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Ram Khamhaeng

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For other uses, seeRam Khamhaeng (disambiguation).

Ram Khamhaeng the Great
พ่อขุนรามคำแหงมหาราช
Pho Khun Ram Khamhaeng maharat
Statue of King Ram Khamhaeng the Great, Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai Province, Thailand
Pho Khun of Sukhothai
Reign1279 - 1298
PredecessorBan Mueang
SuccessorLoe Thai
Bornc. 1237/1247
Sukhothai Kingdom
Died1298 (51/61 years old)
Sukhothai Kingdom
IssueLoe Thai
Phaya Sai Songkhram
May Hnin Thwe-Da
HousePhra Ruang Dynasty
FatherSi Inthrathit
MotherSueang
ReligionTheravada Buddhism

Ram Khamhaeng(Thai:รามคำแหง,pronounced[rāːmkʰāmhɛ̌ːŋ]ⓘ) orPho Khun Ram Khamhaeng Maharat(Thai:พ่อขุนรามคำแหงมหาราช,pronounced[pʰɔ̂ːkʰǔnraːmkʰamhɛ̌ːŋmáhǎːrâːt]ⓘ), also spelledRamkhamhaeng,was the third king of thePhra Ruang Dynasty,ruling theSukhothai Kingdom(a historical kingdom ofThailand) from 1279 to 1298, during its most prosperous era.

He is credited for the creation of theThai Alpha betand the firm establishment ofTheravadaBuddhism as the state religion of the kingdom.[1]: 197 [2]: 25 

Birth and name

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Ram Khamhaeng was a son of Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao, who ruled as Pho KhunSi Inthrathit,and his queen, Sueang,[3]though folk legend claims his real parents were anogressnamed Kangli and a fisherman.[4]: 23 He had two brothers and two sisters. The eldest brother died while very young. The second,Ban Mueang,became king following their father's death and was succeeded by Ram Khamhaeng on his death.[5]

At age 19, he participated in his father's successful invasion of the city ofSukhothai,formerly a vassal of theKhmer,establishing the independent Sukhothai Kingdom. Due to his courage in the war, he allegedly was given the title "Phra Ram Khamhaeng”or “Rama the Bold”.[1]: 196 After his father's death, his brother Ban Mueang ruled the kingdom, assigning Ram Khamhaeng control of the city ofSi Satchanalai.

The Royal Institute of Thailand speculates that Ram Khamhaeng's birth name was "Ram" (derived from Rama, the name of the hero of the Hindu epicRamayana), as his name following his coronation was "Pho Khun Ramarat" (Thai:พ่อขุนรามราช). Furthermore, the tradition at the time was to give the name of a grandfather to a grandson; according to both the 11th Stone Inscription and theAyutthaya Chroniclesby Prasoet Aksoranit, Ram Khamhaeng had a grandson named "Phraya Ram", and two grandsons of Phraya Ram were named "Phraya Ban Mueang" and "Phraya Ram".

In English, an alternate spelling of his name isRamkhamhaeng.The titleMaharat(Thai:มหาราช) is the Thai translation of “the Great King”.

Accession

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The three kings monument inChiang Mai:King Ngam Muang ofPhayao(left),King MangraiofLan Na(center), and King Ram Khamhaeng ofSukhothai(right).

Tri Amattayakun (Thai:ตรี อมาตยกุล), a Thai historian, suggests that Ram Khamhaeng should have acceded to the throne in 1279, the year he planted asugar palmtree inSukhothai.Prasert na Nagaraof the Royal Institute speculates that this was a tradition ofTai Ahommonarchs, who plantedbanyanor sugar palm trees on theircoronation dayin the hope that their reign would achieve the same stature as the tree.

The most significant event at the beginning of his reign was the elopement of one of his daughters, Thai: แม่นางสร้อยดาว, RTGS: Mae-nang Soidao, "Lady Soidao"May Hnin Thwe-Da,with the captain of the palace guards, a commoner. The commoner would found the BurmeseHanthawaddy Kingdomand commission compilation of the Code ofWareru,which would provide a basis for thelaw of Thailandused in Siam until 1908,[6]and in Burma to the present.[7][8]

Reign

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Ram Khamhaeng sent embassies toYuan Chinafrom 1282 to 1323 and imported the techniques to make theceramicsnow known asSangkhalok ceramic ware.He had close relationships with the rulers of nearby city-states, especially Ngam Muang, the ruler of neighboringPhayao(whose wife, according to legend, he seduced), and KingMangraiofChiang Mai.[1]: 206 His campaign against Cambodia left the Khmer country "utterly devastated".[9]: 90 

According to Thai history, Ram Khamhaeng is credited with creating theThai Alpha bet(Lai Nangsue Thai) from a combination of theKhmer,Sanskrit,Pali,andGranthaAlpha bets.[citation needed]

It is speculated that Ram Khamhaeng expanded his kingdom as far asLampang,Phrae,andNanin the north,PhitsanulokandVientianein the east, theNakhon Si Thammarat Kingdomin the south, theMon kingdomsof what is nowMyanmarin the west, and theBay of Bengalin the northwest. However, in themandalapolitical model,kingdoms such as Sukhothai lacked distinct borders, instead being centered on the strength of the capital itself.[10]Claims of Ram Khamhaeng's large kingdom were intended to assert Siamese dominance over mainland Southeast Asia.[10]

Death

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According to the ChineseHistory of Yuan,King Ram Khamhaeng died in 1298 and was succeeded by his son,Loe Thai,thoughGeorge Cœdèssays it is "more probable" it was "shortly before 1318". Legend holds that Khamhaeng perished in the rapids of the rivers of Sawankhalok. Another source says he was slain by a Malay warrior princess named Adruja Wijayamala Singha during a battle between Thai and Malay armies, in a campaign to conquer Malay lands that make up a third of modern Thailand today.[1]: 218–219 

Ramkhamhaengstele,Bangkok National Museum

Legacy

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Ram Khamhaeng Inscription

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Main article:Ram Khamhaeng Inscription

Much of the traditional biographical information comes from the inscription on the Ram Khamhaeng stele, composed in 1292, and contains vague facts about the king.[1]: 196–198 It is now found in theBangkok National Museum.The formal name of the stele is the "King Ram Khamhaeng Inscription". It was added to the Memory of the World Register in 2003 byUNESCO.

