brahmins still maintain a high position in the
royal court of Siam. They preside over coronation
and other important ceremonies and occupy as honoar-
able a position as the Buddhist monks in the royal
court. They compose the names of the princes,
towns and temples in Sanskrit. They also act as kora
or astrologers and UcEr (Skt. acarya) or lay teachers
of pagodas.’
Thus, this small band of Brahmins, though away
from India for centuries, still preserves Indian culture
and civilisation in the land of the Thais.
There are many festivals in Siam, which are Bra-
hmanic in character, but in which the Buddhist priests ,
1 . See—Siam in E. E. E.
iio
are also present. One sucb festiyal is the Rek Na or
ploughing festival, during which the king is exorted to
Diisii { = Tusiia), a royal park outside Bangkok, where
he performs the ploughing ceremony. In India, we
find such ceremonies prescribed for landowners in
Grhya Sidras. In Niddna Kathd the Buddha’s
father is seen performing such a ceremony.
Another Brahmanic festival is the Thib ching-cha
or the swinging festival, during which four Brahmins
with conical bats swing on a board suspended from a
frame hundred feet high. The swinging festival exists
in India even in the present day. The third Brahma¬
nic festival is the Loi Kaihong (=float—raft), when
rafts and ships with lights and offerings are offered to
the Menam to be carried down to the sea.
In some cases the Buddhist and Hindu rites have
been intermixed, specially in the ceremony of Konchuk
or of shaving the topknot Col. Gerini has given an
elaborate description of the tonsure rites in his Chula-
ka.ntamaugalam (Bangkok, 1893).
It is interesting to note that we have the story of
the Rdmdgana illustrated on the walls of the royal
temple at Bangkok. The Siamese sculptors even now
make images of Yomma: rdt { = Yama ruja), I’haya
Man i^=Mdr<i)t ^hra : In (^ = \ndxdi^. The Brahmanic
idea of Mount Meru as the centre of this universe is
accepted in Siamese religious books and paintings.
in
Chapter - IX
KINGSHIP IN SIAM
The Siamese culture is often described as the
legacy of Indian culture, in many branches, in reli¬
gion, in literature, in art and sculpture, Siam owes a
deep debt to Indian culture and ciyilisation. There
are traces of Indian influence eren in the administra¬
tive organisation of Siam. We find the king with
Indian title, his ministers and officers bearing Indian
names, and Indian customs and ceremonies lurking
in the Siamese royal family.
The monarchical system of government prevails
in Siam, with the king as its heads. The Siamese king
is called ^hra Thai or ‘ Lord of the Thai Race.' As
Siam is a theocratic government, the king, as the head
of the church, bears the title of the Defender of fhra
(=S'dya«fl) or the Buddhist faith. The king,
however, seldom interfers with the internal adminis¬
tration of the church, which is under i'hra Phooiiha-
ong {= Buddha anga) or a High Priest, who is also
known as Sahgharat. This high post is generally filled
by the brother of the king. In the administration of
the kingdom, the king is helped by an able minister,
known as Phra maha Racha Khroo (=Skt. Mahs,
Rajaguru ).‘
The law of succession in Siam, as in India, is here¬
ditary, but some times when the king was feeble or a
minor other members of the royal family would seize
1. Asiatic Researches, 1836, p. 245.
112
tte royal throne. At other times, other powerful
generals would destroy the royal power and establish
separate dynasties. Thus in the course of 45 ^ 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 :
‘ 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.’^ One of the titles of the Siamese king is:
i'hra karunna pra baat Somdetcha eka t' hots-arot
Eeso-an baromma leap, hecitra P hr a P hooiihu chddu
yo hoakhroo ong Somdetcha P hr a Narai Song meek-
k'ha Racha tham an maha parasoet. This title has
thus been rendered into Pali: Pra karuf}d pra pdda
ekachhatia or as isvara parama . .pra Buddha .
pra nUrdyana . rdjadhammd . mahd prasettha.
His other titles are : Maha krasaat i^-MahU khatiiya),
cbakkrap'hat { = Chakkavatti) and others.*
1. J. S. S. VII, 1,1910 p. 16.
2. Asiatic Eesearches, 1836, p. 249.
arr.-j-
113
It IS said that * ihe king is Tsrv fond of thsss
gant titles and as the people were told that he ready
deserved these titles nobody dared to oppose the king
or to resist his pride. The fear of His Majesty is so
hi ^
great that nobody, however powerful he may he, dares
to mention His name.... In cases when it is necessary
the talk about him or to call his name, the people whis¬
per the words respectfully in each other’s ear. His
Majesty is honoured and worshipped by his subjects
more than a god.’*
This was the estimate of the Siamese king, recor¬
ded by a Dutch merchant, more than two hundred
years ago.
From an old Siamese book, we know that when
the king wanted to retire in favour of his son, he asked
the astrologer to fix a day for the ‘august ceremony
of instalation ’ of the Prince. Ail the officers of state
and Governors of Provinces would be summoned to
swear allegiance to the new king and ‘ be gratified by
laying their heads beneath the sublime feet’ of the new
sovereign.
On the morning of the auspicious day, the new
king would bathe in consecrated water, which was
also exquisitely perfumed. Richly dressed, he would
come to the hall before the prostrate dignitaries and
officers. The astrologer would with his mystic tablet
seek the blessings of Heaven. Taking a betel leaf
over the flames of taper, he would extinguish it and
1. J. S. S. 1910, part I pp. 17—18.
II4
fV msrkq on tbe forehead of the Prince.
"ar;:graB.ah™i„,would crown ..0 Hn,
would then take his J»» phrattan or bow and
.word of state in his right hand and would be convey-
ed amidst chorus of musical instruments.
Next in power and authority to the Siamese king
\%X\,t'wcxr-'kingoxupara]a, He is genera yt e ro
theroftheking and is m charge of the army. For
this reason, European travellers called him hng
or second king.
Like the Indian kings, the k.ng of Siam has Ove
svmbols of royalty. They are:-
( I) StUa chair a ( = Sveia chatira )—the royal
umbrella with seven tira
(2) P'hatchanee ( = F>’u>Kf)—the royal fan
( 3 ) Phra K’han{^ KhadgayxhQToydX&'Nord
(4) the royal diadem, and
(5) the royal slippers.
The Siamese king, like the Indian kings, is rarely
seen abroad and is well-guarded by his body-guards.
We hear from the Dutch writer:‘The king appears
little in public but usually receives three time a day
the greatest men and officials of the country. In the
morning very early his Majesty gives audience to his
factors and to those who bring presents to him. In
the afternoon, the king consults his secret council and
the greatest men, and at sunset goes to the meeting
place for all the mandarins. ^suall^tlK
1. Asiati* Researches, 1836, pp. 251 253.
n5
appears in a costly dress, sitting on a niagr.iHoient
gilded throne and wearing the royal crown.’^
When the Siamese king does come oat of the,
palace, his Tamraai or Bambco-bearers preceed
him in files of two and proclaim the coming of the
king. Ail people prostrate before the king, who
is followed by a band of musicians. The king goes m
a palanquen, followed by his body-guards.
It is the custom of the Siamese royal house that
every year the king proceeds on a holy pilgrimage
at the end of October or in the beginning of Novem¬
ber. The king is ‘ followed by his whole court, and
all the mandarins, nobles and officers of the country.’
With great pomp and splendour, the king thus goes to
pay a visit to the principal Wat or temple.
It is said that ‘ about six to seven thousand per¬
sons participate in this ceremony, but only His
Majesty, his wives, his children, his brother, the
four highest bishops and other priests enter the
temple.’ The king enters the temple with bare foot,
candles and iocerese are lighted. He takes flowers
and tapers in his hands and kneels uttering some
prayers. With his cloth spread, he bows down
three times to the images and also to the superior.
All this time, * the streets are very corwded with
people from the palace to the temple, but every one
is lying with folded hands and the head bent to the
earth. It is forbidden to any one to look at the
1 . J. S. S. VII, I, p. 21.
n6
king’s mother, his wives or children and the people
turn their faces when the royal family passes. Only
strangers or foreign ambassadors are allowed to look
at them.’^
For the purpose of administration, the king has
a council of Atnancha ( Atncichch<v=-Atnatya ). It
is interesting to note that many members of this
council bear such titles, as betray their Indian origin.
The King’s Council consists of the following mem¬
bers :—
(1) Montne {-Manirin) or the Prime minister,
(2) Parohita ( =Purohiia ) or the royal priest,
(3) Ak’khali or an officer through whom the
king is addressed,
(4) Chattok'huho {-Chaitagaho) or the royal
umbrella bearer,
(5) K hatta k'haho {-Khaggagaho) or the
bearer of the royal sword,
(6) Chaitani'ha {^Chaddanta) or the keeper of
elephant,
(7) Atsawa f=Assa ) or the keeper of horse,
(8) Phraidiammarong noppharai {=Navaraina) ?
or the keeper of a ring set with nine jewels.
(9) Ak'khamahesee (=Aggamahusi) or the
principal queen.*
This list of officers reminds us of the list as
preserved in many Indian inscriptions of the Gupta
and Sena Kin gs. - -
1 . pp. 24 — 25 .
2 , Asiatic Eesearjhes
Next to the Siamese Ning in civil rank is the
Ak' kkamakesee {-Aggamakisi) or the principal qiieea
and the royal princes.
Other high officers are :—
(1) Chan Phraya Ra Montree {^Rdjamantrin')
or the minister,
(2) Sri Ktailai {=Sri Keidsa) or Police Super¬
intendent,
(3) Sooreewong ) or priemier (?)
