The Author Of This
Inscription Was A Prince Of Thai (Or Siamese) Race, Styled Phra Rama
Kamheng ("The Valiant") [Son Of Sri Indratiya], Who Reigned In Sukkothai,
Whilst His Dominions Extended From Vieng-Chan On The Mekong River (Lat.
18 Deg.), To Pechabur, And Sri-Thammarat (I.E. Ligor, In Lat.
8 deg.
18"),
on the coast of the Gulf of Siam. [This inscription gives three
dates - 1205, 1209, and 1214 s'aka = A.D. 1283, 1287 and 1292. One passage
says: "Formerly the Thais had no writing; it is in 1205 s'aka, year of the
goat = A.D. 1283, that King Rama Kamheng sent for a teacher who invented
the Thai writing. It is to him that we are indebted for it to-day." (Cf.
Fournereau, Siam ancien, p. 225; Schmitt, Exc. et Recon., 1885;
Aymonier, Cambodge, II. p. 72.) - H.C.] The conquests of this prince are
stated to have extended eastward to the "Royal Lake", apparently the Great
Lake of Kamboja; and we may conclude with certainty that he was the leader
of the Siamese, who had invaded Kamboja shortly before it was visited (in
1296) by that envoy of Kublai's successor, whose valuable account of the
country has been translated by Remusat.[3]
Now this prince Rama Kamheng of Sukkothai was probably (as Lieutenant
Garnier supposes) of the Thai-nyai, Great Thai, or Laotian branch of the
race. Hence the application of the name Lo-kok to his kingdom can be
accounted for.
It was another branch of the Thai, known as Thai-noi, or Little Thai,
which in 1351, under another Phra Rama, founded Ayuthia and the Siamese
monarchy, which still exists.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 527 of 1350
Words from 140946 to 141221
of 370046