Sangkhalok ceramic ware

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Main article:Sangkhalok ceramic ware

Ram Khamhaeng is credited with bringing the skills of ceramic making from China and laying the foundation of a strong ceramic ware industry in the Sukhothai Kingdom.[1]: 206–207 Sukhothai for centuries was the major exporter of the ceramics known as "Sangkhalok ware" (Thai:เครื่องสังคโลก) to countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and even to China. The industry was one of the main revenue generators during his reign and long afterward.

Banknote

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The reverse of the 20Bahtnote (series 16), issued in 2013, depicts images of the royal statue of Ram Khamhaeng seated on the Manangkhasila Asana Throne and commemorates the invention of the Thai script by the king.[11]

Honour

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Ramkhamhaeng University,the first Thai university with anopen-door policyand with campuses throughout the country was named after Ram Khamhaeng.

Video games

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King Ramkhamhaeng is a playable ruler for theSiameseinSid Meier's Civilization V.

References

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  1. ^abcdefCœdès, George(1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.).The Indianized States of Southeast Asia.trans. Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press.ISBN978-0-8248-0368-1.
  2. ^Chakrabongse, C., 1960,Lords of Life,London: Alvin Redman Limited
  3. ^Prasert Na Nagara and Alexander B. Griswold (1992). "The Inscription of King Rāma Gāṃhèṅ of Sukhodaya (1292 CE)", p. 265, inEpigraphic and Historical Studies.Journal of the Siam Society. The Historical Society Under the Royal Patronage of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn: Bangkok.ISBN974-88735-5-2.
  4. ^Wyatt, David K. (1995).The Chiang Mai Chronicle.Bangkok: Silkworm Books.ISBN978-974-7047-67-7.Retrieved4 November2012.
  5. ^Prasert and Griswold (1992), p. 265-267
  6. ^T. Masao, (Toshiki Masao) (1908)."The New Penal Code of Siam"(PDF).Journal of the Siam Society.5(2). Siam Society Heritage Trust: 1–10.Retrieved20 February2013.
  7. ^Lingat, R.(1950)."Evolution of the Conception of Law in Burma and Siam"(PDF).Journal of the Siam Society.38(1). Siam Society Heritage Trust: 13–24.Retrieved20 February2013.
  8. ^Griswold, Alexander B.; Prasert na Nagara (1969)."Epigraphic and Historical Studies No. 4: A Law Promulgated By the King of Ayudhyā in 1397 A.D"(PDF).Journal of the Siam Society.57(1). Siam Society Heritage Trust: 109–148.Retrieved20 February2013.
  9. ^Maspero, G., 2002,The Champa Kingdom,Bangkok: White Lotus Co., Ltd.,ISBN9747534991
  10. ^abSiam Mapped: A history of the geo-body of a nation, by Thongchai Winichakul, University of Hawaii Press. 1994. p 163.
  11. ^"History and Series of Banknotes, 20 Baht Series 16".BOT.Bank of Thailand.Archivedfrom the original on 31 March 2013.Retrieved14 June2016.
  • ตรี อมาตยกุล. (2523, 2524, 2525 และ 2527). "ประวัติศาสตร์สุโขทัย."แถลงงานประวัติศาสตร์ เอกสารโบราณคดี,(ปีที่ 14 เล่ม 1, ปีที่ 15 เล่ม 1, ปีที่ 16 เล่ม 1 และปีที่ 18 เล่ม 1).
  • ประชุมศิลาจารึก ภาคที่ 1.(2521). คณะกรรมการพิจารณาและจัดพิมพ์เอกสารทางประวัติศาสตร์. กรุงเทพฯ: โรงพิมพ์สำนักเลขาธิการคณะรัฐมนตรี.
  • ประเสริฐ ณ นคร. (2534). "ประวัติศาสตร์สุโขทัยจากจารึก."งานจารึกและประวัติศาสตร์ของประเสริฐ ณ นคร.มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์ กำแพงแสน.
  • ประเสริฐ ณ นคร. (2544). "รามคำแหงมหาราช, พ่อขุน".สารานุกรมไทยฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน,(เล่ม 25:ราชบัณฑิตยสถาน-โลกธรรม). กรุงเทพฯ: สหมิตรพริ้นติ้ง. หน้า 15887–15892.
  • ประเสริฐ ณ นคร. (2534). "ลายสือไทย".งานจารึกและประวัติศาสตร์ของประเสริฐ ณ นคร.มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์ กำแพงแสน.
  • เจ้าพระยาพระคลัง (หน). (2515).ราชาธิราช.พระนคร: บรรณาการ.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toRam Khamhaeng the Great.
Ram Khamhaeng
Born:(around 1237-1247)Died:1298
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Sukhothai
1279–1298 		Vacant
Title next held by
Loe Thai
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