(4) A^osa-officer of the royal treasury (?)
{5) Amat {=Atndiyd) or minister,
(6) Chiiiachamana waii Aggamhdsend or the
Controller of pages,
{7) Yommaraat l^Yamd raja) or the chief
criminal Judge,
(8) Soo/ee Wong Montree {=Suryavamsaman-
tren) or the minister of shipping and foreigners(?)’
In an inscription of Dansai, we find the names
of some of the officers of the Siamese King. They
are:—
(1) Mahd Upardt Cao or the Viceroy,
(2) Prana MahUsenUpaii or the Commander-
in-Chief,
{3) S« or the royal treasurer.
The king’s daily routine of life reminds us of
the pictures given by Kautilya or Manu. The
Siamese king gets up early in the morning, dresses, prays
and offers food to priests. After taking his meal, he
1 , Ihid.
ii8’
goes to the hall of state for transacting ifflprofant
bnsiness of the kingdom. Then he comes to take
his food, which is often kept under seal of the
chief of cooks, who are all females. His Aggatna-
hisi also eats with him. About thirty dishes are
serred After this, the king takes rest and in the
afternoon goes to the great hail to hear reports. He
dines again at eight or nine in the night, after wh.ch
he retires to bed. ■
In every royal order, seals are used. It is inte¬
resting to note that on these Siamese seals Indian
marks are still used. One kind of Siamese seal is
K'hoichasee i~Gajasiha=Gajasinha) or tusked lion,
which is found as a motive used commonly in Indian
sculpture, the other is Rachaset {^Rajah) and the
third or a monster.
It is expected that the king should observe
Seelang i^Sila) or the moral obligations of the Bud¬
dhists. He should practise Kathee ( Ksdnlt, patience )
and observe the rules of Sachha {Saiya, truth) in
the state affairs. As in India, there are numerous
moral rules which the king is expected to follow.
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.
Justice is administered by the village chiefs, from
whom appeals may be made to the Governor of the
Province, and thence to the l',a^-^ow 5 a« (Skt. N'aga-
rapdla) presided over by the minister of Justice.
In the inscription of the Erst king of Siam, Ram
Khameng. we read how justice was administered at
ihat time: Weread : * If people of the reaini, if iords or
nobies do wrong, fail out, are at enmity witn each
other, he ( the Prince) makes inquisition, gels at the
truth, and then decides the case for his subjects
righteously.’^
About the administration of justice in the seven¬
teenth century, we read = ‘The written laws ol the coun¬
try prescribe a certain and praiseworthy rule for tae
administration of justice, namely, that nobody eitner
in criminal or in civil cases may be condemned un¬
less his case has been examined four times by the
ordinary or by the specially appointed judges.”
The accused could defend himseif by means of
certain ordeals, namely,-dive under water, dip the hand
into hot oil, walk barefooted over red-hot coals or
eat a lump of rice over which a charm has been
pronounced. These trails by ordeal were performed
in the presence of the Judge himself, an 1 in case of
failure the accused was punished. In course of
time, however, these trails by ordeals have come
into disuse.
CODES OF LAW.
The laws of Siam owe much to the Indian laws.
The Siamese laws have been codified in the rime
of king Phra Naret into three parts: ^hra .* iamra
or list of duties and prerogatives of ofBcials, (n) FAra
.• ThUmnun or collection of old Siamese institution s,
l7Xs7sr?I. I (1909) p. 26.
2. IWtf, VII, I(1910)p.l5.
120
(iii) fhra : raxU kamnot or Book of royal ordinances.
Dr. Masao ( in J. S. S. II) shows striking simi¬
larity between the Siamese law and the Hindu law.
In the Code of Manu, the whole civil and criminal
law is divided into i8 parts {Mann, VIII, 4-8).
The Siamese Phra Tamasart mentions all these 18
titles in almost identical words and adds eleven more.
Manu, ( VII, 4-15 ) classifies slaves into seven groups,
the Siamese Laxana Tat also enumerates the same
seven classes of slaves. The well-known principle
of the Hindu law that interest should not exceed
the capital is followed by the Siamese Courts of Law
even at the present day.’
In the history of the codification of the Siamese
laws, there are some landmarks. It is said that the
name of king Phra Buddhayot Fa of Siam is handed
down to posterity more in connection with his famous
recension of Siamese laws than in connection with
any thing else he accomplished, Again, the intro¬
duction of the Penal Code by the Siamese King
Chulalongkorn, was an event of no small importance
to kingdom of Siam.*
About the law of inheritence, we know that
on the death of the king, the kingdom passes to the
Prince. The law is, however, different with aris¬
tocracy. From the account of Jeremias Van Vliet,
1. J. S. S. n, p. 18.
2. T. Masso—The New Penal Code of Siam, J. S. S.
V, II. 1908, p. 86.
121
we learn ihat on the death of any memher of the aris¬
tocracy, bis property was divided into three carts :
one for the king, the second for the priests and crer.:,;-
tion ceremonies and the third for his principal wife
and chiidrend
BIRTH CEREMONIES
In Siam, many Indian ceremonies have
been preserved. As in India, when a child is born,
it is washed and its arm is bound with a sacred thread.
Its horoscope is taken immediately after.
When the child reaches puberty, the tuft of hair
of the head is shaved with great ceremony. This
tonsure ceremony is the reminiscence of the Indian
custom. It is known as cUid kaniana mangala or
the festival of the shaving of the fore-lock. Though
it is purely a Brahmanic custom, yet it is surpri¬
sing how it has survived in this Buddhist country.
A favourable day is fi.Ked for the ceremony, when
all the friends, relatives and monks come and bless
the child. One of the near relatives of the child,
shaves the hair and music begins to play. The
child receives presents from all. It is followed by
a great feast.
The tonsure ceremony of the royal prince is
performed with great pomp and all Bangkok enjoys
holiday. The Brahmins take prominent part in this
ceremony. The prince, richly dressed and followed
by boys of his age, goes to bis father and prostrates
1. J. S. S. VII, 1,1910, p. 86.
122
himself before him. The king raises him up and •
takes him to the tenaple of the palace. On the fourth
day, the Brahmin priests sprinkle holy water on his <
head and divide his lock into three parts in allusion |
to the Hindu irimurti. The king himself cuts the
locks of the Prince, while the Brahmin priests shave his
head. Two other Brahmin priests blow the conch.
Then the prince goes to an artificial mountain, which "y
stands for the sacred mountain of Kailasa, where the
god Siva is said to have shaved his son Ganesa. Holy
water is sprinkled on the Prince’s head, where a
crown of pure white cotton is placed by a Brahmin
priest. The festival continues for a week. Every
boy is required to enter the monastery as a novice
after this ceremony. The Siamese Prince is not
exempted from this rule, though Princes like Chula
longkorn would not like to stay in the monastery for
more than three days.^
MARRIAGE
In Siam, the average age of marriage for girls ^
is fifteen and for boys seventeen. Polygamy is prev¬
alent in the country. Marriages are often arranged
by the parents, but love marriage also takes place
in Siam. It is strange that the Siamese law allows j
the husband the right to sell his wife, but he cannot
sell the wife, who brought him a dowry.
About the marriage customs in the seventeenth
century in Siam, we read in Jeremias Van Vliet’s ac-
1 . See—Siam in E. E. E.
123
count that there are various cr.itoras ’•er’.rf ‘-’
matrimony, for the children of the nobles are ir.arricd
with the consent of the king. Generaiiy, marriages
are performed with the consent of the parents or frieni.s.
The Dutch writer says that marriages are performed
without religious ceremonies, but there are always
music and festivities. Among the low class people in
Siam, the bridegroom buys the bride from her parents
or friends by offering a certain sum of money. It is
followed by the marriage ceremonies and the feast to
the relatives. The parties can dissolve their marriage
bond with mutual co.isent without going to the law-
courts.^
EDUCATION
When the Siamese boys attain the age of five or si.x
they are sent to the pagodas, where under the prieststhey
learn to read and write. As long asthey live in the pago¬
das, they are not alIo\ved to come back home. The
Siamese boys, while in the monasteries, help the prie¬
sts during their services. When the Siamese boys learn
to read and write fairly, they take up some profession.
The bright boys, however, remain for a longer period,
and some of them put off the yellow robes to take up
government posts, others remain in the monasteries to
become chief of the temples. The girls only learn
sewing, spinning etc, but not to read and wnte.f But
now a days, there is a rapid spread of education in Siana.
Bangkok even boasts of a University associated with
the sacred name of the king Chulalongkora.
2. Ibid pp. 87-88
124
Chapter X.
LITERATURE IN SIAM.
With the religions of India, Hinduism and Bud¬
dhism, the literature of India has also come over to
Siam. It is quite natural that this literature in Siam
should be religious in character, because it was meant
to propagate the religions of India.
We hare seen that Hinduism could not make much
progress in Siam ; the Hindu literature in Siam is,
therefore, limited. What remains we have of the Hindu
literature in this kingdom, point to Indian traditions
as the basis. We have in Siam books like the Ramayana
and stories from the 3 'Iahzbharaia. But this branch
of the Siamsee literature is not so vast as the Java¬
nese literature.
In 1836 Capt. James Low wrote a valuable
article on Siamese Literature in the pages of Asiatic
Researches,
The most important book is Rama ke un, which
is nothing but the Siamese version of the Indian
Ramayana. It tells the story of Phra Ram or Rama
and his brother PhraLak or Laksma^a, their wars with
Soisakan ox Dushakaniha or Ravana of Ceylon, who
stole aways Rama’s viile, Nang Seda or Slid.
There are some books in Siamese based on the
stories of the Mahabbarata. One of them is
rUi, which is a Siamese drama about the life of U'nna-
rUt or Aniruddha, the gvmdson of Krishna. It .is as-
serted that this drama is perhaps one ‘.h- r.' = 1
finished of Siamese compositions.
The story of this dramatic opera is as fciicvs :
Fhra-I?i or Indra tempts RTi I"'nnuru: ■'An:'> ,td.h2'i ~
in the shape of a deer and takes him to the paiace of
a Yak. There the Raja falls in love with the adopted
daughter of Yak. She sends her maid with a pTtnre
drawn by the maid to find him out. The Raia
following the maid comes to the room of the daughter
of Yak, but is seen by her brother and bound with
snakes. Hearing this the Raja’s uncle comes on
Khru't {Garuda), at whose sight the snakes flee
away and the Raja fights the Yak and carries off the
lady.
Another Siamese book, which is based on a
story of the Ramayana, is Pha-n'an San nUng or
Phali San ndng. It contains the advice of Phali
(=Bali, the king of monkeys) to his brother Sook
Krip (Stigriba) . According to the Siamese version,
both the brothers were in the service of Phra Ram,
when he attacked Lanka. When the two brothers
began to quarrel, Phra Ram killed Soak Krip
(=SugrIba),
The adventures of these two brothers supply the
theme of still another book, known in Siamese as
Phria Phali Sukkrip.
We get the mythological account of the origion of
the universe in the Siamese book Pra-ihom. Accor¬
ding to Capt. James Low, the book gives the Buddhist
version as to the origion of the world. In one chapter,
126
however, it shows that the Siamese are acquainted
with the Indian sage Than Manoo ( Manu).
The Siamese book Pokkbawadi gives the account of
the Hindu goddess Bhagavah.
Besides these, there are other books, which are
Buddhist in character, namely;—
(i) Somana khodom —gives the life of Bud¬
dha or a Wessaniara.
(ii) jWohosoi—coTit&ms the wars of Maha
Sot and chornl. It is similar to the Bur-
man Maks Szitka.
(iii) Phra—Phoitsat (=Bodhisatva)—relates
the account of a previous life of Buddha
as a Bodhisatva.'
We have other numerous Pali books introduced
into Siam. It is gratifying to note that the monks of
Siam did not only borrow the Pali literature from India,
but engaged themselves in producing many other Pali
works, giving their own interpretation of the older
books. Thus gradually the whole Pali literature in
Siam has grown to be very vast.
The Pali literature, as it has grown in Siam, is
described by M. G. Coede’s in the pages of B. E. F.
E O, 1915.
It has already been stated that the Siamese king
Chulalongkorn published the whole of the Pali Tripi-
taka in Siamese character. The Pali Tripitaka is also
1. See—Oapt. J. Low —On Siamese literature (Asiatic
Researches 1836 p. 338 and ff.)
127
available in Burmese and Sinhalese characters.
The Siamese bhiksus have composed sorr.= boo'ks
in Pali, five of which are mentioned by the SasiK.i
vamsa}
They are:—
(i) Sankhyapakasaka by NSEavilasa,
(ii) Its tika by Sirimangala,
(iii) Visuddhimaggadipani by Uttaiarama,
(iv) Mangaladipani by Sirimangala, and
(v) Uppatasanti by an unknown author.
The Tika of Sankhyapakasaka, says M. Cred’es,
was composed by Sirimangala in C. S. 882, year of
Dragon, (=A. D. 1520) during the reign of Bilakapa-
nathadhiraja, who ascended the throne of Xieng Mai
in A. D, 1495. The author lived at Navapura (Xieng-
Mai) in the south-west part of Sihalarama, {Iccayam
Navapure paiitthita SlhalarUmassa dakkhinapacchi-
madisdya patitthiie Sirimahgalao ti garuhi ).
The same author Sirimangala was responsible
for another book Maiiga/adipam, which was written
four years later in A.D. 1524 at Navapura (Xieng-
mai) at a retired place in the Southern part of the
city. It is not an original book, but a commentary
on Mahgala Suita f Suiia Nipdia, ll, 4). Accord¬
ing to M. Coed’es, this Mangaladtpani, along with Dha-
mmapadatthakathd and Sardtthasakgha constitutes
one of the great books of Pali culture of the Siamese
and Cambojans. The writer Sirimangala has been
1. Edited by M. Bode, P. T. S. 1897, p. 51.
,1^28
described as the discipie of Buddhavlra
virassa stssoj.
There is an earlier book of Sirimangaia, namely,
VessciJziaradlpdm, which he wrote in A. D. 15 1 ?-
The book Uppdtasanii does not give the name
of the author nor the date of its composition. It
contains iloka in honour of the Lord Buddha, Dham-
ma and Samgha, which are recited to avoid acci¬
dents. The ScLSCina Vamsd maintains that the reci¬
tation of these slok&s led to the defeat of a Chinese
army.*
Besides these books, there are other numerous
works preserved in the libraries of Siam and Cam-
boja.
In the city of Navapura, there flourished other
writers. One of them is Nuryikitti^ a Buddhist monk,
who appeared during the last years of the fifteenth
century. In his monastery, which was known as
Panasarama, of the city of Xieng-mai (Navapura),
he wrote a series of grammatical commentaries of
Attkakaihds of Buddhaghosa. His Panasdrama
was situated in the north-west side of the city of Abhi-
navapura f lit Abhinavafurdvhayanagatassa pacchi-
muitaradisU bhUge paiiltiie PanasUrdme). At that
time the king of this Abhinavapura was Shi Tibhu-
vanadiccadhamma raja.
The libraries of Phnom Pen and of Ban gkok
preserve among others the following works :—
1 . Ibid. p. 61 .
was composed about .49:; or 149:.
(2) A Janthidipam of Paiimokkh?., tbs
book of discipline of the monks, written
about 1492 or 1493.
(3) Atthayojanas of different commentaries
of Abhidhacima {Auhamliin, Sam-
mohavinodanl etc), which were written
about 1495.
(4) Kaccdyanarupadlpam, which is the
commentary of the famous Rupasiddki
of Buddaapiya.
Ail these works were written by the monk Nana-
kitti of Abhinavapura,
There were other grammatical works composed
in Siam. One of them is Ganthubharanatikd, beinof
the commentary on Ganthabharana, the grammatical
treatise of the celebrated Burmese author Ariyavainsa
(who lived at Ava in the middle of the fifteenth
century). This commentary was written in 1585 by
SUVi^NNARA MSf, the chief of VijaySrama monas¬
tery (modern, Vat Vixai, at Vieng chan). We read
in the colophon :—
Ganthabharanatfka yam VijaySramasamioa
Suva^naramsinamena Samgharajena dhimata
Sakyasimhassa nibbana vassesu atitesu hi
Attbavisasatadhisu dvisahessesu racita.
The life of Lord Buddha known under the name
of Paihamsambodhi was perhaps compiled in Siam.
130
\Ve, howcTer, donot know eitber the date of its com¬
position or the name of its author. It must be eariie
than the 17th century, because it is cited by Ga^Jia-
.Z. In 1 Sa 4 , the king of Siam Phra : Nang Khao
asked the Prince Paramannxit Xmnorot, then known
under the name of Suvapparamsi and chief of the
monasterv of Vat Xetuphon at Bangkok to collect
fragments of this work and make a complete text.
The Prince executed the order in the first six moot s
of the xear 1S45 and composed the present recension
of the book, in thirty chapters, which is now found
in Siam and Camboja. ^
Of the historical literature in Siam, Saddham-
,nasanaHa gives a historical summary of the Bud-
dbist Councils and of Buddhism m Ceylon. It was
composed by Dhammakitti. We learn from the
colophon that this monk went over Ceylon where
he received upasampada and studie wi
master Dhammakitti. After finishing his studies.
he came back to his country Ayodhyapura and wjcte
his work in the Lmkdrdma (monastery of Lanka),
built by the king Paramaraja. TVQtQ^loiSaddhamma^
sangaha has been edited by N. Saddhananda in J. P.
T S. ^
The monk Bodhirainsi wrotei two historical
\\ox\s-—Camadevivairnsa and Sihihgamddna at Xieng
mni. The author, however, does not say when these
two treatises were compo sed. Prince
\l) J. P. T. S. 1890. p. 21.
131
poses It to be compcseb
because at this period, the p
OitOT- a:
very aiuch in the kingdom of Xienc-mak ....
Cioice's, however, places them at tine beginning c:
the fifteenth century. These two worksbre not cf
great historical vanje, and in many respects
iOi cf Iv 3 tnspan 113
One of the important historical works o.f Siam,
ii Jinakalamalini, about the date and author of
which, there is certain confusion. The Phonsavadan
yrjncik says that Ratnapanna was the chief of t'-e
Bodhararaa monastery of Xieag-mai. In the pre¬
face oi Jinakalarnalim. published in 1908 from
Bangkok, the Prince Damrong supposes that Ratntl-
paiina in question is one of the two monks, of the
same name, one of whom belonged to Lampang, and
the other to Phojao u5 n ).
We, can, however, accept the statement that
the work was composed in 1516 by Ratnapanna,
residing in Ratana-maharihara of Xieng mai, as appears
from the colophon.
Jinakalamalim gi^ts us the history of Buddhism,
the story of births of previous Buddhas, of the three
great Councils in India, of the propagation of Bud¬
dhism in the island of Ceylon and the religious chrono¬
logy of Siam. One of the chapters of this work,
deals with the history of Phra : Keo or Buddha, the
famous statue which owes its origin to Nagasena.
This legend finds place in two other books— (ij
132
RalanaUmic^vcnm of BohmarSjapanna (avritten at
Siriianaiava in the Mahadhammaraj.bbata monastery,
and fa) Amarakalabuddharnpaniiana of Ariyavamsa.
These works had perhaps an Indian source from
which thev drew their inspiration. They were
composed perhaps towards the end of the fifteent
Arivavamsa was also the author of AMhahhd-
eat,,ddimrr,pa,„dana. which relates the avatars of
acotiier statue of Buddha*
Another Pali work composed in Siam, is Sar%gi-
tivcmsa, which was written by Vimaladhamma in
1789-' . , ,
It is quite natural to expect that with the com¬
ing of Indian artists and Indian style of art and scul¬
pture in Siam, some Indian books dealing with art
and sculpture should also be inrtoduced into Siam.
One such book, known as Buddha laksana, perhaps,
had been brought over to Siam. It gives the more
or less orthodox peculiarities of the characteristics
of the body,” of images. We donot know whether
this Buddha-laksana has been properly edited and
published. In Siam, however, these peculiarities
of the images as laid down by this book, are not
always followed. We know that king Phra Nangklao
thought it ‘ a work of merit to shorten the fingers
of the statue of the Sakyamiini preserved now in Wat
Sudas (anadeva’ama) in Bangkok.____
(1) M. G. C<ie<ie’s article in B.E.F.E.-O. 1915.
A paper about tbe attitries t:
in the Siamese monasteries was written by tr.e
Phra Paramanujit, the son of the Kine Para ;
Yot Fa iwho died in A.D- iSfU'. To.apa^e. h
translated into English by Dr. O. hranedurt-
D. '
ecTi
Ph.
The Siamese iiterature contains many v.'orrts
based on Indian legends. We have nc or
the Ramayana in Siamese. Other booSs are :
(1) Wctxasunuin—x'mtn gives the story of a
king, who became an ascetic after contemplation ot
a withered tree.
(2) Woraii-ongs —it relates the tale of a Prince
how he fell in love with a princess, but was finally
killed by a magic spear which was meant to guard
her.
(3) C/za/aicaJz—gives the story of a Princess,
who was loved by a crocodile.
(4) Phumhon—iimiluxly tells how a Princess
was loved bv an elephant.
(5) Prang relates how a princess even
before her birth was promised to a yak (yaksa) in return
for some fruit given by that ^Jak for her mother.
(6) Nok Khum —narrates the theory of the
origin of man-kind. It shows how man was born out
of the egg of Nok Khum=Harp.sa,
Besides this legendary literature, we have in
Siam, Niii literature. The term Ntti per haps co mes
^^l) The Attitudes of Buddha, J.S.S. X, II, ITlta.
134
from the island of Balij which also influenced by
Indian culture. It means “good counsel”. In Siam,,
wet get Niii books like—I?u/es for the conduct of the
king and Maxims of Phra Ruang^ the national
hero-king of Siam,
The Siamese law books also drew their inspira¬
tion from Indian sources. We have in Siam law
books like Laksatia Phra Thamasat^ Phra Tamra
and phra Tamnon, These law books have been
adopted from the Indian Dharmasasiras and the
Code of Manu. ^
The Siamese tradition ascribes the origin of
S!a.mese medical science to In,dia. It was introduced
by Koaiarabhacca, the great physician who treated
Lord Boddha. His work was translated into Sia¬
mese under the name Rokha : nithan (=Skt.
nidmaf Like the Indian medical science^ it is more
philosophical and theoretical in character. It holds
that as the human body is made up of four elements,
namely, water, wind, fire and earth, good health
depends on t,heir equilibrium.
SIAMESE LANGUAGE.
Thus we find that Siam has borrowed liberally
from the Pali religious literature, Indian legends, Indian
law books and medical science. But marked influe¬
nce of the Indian language can be traced in the
Siamese language itself. There are many words
in the Siamese language which owe their origin
Gj See—Siam in E. B.
to Indian vocabulary. A crif.cal stnciy c: t;:e b'.nc'.ese
language should be undertaken by Indian scr. ars.
The Siamese language has been studien sc’.ent:-
fically by many foreign scholars. The cnief among
them was Pallegoix, ‘whose Siamese dictionary is
a stupendous monument of research and indastrj,
but he failed to assign true etymology to^ many
Siamese words. In 1S62, Van der Tuu's cotiectea
many Malay loan words in the Siamese language in
his ^Taalkmidige Aanteekeningen. Dr. Frankfurter
has also written Elements of Siamese Grammar.
In 1902, Dr. Gustave Schlegel of Leiden, published nis
Siamese Studies. It would serve to expound those
phonetical laws which shall enable the student to
recognise the original form of the foreign words bor¬
rowed by the Siamese’.
About the Siamese grammar, Dr. Schlegel says
that the Siamese grammar like that of the other
languages of transgangetic India, is entirely Malay.
We'^ have in both grammars the subject before the
predicate, the object of a verb following the verb,
the adjective and genitive following the substantive
and the adverb following the verb. In Aryan and
Chinese language, this order, however is inverted.
When the Siamese borrowed Indian words, they
reduced the polysyllabic Indian words to monos>i-
lables putting double points between the s.ng^
SiaiilbJbe
136
syliables. Thus amaravati was transcribed as a: ma:
ra: va : di.
In Siamese, Udityavam (Sunday) was changed
into van atkii, and Pali angaravaro (WQdntsdaj)
became van angkhan, Sanskrit Budhavdra became
van phut, vrhaspaii Pra : hat.
In Siamese inscriptions, we find mention of
Indian months like VaisUkha (VaisSkha buddh vara)
mrigasira and Ushada.
We make the following list of Indian loan-words
.0
in Siamese from Dr. Schlegel’s Siamese Studies :
Siamese
Sanskrit or Pali
Abson
... Apsara
Absorakanya
... Apsarakanya
Acha: ban
... Ajapala
Adjan, Adjar
... Acharya
Ahan, ahar
... Aharo
Ai
... Ayam
Akan, Akar
Akara
Akfit, Akatsa
... Akas'a
Akkhat
... Aghato
Akkuson, Akkusoi
... Akusala
A: ma : ra : va : di
... Amaravati
A; ma; tang
... Amatam
Amatdja
... Amath 3 'a
A m it
... amisha
Amphar
... Ambar
Ana Khet
... Anakbettain
Anakhotakan
... Anagatakalo
I
^ J /
Siarfhcm
Anakhotakan
Anandon, Ananta:
• ra:
Anapra ; charat-
sadoQ
Anapra; yot
Anckuli
Angkhara
Angkut
A:ngun
Anuban, Anupal
Anukun
Anu phab
Aorot
Aphon, Aphar, Ap
haranang
Aphatsada
Aram
Ari, A; ri
A-rung
Asa, Assa, Assava
Asun, Asur, Asura
AthikarSt
Athit
Avat
A; va : tan
A:ya:mani
A:ya:muni
Su-Ttshi‘d ov Pali
... Anagatakato
... Anantaro
Rashtraprajanana
Prayojana
... Anjali
Angara
Ankusa
... Angtir
Anupalana
... Anukula
... Anubha'fa
... Aurasa
• ... Abhara^am
... Arasada
... Arama
... Hari
Aruna
Asva
... Asura
... Adbikaraja
... Aditya
Avasa
... Avatara
... Ariyamani
• Ariyamuni
I3S
Tfi
SanshrU or Pali
B
Badaiij Badal
Patala
Bai
Payaso
Bala
Pala
Baochoo
Paiijara
Baodu racha : Si
Pandu rajasiho
Baolai
Palavo
Ban, iao^
Pallaflko
Baonarasi
Pannarasi
Banpfaacha
Pravrajati
Banphacha
Pabajja
Banphata
Parvata
Banyarong
Paficharango
Banyat
Pafinati
Banyatitham
Dhammapafinatti
Bara: met
Paramita
Basika
Upasika
Bat
Pasa
Battra
Patta, Patra
Bongkocha, Bongkot ...
Pankaja
Borivar
Parivara
Borommakot
Paramakosa
Bovora
Pararara
Bfin, BSnya
Puny a
Bun
Pnrva, Pfirna, Pura
B&ra;pha.
Purava
Biitsa
Pusfcpa
C
Chaiya
Jaya
Siamese
Chakkra; lava'
Chala, Chale
Chalak
Ghana
Chip
Choilaman
Cholianetr
Chomphu thavib
D
Dara
Datchani
Da\^adyngsa
Davadiing
Decha
Djak
Djala
Dja : la
Djamnierakan
Djan, Djantra
Djanthan
Djatura
Djeta; mat
Djeta: na
Djidavannang
Djim
Djinda, Djinta
Djon, Djor, Djora
Djora Khong
SiViishni 0 'i‘ Pali
Chakravala
• Jala
Salaka
- Jana
Jiva
Jalannarga
' N^trajala
Jarubudvlpa
.. Tara
. Tarjani
Tavatimso
Trayastrimsas
.. Tejas
. Chakra
. Jala
• Jata
. Chirakala
Chandra
Cha^dala
Chatur
Chaitramasa
Chetana
. Chitravana
Pacchimo
Chinta
Chora
Chara Kumbhira.
Smmese
Sanskrit or Pali
Don, Dol
Tala
Doriya
TSrya
Diiri?an^
Tnriyam
Dusit
Tusita
Dutsadi
Tushti
G
Gro
Guru
H
Ha : ri
Hari
Hat
Hasta
Hattlii
Hatthi
Het
Hetu
Holoman
Hanumant
Hong, Hongsa
Hamsa
Hora
Hora
Hot
Sabasika
I
Intbri
Indriya
Issa : ro, Issa ; ra
Issaro
Itsara, Isu^n, Itsa- ...
Isvara
vara
Isun
Asura
Itcha
Ichchba
K
Kobiiia: vattbu
Kapilavattbu, Kapi-
lavastu
Eabpa
Kappa, Kalpa
Kai
Kaja
Siamese
SansJcrit or Pall
Katna
Kaka ; bat
Kal, Eala
Kala: pak
Ka : Iasi
Kam .
Kamphoi, Kampbon .
Kanburi, Kandjana-
buri
Kandj; na
Kantha
Ka: ra: bur
Karakot
Ka; sat
Ka:satitr
Kasem, Ka ^sem
Kesa, Ket
Kesdn
Khabpba
Kham
Kbamana
Khara
Kharyha
Kbattiya
Kho ban
Kbodotn
Khong
Khongkba
Kanakam
Kakapada
Kala
Kalapakkho
Kalasi
Kammaoi, Karman
Kambala
Kancbanapurl
Kanchana
Kantha
Karpnra
Karakata
Kshatra
Kshattriya
Kshema
Kesa
Kesara
Gabha
Gama, Grama
Gamana
Gharani
Grha
Khattiyo
Gopala
Gotama
Kumbbira
Gaiiga
142
Siarns-te
Khru, Khuru
Khrut, Khruttha
Khun
Krittisap
Krfi pit
Kusala, Kusol
L
Lakhon, Lakhor
Lakkhana
La ; lat
Lapa, Lave
Laph
Lavo
Lek
Lokha ban
M
Maha ■, maha
Mahaphrom
MahfesuSn
Mahoranoph
Mahori, Ma - hori
Maitri
Makha: mat
Makuto
Mangkhala
Mangsa
SanskT it ot Peat
... Guru
... Garuda
Gupa
... Kntis'abda
... Vaidyaguru
... KCsala
... Laksha
... Nagara
... Lakshana
... Lalata
... Vaia
... Labha
... Naya
... Lekha, Rekha
... Lokapa'a
... Maha
... Mahabfahman
Makes vara
Maharpava
... Mabaturiyam
... Maitrya, Maitri
... Maghamas
... Mukuta
Matigala
... Mamsa
bti'MTtese
^jcfinskrit or Fa
Mat, Mas
Masa
Matsakan
Namaskara
Mek
Megha
M^t, Metsa
Mesha
Mit, Mitsa, Mitr
Mittra
Montara
Mantra
Moranang
Maraiiam
Mun
... MQla
Musikathan
Miishikadanta
Nai, Nayok
N
... Navaka
j
Nakh
... Naga
Nakhon
Nagara
Nalika
... Nalika
Namatsakan
Namaskara
Narao
Name
Nana
... Nana
Naraka, Nara : ka
Naraka
Nidja
... Nitya
Nier
... Nir
Nier: khun
Nirguna
Niera ; thit
... Nirdesa
Niera ; thot
Nirdosha
Nimit
Nimitta
Nivet, nivfes.
... Niv^sa
0
Ong
... Anga
Ongkhacliat
... Angajati
H4
S '*'t ',71
Scmsk'i’it OT Fat'i
Ongknuii
. Anguli
Oso;
. Aushada
P
Pa : chimma
. Pacchima
Pa : djeka : p’oot
Pratyekabodhi
Pak
. Paksha
Paksa
Pakshi
Pa ; ra : lok
. Paraloka
Pa: tbuka
. Paduka
Patbum
Padma
Phab
.. Bbara
Phacha : na
.. Vachana
Phaba
... Vabu
Phaha: na
... Vahana
Pha!hu
... Bahu
Phai
... Bhaya
Phaithum, Phaithurya
... Vaidbrya
Phak
... Bhaga
Pha: la: phuurksa
... ■Vrikshpbala
Phanthana
... Bandbana
Phanthu
... Bandhu
Phanuma
... Bbanumant
Pbarana: si
V aranasi
Phasukri
... Vasuki
Phayakors
... Vyakarana
Phayii
... Vayu
Phayuhayatra
... Vyfihayatra
Phet, Phetai
... Vaidya
Siamese
Phet
Pbet
Phet, Phetchara
Phikkhu phaTa
Phinai
Phinat
Phit
Phok
Phong
Phra
Phra In Su 6 n
Phrommalok
Phrommaphong
Phriik
Phriiktha
Phriitthi
Phu ban
Phum, Phu ; mi
Phut, Phuttha
Phutala
Phuva
Pidok
Pisat
Pracha:chon
Pra : cha ; Rat
Pra :chuban
Pra ; djak
Pra : hat
ScmshAt or Fali
... Vyasana
... Vedas
... Vajra
... Bhikku bhavo
... Vinaya
... Vinasa
... Visam, Visha
... Bakhsh
... Vamsa
... Vara
Indresvara
... Brahmaloka
... Brahmavamsa
... Vrksha
... Vrddha
... Vrtti
... Bhhpala
... Bhumi
Buddha
... Bhutala
... Bhtipa
... Pitaka
... Pisacha
... Prajanana
... Rashtrapraja
... Pacchupanno
... Pacchako
... Vrihaspati
Prakan
pra ; kan
Pra; phriiktiii
Pra : sat
Pret
Puriso
R
Raclia
Rachasab
Racha Vong
Ra : du
Rahil
Rak
Rakha
Raksot
Ram
Ramesuen
Ra : tha
Ratsadon
Rat, Rattana
Risaya
Rit
Rok, Rokha
Rot
Rub phab
Rung
.., PrakSra
... Prakara
Pravrtti
... Prasada
... Preta
... Puriso, Furusha
... Raja
... Rajasabda
... Rajavamsa
... Kitu
... Rabu
... Raga
... Argha
Rakshas
... Arama
... Ramesvara
... Ratha
Rashtra
... Ratna
... Irshya
... Riti
... Roga
... Rasa
... Rfipa bhava
... Aruna
S
Sadudi
... Stud
Siamese
Sa : hatsa
Sakdi
Sakhon
Sakkaya; rat
Satkonia
SMa
Salika
Samli
Samut
Sang
Sangsara
Sanpha
Santo
Sar
Sarira
Sasi
Sasithon
Sat
Satpha
Savami
Savan
Savankhaburi
Savankhalok
Sayetra
Sayam
Sayumpbon
Sayamphu
Sayam pra : tbet
Sengkhala
Sa'iislcnt (yi‘ Pali
... Sahasra
... Sakti
... Sagara
... Sakyaraja
... Sakala
... Sala
... Sarika
... Salmali
... Samudra
... Sarikha
... Samstra
... Sarva
... Santo
... Saranga
... Sarira
... Sasin
... Sasadhara
... Sasanam
... Sattva
... Svami
... Svarga
... Svargapurf
... Svargaloka
... Sveta
... Syama
... Sayamvara
... Sayambhu
... %ama prade.sa
... Srigala, Sigalo
14
c
Siame-sg
Sin, Sil
Singha : rat
Singhon
Siri
Solotsa
Sop
Suen
Suka ; pak
Sun
Suriya
set
Syam rattham
T
Ta khina; rat
Talabat
Talapoin
Tamra
Tan, Tai
Tatsa
Tavan
Tecbo
Thaksin
Tham
Thammalok
Thammothetsana
Than
Than, Thantha
Than = buri
Safiskvit or Pcd'i'
Slia
Simharaja
Simhala
Sri, Siri
Solasa, shodaia
Sara
Snla
Sukka pakkho
Snra
Sfirya
Suda, Sfldra
Syama rashtra
Dakkhinavatto
Talapatra
Talapaiji
Tantra
Tala
Dasa
Tapana
Tejo, Tejas
Dakshina
Dhammo, Dharma
Dhammaloka
DhammadesanS
Da.na
Danda, Daniaka
Dhanapuri
Siamese
Thanu
Tharani
Thasa
That
Tha :thakkhot
Tha: vara : radi
Thip
Thet
Thibodi
Thirat
Thuk
Thuli
Trai lok
Trai pidok
Tri muk
Tri phet
Trisun
V
Va :di
Vala: maruk
Van
Van phut
Van pra : hat
Van sao
Varun
Vatsanta
Vekan
V etbangkha
Sanshrit or Pali
... Dhanus
Dharaijii
Dasa
... Dhatu
... Tathagata
... Dvaravati
Deva
... Desa
... Adhipad
... AdhirSja
... Dukkha
... Dhuli
... Trailokya
... Tripitaka
... Trimukha
... Traividya
... Trisula
... Vati
... Vanamrga
... Suvarjpa
... Budhavara
... Brihaspativara
... Saurivara
... Varu9a
... Vasanta
... Vihara
... Vedahga
Sicmme
Sunshnt ot Pali
Yetsandon
. . ®
Vessantaro
Yi; chai
Yijaya
Vithe
Yideha
Yivaha
Yivaha
Yiyok
Viyoga
Yong
Y
Yamsa
Yacha: na
...
YachanS
Yak
Yaks ha
Yakkhini
Yakkhiiai
Yam
Yama
Yamuna
Yamuna
Yaova:
...
Yauvana
Yatra
...
Yatra
Yira
Jlva
Yivon, Yivor
...
Chivara
Yok, Yokha
Yoga
Yom
Yama
Yommarat
Yamaraja
Yoni
Yoni
Yot
Yojana
Yotha
Yodha
Yukkhun
...
Yu gal a
Yupha: rat
...
Yuvaraja*
Sea— Sianiese Sfeiidies^ pp. 94-128
Cn
KINGS OF SIAM.
(I) Dynasty of Sukhodaya
Kings of Siam. | Events In India^^_
I, Sri Indraditya 1218. j ist battle of Tirori
A. D. I 1 591
Ban Muran
2nd Battle of Tirori
1193 A. D.
3. Rama Raja or Ram j
Khamhen 1283 A.D. j
4. Hrdaya Java Jettha |
1354 A. D. j
Sri Suryavamsa R3.ma
1355 A . D-
(ii) Kingdom of Ayuthiya
1. Ramadhi pati Suva- |
nnadola 1350-1369 |
2. Ramessura i
1369- 1370 j
3. Paramarajadtiiraja |
(Banu-mahanayaka) 1
1370- 1388 I
4. Suvannacanda
1388 _ '
5. Ramessura (2nd time)
1388-1394
5. Ramaraja
1394-1397
6 . Nagarainda
1397-
Vascode Gama in
India
1498 A. D.
7. Paramaraiadhiraja ist Battle of Panipat
8. Paraniatilokacatha 1526 A. D.
g. Indaraja
19, Ramadhipati ;
1529 A. D. I ,
n. Eaddhaakura : 2nd Battle of Painpat
i 1556 A. D.
12. Ratthadhirajakumara i
13. Jayarajasi ;
14. Bayatta ;
Jinaiaja (Vansadhi- |
raja) j
Diraraia ^
Mahamahinda |
17. Mahadhammaraj sid-
viratna i
I
38. Narissa 1 5ir Thomas Ece at
19. Eamessara j Jahangir’s Court
20. Indaraja (1610-1628) [ 1615 A. D.
21. Jettharaja ;
22. Adiccavamsa
23. Sudhammaraja 1630 ^
A. D. I
24. Diyara i
25. Suvannapasada
26. Anujadhiiaja
27. Narava 1664 A. D.
KINGS OF SIAM.
EVENTS IN INDIA.
28. Bijjaraja Mahaupada
29. Sarasakka
30. Mahacora(!732 A.D.)|
31. MahakaU-Rajadhi- | Battle of Plassey
raja Ramadhipatl | 1757 A. D.
32. Udumbarapupphai 758 j
33. Jetthadhiraja 1758-
1765
The Dynasty of Bangkok.
1. Chao Phaya Chakkri |
1782 A. D. i
2. Budha Lot La j
3. Phra : Nang : Klao |
4. Mongkut ! Sepoy mutiny
1851-1868 I 1^57 A. D.
5. Chulalong korn 1
1868-1911
6. Vajiravudh
1911-1925 '
bibliography.
1. A Propose des origines et de I’histoire An-
cienne du Siam par P. Petithuguenm
(Journal of Siam ^ocietj, iL p* 0 *
2. Bormesc InTasion of Siam
By NaiThien(J. S.S.Y. I. 1908)
3. Documents sur la dynastie ,de SukLodaya par
G.Ccedes,(B. E., F. £.-0,1917)
4. Inscriptions du Siam et la Peninsula Malaise
par M. L. Finot (B. C. A. I. 1910, p- I 47 )-
s. Le Siam Ancien.
par M. E. Avmonier, (J. A. mars-ayril, 1903)
6. Le Siam Ancien.
par Fournereau (2 Vols. 1895)
7. Le domaine Arc}i6ologique du Siam.
par M. Le Commandant L. de Lajonquidre
(B. C. A.L, 1909 P- 188)
8. Notes critiques pour servir a I’histoire du
Biam.
(B. E. F. E.-o, XVI, 3 - f9J6)-
9. Note on a Tamil Inscription in Siam.
By E. Hultz3ch,(J. R. A. S. 1913 p. 337)
10, On the G oTernment of Siam
By Capt. James Low (Asiatic Researches
1836, p. 246).
11. On Siamese'Literature
By Capt. James Low (As. Res. 1836, p. 338).
12. Rapport Sommaire Sur Une mission Archdo-
logique (1907-1908)
par M. Le Commandant L. de Lojonqiufere
(B. C. A. I. 1909 p. 162).
13. Researches into Indigenous Law of Siam as
a study of Comparatire jurisprudence By.
T. Masao (J. S. S. II, p. 14)
14. Siamese Archceology
By Col. G. E. Gerini (J. R. A. S. 1904)
15. Siamese Studies
By Dr. G. Schlegel (Leiden, 1902)
16. Siam in i688-By O. FraDkfurter-(J. S. S.
V 1908)
17. Siam-in Encyclopaedia Britanica
-in Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics
18. Some Archaeological Notes on Monthon
Puket
By W. W. Bourke (J. S. S. II, p. 49)
19. The oldest known writing in Siam
By C. Bradley {J. S. S. yl, I i 9 '- 9 )
20. The King of Siam’s Edition of the Pali Tri-
pitaka
By R. Chalmers (J. R. A- S. Jan. 1898)
21. The Wheel of the Law
By Henry Alabaster (London 1871) '
22. The Attitudes of Buddha
By O. Frankfurter (J. S. s. X, 1913)
23.. The Proximate source of the Siamese Alpha¬
bet
By C-Bradley (J. S. S. X. 1913) , .
24. Translation of Van Vliet’s Description of
Siam .
By L. F. Van Ravensway ( J. S. S. VII, I,
1910) _
25. Une Recension Palie des Annales d’ayuthia
par G. Coedes B. E. F. E.-o, 1914).
APPENDIX-!.
AN INDIAN FESTIVAL IN SIAM
We are favoured by Phya Priya Nusasana of the
Chulalongkorn University Library, Bangkok, Siam with
the description of the Indian swing Festival as prevail¬
ing in Siam. It is very interesting to trace these Indian
festivals in Indian colonies far away from the mother-
country. The swing ceremony is known in Siam as
Loh Chingcha (loh=to swing, to pull, chingcha=swing).
This ‘Pulling the Swing’ ceremony occurs on the
seventh and ninth days of the wa.xing moon of the second
lunar month, dates falling between the latter part of
December and the middle of January. This festival
takes place odIv in Bangkok and in no other city in
Siam. According to some it has no connection with
the spring festival called Holt in India. Other scho¬
lars, however, are of opiniorij that it is the Indian
spring festival which had gone over to Siam and assu¬
med a different shape. With a little attention, it is
easy to discern the original Indian festival from its
Siamese appearance. We give below the description
of the ceremony in Siam and the readers would be able
to judge whether it is same as the Indian spring festi¬
val or not. It should also be noted in passing that
the Brahmins even now play an important part in this
ceremonv.
j
The ceremony is conducted as follows. Shortly
before the appointed date, a nobleman, a different person
157
each year but always a Phaya Pan Thong or noble of
the “Golden Bowl’’ rank, is appointed by the king to
fill the chief role, that of the God Phra Isuen ( Isvara).
A few days later, the open square in which the great
swing stands is prepared. Finally a footboard is suspen¬
ded from the cross-bar of the swing by six strong ropes
of rattan, at a height of about fifteen feet from the gro¬
und. The board is some six feet long by eighteen inches
broad, the greatest length at right angles to the crossbar,
and an extra rope hangs from it, by pulling on which
from below, the swing is got into motion. Along
bamboo is planted in the ground at a short distance on
the western side of the swing, to which a small bag of
money is fastened when the ceremony takes place.
On the day of the ceremony four muscular looking
individuals wearing appropriate dresses and a high hat
made to resemble the head and neck of a snake, are
hoisted amid cheers on to the swing. Their headdress
proclaims these as neither satellites of Phra Isuen nor
men, but representatives of the underworld kingdom
of Phaya Naga, king of snakes and the producer of
rain, sent, it is pretended, to perform for the delecta¬
tion of Great Siva before the eyes of men. The Brah¬
mans now enter the sentry-boxes specially built for
the occasion and intone prayers, and assistant pulling
on the dependent rope, the swing begins to move to
and fro. The momentum increases gradually, the per¬
formers bend their bodies in the attitude of saluting
deities and at the same time increasing the arc of the
swing. At last, the momentum brings the swing
dose to tke bamboo with a bag of coins, and one of the
swingers, leaning far out and watching his opportunity,
makes a grab with the mouth and secures the bag
inhisteelh. Custom has decreed that to complete
the ceremony the swinging must take place thiee times
and to that end three small money bags are proitided
by the Royal Treasury, the first containing twelve
ticals, the second ten, and the third eight. This
brings the ceremony to an end, and Phra Isuen is ai
lowed to place his raised foot on the ground once more
♦and after receiving the prayers of the Brahmans
to depart with his satellites in the procession the way
he came. The ceremony is repeated on the next day
but one, with the same observance, and is then over
for the year.
ANDOLAKA—MAHOSAVA
The Great “Swing” Festival.
The great “Swing’’ Festival is so called as sw¬
inging was done by Si^a and Uma for their pleasure.
In the garden of “ Nandan ’’ somebody in an emb¬
race of his wife having thick breasts sat on a swing
made of the “ Modhavi” creeper climibng on the trees
“Santana” and “ Parijata” and was moving it to and
fro during spring in the combined effect of “ Ardra ”
* For this part of the ceremony see Hastings ; En, of Reli¬
gion & Ethics V ; p. S89.
I f r‘
when the cuckoos were chirping the “Panchama”
tune, the whole garden was charged with sweet odours
which caused madness in the hosts of the dancing
Vidyadharas. Even celestial maidens were singing
divine songs so melodiously that even Cupid was
maddened in love. On looking at the unknown cou¬
ple swinging, Uma said to Siva; “Oh Lord] I am
curious to see this couple. Please cause a well
adorned swing to be made for me and let us swing
together! ”.
Listening to Uma’s word, Siva called all great
giants and ordered them to construct a swing. There
upon the giants erected and raised two firm pillars,
(like the fulfilment of one’s desires) and ran a horizon¬
tal bar over across them. “ Vasuki” was substituted
for rope. Under his expanded hood, an altar as
bright as gems was prepared with a tapestry of silk
canvassed over. Its top was adorned with garlands,
gems and pearls. The entire structure was made
charming with pieces of beautiful cloth and deer¬
skin. All work being over the giants humbly informed
Siva of it. Siva whose crown-jewel is the crescent moon
at once climbed upon it. It was set in motion by the
attendant hosts. On his right stood Jaya while Yijaya
stood on his left, both fanning Siva and Uma with
chowry in there hands. On that occasion, swinging
Uma, the gods, demons and their wives were in
i6o
greatiov. Tte celestial Gandharvas praised: the celes¬
tial maidens danced: the celestial
their different loud musical instruments, all -
tains quaked: the seven oceans were agitated:a gre
winds blew vehemently: ail these happene w e
Siva and Uma were swinging. All the J
the whole world was trembling m fear. They, _
ed bv Indra, approached Siva who can pun y sm ,
proslrated themselves at his feet and reported to bun
thus;— “Oh Almighty Siva 1 please stop rom
thy recreation. Oh Lord! the entire universe is in
danger thereby and the ocean encroaches upon a.l
land ’’ When the gods thus praised him, he was so
pleased that he jumped down from the ^ ^
fov. Then, he clearly and distinctly ^
celestial audience that were witnessing the •
“This “Swing “Festival is to be celebrated
on the bank of “ Pushkarini’’ during spring, ihe
altar is adorned with silk embroidered m gems.
It is to have an umbrella and a chowry. A wreat
is to be tied around it with golden balls, beautiful
ornaments, stars and flowers. The wreath is to have
images of hanging Vidyadharas. Large mirrors are
to be kept at the sides of the altar. The altar can
still be adorned with what is beautiful to the sight.
Then the sacrificial fire is to be worshipped: oblations
to be given to the quarters. This being done, Siva is to
be placed in the altar with the mula mantra before all
people surrounded, by their friends and relations. The
learned Brahmin who is standing at the side recites
j6i
the best mantra when men and women praise the
deity and place flowers, scented sticks, incense and
perfumes. At this time women make a mixture of
colours in water with saffron and pump it out on the
people by means of golden horns. At this time
temple-maidens wear coloured cloth and golden belts.
They are marked on their foreheads with saffron dust.
They chew “pan Supari” and wear garlands of flowers.
Being thus pumped with coloured water, which is
yellow and gold, they enjoy the happiness of Cupid.
Those who follow the celestial in the “Swing’
festival live long, happily, with good progeny,
wealth and corns, cross the worldly existence and at
last reach my city.”
(Visnu and Laksmi are substituted for Siva and
Uma when the Vaispavas perform this festival.)
Translated from “ Bhavi-p-Uttara Parva, Chap.
133—PP- 494 - ”
APPEND!X-iI.
THE CORONATION OF THE KING OF SIAM
After the death of His Majesty the King Rama
VI of Siam on November 26, 1925. his younger
brother ascended the throne under the title of His
Maiesty the King Prajadhipok. The coronation of
the new King took place on February 26, 1926,
when there were magnificient ceremonies, partly
Hindu and partly Buddhist in character. Here again
we find the important part played by the Brahmin
priests, who still retain their position of honour in the
royal court.
Following is the pen-picture of gorgeous scenes
connected with the coronation of the new King of
Siam. It is from an eye-witness from Bangkok under
date February 26, 1926 :—
“Yesterday there was written, and turned over,
another page in the history of Siam. His Majesty King
Prajadhipok, King of Siam, was crowned with tradi¬
tional ceremonial, in the presence of the Princes of
the country and the representatives of foreign Govern¬
ments. Impressive throughout and laden with old-
time tradition, the ceremony of the actual Coronation
will remain imbedded in the memory of those who
were privileged to witnessit. To those of Siamese
blcKDd there was felt the full significance of the his¬
torical occasion ; to others there was presented a
ceremony laden with Eastern ritual, so deeply and
spiritually impressive that the emotions were swayed
and bent witb easy grace to the inspiration of the
moment. It was a neyer-to be-forgotten scene as His
Majesty lifted the Crown that was the symbol of his
sovereign power and placed it on his head.
‘‘Yesterday was the supreme day. But the
ceremony goes as far back as February 3, when a
chapter of priests held a service of benediction in pre¬
paration for the inscription of His Majesty’s full
official style and title on the following day. Adhering
to custom, water from various shrines in the 17 circles
w’as consecrated and conveyed in urns to the Capital.
Following a preliminary evening service on the 21st
instant, held in the Baisal Hall by 30 priests, at which
the Royal Family and Officials of State attended upon
His Majesty, three evening benediction services were
held on three days, in all three sections of the Chief
Residence. And then yesterday morning the Arch¬
bishop of the North extinguished the Candle of
Victory in the hall of Amarindra. That marked the
end of the Buddhist part of the Coronation.
“Meanwhile, Brahmin priests tended the sacrificial
fires in honour of the Hindu Trinity in a pavilion apart
and generally made sacrificial preparations for the
rites to follow.
“That led up to the Coronation proper.
“These elaborate rites are deemed necessary before
the King can assume the Crown with all the symbolism
of responsibility and power that it holds- Only in the
East we may think is there elaborate ritual in con-
nection with the crowning of a King. Rut if we xvill
but turn to the West we wili find the existence of
ceremonial, which, perhaps not so protracted, is at
least marked by a fulness and a respect for detail that
carrids one bsck to ancicDt times.
'^ 4 nd so to the great day. As the dawn broke the
thought that was uppermost ivas that before the son
again set, another King of Siam would have been
crowned to carry into tne future the glories of the past
and to add to the history of the Kingdom the force
of his personality and power.
^^'Tbe morning broke dull and wet. Kain com¬
menced to fall during the night and when dawn came,
it was still falling heavily, sweetening and refreshing
the purched land. Rain on Coronation morning is
regarded as a good omen. It may be of interest to
note also that on the day His Majesty was proclaimed
King in November, rain felh after a dry spell. -The
proceedings yesterday morning were timed to com
mence at 9.35 a.,m. with the R ^yal ceremonial bath,
and it is significant that almost at the identical minute,
the sun for the first time broke through the clouds and
shone brightly until the time was approaching for the
afternoon ceremony, when the rain again suddenly
commenced to fall io torrents. These circumstances
are taken as hopeful signs for the new reign.
^^Yesteiday morning before 9 o’clock His Majesty,
in Regal State, proceeded to Baisal Hall, where were
assembled Princes of the royal blood, foreign re-
165
preset!tatives of mi'dsterial rank and higher officials of
State® The aospicioas hour was 9*53 moment
the High Priest of Siva invited tlis Majesty to take a
ceremonial bath of purification and anointment on a
specially-erected pavilion between Baisai Hall and the
residence of Chakrabarti Biman® The anointment
consisted of fa) water from the five principal rivers of
the Kingdom—the Menam Chao Phya,. Mekiong, the
Raj.apuri River, the Bajrapori River and the Bang-
pakong River—supposed to be an analogy for the
famous classical five rivers of ancient India the
Ganges^. Mahij Yamuna, Sarabho and Airaviti; (b)
water of the four ponds of Subarna which are sanctifi¬
ed through constant usage in every State ceremony
where there is an’anointment i and (c) some of the
water from the 17 circles which had been previously
concentrated. Before rising His Majesty received
benediction and anointment from Their Royal High¬
nesses Prince Bhanurangsi and Prince Nagor Svarga,
as well as from the Prince Patriarch.
^^This ceremony was accompanied by a fanfare of
drums and trumpets, the playing of the National An
them, and a Royal salute of 19 guns. At the same
moment the Royal Umbrella of State was raised at
the Amarindra Hall, the Chakrabarti Biman Hall,
Dusit Mahaprasat Hall, Chakri Hall, and An-
aneasamakhom Hall. Then the music died down, the
boom of the guns ceased, and silence again fell upon
the gathering. Impressive and signicant holding
within its heart a wealth of meaning, one could not
but think that here was being enacted a scene alnaost
too sacred, almost too full for human eyes.
“As the ceremony proceeded it grew in grandeur
and impressiveness. Outside the walls of the Palace
had gathered hundreds of loyal subjects, who while
not qualified to appreciate all that was transpiring
within the Palace, could not but fail to be moved by a
certain emotion, as they sought to conjure up in their
inexperienced mind the phase of history that was
being enacted,
“At 10-52, the Eing sat himself on the Octagonal
Throne made of fig wood, under the royal canopy,
and received further anointment from Brahmins who,
with the Court Pundits, represented the eight cardinal
points of the Kingdom, as follows:—
“East —H. R. H. Prince Vividh, Court Pundit,
and Phra Rajaguru Vamadeo, High Priest of Siva
^water from Prachin Circle).
“South-East:—Luang Yodhadharmanides, Court
Pundit, and Phraguru Astacharya, Brahmin Priest
(water from Chandapuri.)
“South :—Phya Vichitradharm Court Pundit, and
Phraguru Satananda Muni, Brahmin Priest, (Circle of
Nagor Sri Dharmaraj and Pattani)
“South-West;—Phra Rajabhirom, Court Pundit,
and a Brahmin Priest, (Circles of Jumbor and
Bhuket.)
16;
“West ;—PBya Mahanam, Court Pundit and a
Brahmin Priest, (Circles of Nagor Jaisri and Rajapuri.
“North West :—Phra Nanavichitra, Court Pundit,
and a Brahmin Priest (Circles of Bayab, Maharashtra,
Nagor Svarga and Visunlok).
“North :—^Chao Phya Yamaraj, Court Pundit, and
a Brahmin Priest. (Circles of Ayudhya and Uttara).
“North East ;—Phya Pariyati, Court Pandit, and
a Brahmin Priest. (Circles of Nagor Rajasima, Ubol
and Roi-Et)
“Then followed a ceremony that called for the
King turning in each of the directions noted, com¬
mencing with the East, and receiving from each Pundit
due obeisance and an address in ‘Pali, to which His
Majesty replied, the reply in each case being practical¬
ly identical, only the necessary modifications to
specify the particular quarter and to name its tradi¬
tional guardian, being introduced. For instance, the
Pundit in the East advanced ; and after making due
obeisance, observed in Pali ;—
“ May it please Your Majesty ! May the So¬
vereign here give me leave to pronounce his vietory.
“ May the Sovereign, turning now towards the
East, seated upon his Reyal Throne, extend his
protection and exercise Royal authority over all those
realms situated to the East and all beings that therein
dwell.
“ May he remain on earth, further protecting
this kingdom, as well as her Buddhist Religion and
her people. • i, *
“Maybe remain long in sovereignty, wit on
ills, accomplishing success, and may his years number
a hundred.
“May the Sovereign Guardian of the ast,
renowned as Dhataratha, gently protect the King and
his realms. Whoever create evil in this eastern
quarter, may the Sovereign, through his^ might,
triumph over them all in a righteous manner.
“ The Pundit then handed a cup of anointed water
from the Eastern Circle (Prachin) while reciting the
following stanza;—
“Through the power of the Triple Gems (the
Buddha, the* he Lore, the Brotherhood), and through
this water poured down upon him, may the King be
awarded with success in the way heretofore
invoked.”
“ The King then answered in Pali versein the fo -
lowing poetic terms s
“Your auspicious speech, going right to the
hearts of kings, I fain accept. May it come to pass as
you hare said. I shall extend my protection and
exercise Royal authority over all those realms to the
East and all beings that dwell therein. I shall remain
on earth, further protecting this kingdom, and her
Buddhist religion and her people.’’
The Pundit then said:—
“ Good my Lord.”
169
The Brahmin of the quarter then anointed His
Majesty in due form.
This was repeated in detail, with the modifications
mentioned, in every direction, until the circle of eight
had been touched, after which the king rose from the
Octagonal Throne and the procession moved with
the King at his head.
All the elaborate and highly necessary ceremo¬
nial was but the prelude to the supreme moment-the
actual crowning of the King. His Majesty sat m
Ret^al State, surrounded by all the panoply o as ern
ceremonial sat there solitary, outwardly calm, thoug
what inward emotions moved him at this stage none
but he can tell.
A great silence pervaded the hall, into which at
points the sunlight crept and was thrown back off the
glittering ornamention. Slowly the pnest took the
Crown from the bearer in the possession and reveten-
tially handed it to His Majesty, who, amidst a deep
hash, with a dignified and stately movement, placed
it on bis head. - . i.
Another King of Siam had been crowned, another
added to the roll of illnstrious Monarchs who have
thrown their personality into the pages of the ing
dom’s history.
Then the stillness was broken by the first salute
of the guns without and the music and fanfare within
the palace. A salute of 19 guns was fired by the three
ancient guns, named Maharuk, Mahachai and Maha-
170
chakr, within the palace precincts, whilst further off a
Royal salute of loi guns was fired by the Army and
Navv. That was the signal to the outside world that
the king had been crowned.
In the temples, the message was received, and was
sent out to the people by the ringing of bells. Solemn
and clear and true, dignity and joyousness blended; to
the tutored and untutored alike the message was
sent.
The King was crowned.
But that was Bangkok. By a pre-arranged
system of signals, the tale was told to temples through¬
out the country, and in the temples, with due solem¬
nity, the bells were rung, and the message was wafted
to the labourer in the fields, to the men whose daily
duties take them into the fastness of the jungle to
the traders in the villages, to the people on the rivers.
From the Capital it went forth to every nook and
cranny of the land. From province to province it
spread, into the innermost recesses of the country. To
plain and hill and shore the pregnant notes of the
temple bells were wafted—and the people knew and
rejoiced.
The King was crowned.
Temple at Lobpuri in Siam.
Wat Pro Keo in Siam.
Temple at Pimai in Siam.
Wat Cheng in Siam.
Wat at Ayiithia in Siam,
Buddlia at Wat Bnjami Cophit iu Slaui.
INDEX TO INDIAN COLONY OF SIAM
^1
i
Oo/irdjodia
30
A bhAdJmrona
4o 1
ikmiparlesa
34
Abhinavcqnbre
139
Ceylon
1, 36
Adams Peak
64
China
1
Alabaster, Henry
15 \
Champa
19
Albuquerque
9 \
Gheo Plmya ChaJchin
84
Angkor Vat
37
Chantahun
DO
Asolm
1 \
Chidalong Korn
86
Ayodhya
4\
Chxmfuredj
15
Ayutliia 7, f:
'9, 54, 57 j
D
53 Fall of
S5 \
Danirong
54
B
1
Dharma
47
Ba/tiglcoJc
SI \
Dipanhara
56
Bam 3I'U.ran
36 \
Diparamsa
Bojstin
5, 33 i
Dynasty of Bangkok
83
Bodhi tree
. 49 !
„ of Suhhothai
31
Borohihdur
49 j
DravidJmi Sm dptihre
95
Bodhi ramsi
130 i
I
Dvaravaii
3
BvAdhism
flO
F
BiAdka Lot La
So
Fandeon
77
Buddha
96, 97
Fournerean f
5
Btuldhaqrxda
64, 65
1 ^
Budjdhist ehurch
59
Garuda
93,95
Btarma
1
H
Burmese King
TVS*
i o
Hindus
2
„ o/rmy
73, 75
Hindu god
71
,, history
74
“ eivilisation
39
„ Invasion
74
Hinduism
m
Bradley, Dr,
5
Hr day a Jay a Jeiiha
4^
Brahmin
75
I
Brahmanism
71
Indian culture
8
0
„ Art
W
Gamhoja
18
j ,, titles
8^
2
ififivpls
37 \
Miangcdastdia
127
colonist
26 i
Mission Pavie
0
,, dynasty
1 ]
Monuments of Siam
88
Indo-ehina
18
Muang Sing
98
Jndo-S f O' hi €S6 colony
83
lY
1 hd,0>i'(ija
69, 76 ;
Kagarinda
63
Indmdityci
32 \
Karissa'Vftja
75
J
]\' Oj'(iak%tt%
128
JfjJakas ^.9, 51 y oo ;
Kirmna
U
Javanese
9,n \
P
Japan
1, 80
Pali
29
Janices Law
13 \
lit&vaiure
m
Jiwjjka la incdina
6 j
Annal
57
Jerefiiias Fcs'i^ ]' liei
78 1
Pciramatilokandiha
69
K
Paramiarajddhirdja
5S, 63
KanisJm
1, S5
PatoMiyutra
50
Khmer
3> 1
o 1
Peohalnori
93
King, Siamese
lOo, 78
Phra Kcmg Kkiso
85
King of Peg-u
75
Portugibese
77
L
Prafidhipok
87
Laos
f
R
La/nka
iB, m
Rcijanumiri
60
LaksTf li
88
Rcmiaclhipati
69
Lingas
92
Ramadliipati
Lophhwri
91, 102
Sutvannadola
57
■ If
Ramraja
36, 62
Makfam
97
Rx0nha7rdisng
oo
Manu
m
Rarnesswra
58
MahaMiamta
m
Ramessara
76
Mahdsfimi
47
Ranuiyana
12Jt
Mahathera
^ 47
Rainapamira
ISl
Mi iftddha iti raara ja -
Religion of Siam
101
sidi'i rainap
75
Royal niinisier
60
Sahyarav/m
Samcdicca BvMhanJmra 7:2 Su^uyavamsa Raraa
Schlegel, Dr,
S ibvan naccviida
S'th IdlOt h Oj %
JhMUsra^ in ' T/ia'i.
Brahmardsra, vii 108 ,, Pri'M
7 • * 111 ,, lio-rr
Kmqslvi f, 'tn ?
jjg ! TnpvtaJM
Loads oj
Birth ceremonies, in PH
12B VayraVAbdL
EdibCoMon
Mo/rriage, in
Liieraf/iJyre, in
Society
Siarnese la nguage
army
society
j j I/aivs
„ Lihmry
„ King
» Era
Annals
Yasovarman
.^mi.all Era of qS^:
60, m
12^ YajE'Ci/iMiia Lihrotvy
J?J,. Vara-Dhiraraja
I'l YcvrOt Katthadhiraja
ISJt. Knmdjm
73 1 Yihara
41 i ViramaladJMmma
T’ j Vinaya
7 \ Fis'n.tt
55 ,132
45 ,81
31, 91
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