Pha Mueang (full name Pho Khun Pha Mueang, th, พ่อขุนผาเมือง; late 13th century – mid 14th century) was a Thai nobleman and general who was the Lord of Rad and played a significant role in the founding of the
Sukhothai Kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom ( th, สุโขทัย, , IAST: , ) was a post-classical Thai kingdom (mandala) in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. The kingdom was fo ...
.
Origin
Pha Mueang is said to be a descendant of Nam Thum, a hero whose name is mentioned in the legends of many
Tai peoples
Tai peoples are the populations who speak (or formerly spoke) the Tai languages. There are a total of about 93 million people of Tai ancestry worldwide, with the largest ethnic groups being Dai, Thais, Isan, Tai Yai (Shan), Lao, Tai Ahom, an ...
. Pha Mueang's ultimate origin is described by his grandfather in the so-called "
Ram Khamhaeng": he is the ruler of a city-state called Mueang Rat (เจ้าเมืองราด). The location of Mueang Rat is disputed. Many believe that it could be found in the valley of the Pasak. Therefore, the inhabitants of the Phetchabun district
Lom Sak built a large statue of Pha Mueang (อนุสาวรีย์พ่อขุนผาเมือง). The historian
Alexander Brown Griswold
Alexander Brown Griswold (1907 – 4 October 1991) was an American art historian, known for his work in Thai art history and epigraphy. Born into an established banking family of Baltimore, he became acquainted with Thailand while serving in the a ...
, however, is of the opinion that Mueang Rat must have been located in the valley of the
Nan River
The Nan River ( th, แม่น้ำน่าน, , ) is a river in Thailand. It is one of the most important tributaries of the Chao Phraya River.
Geography
The Nan River originates in the Luang Prabang Range, Nan Province. The provinces ...
near
Uttaradit
The original name of Mueang district, Uttaradit, was Bang Pho. This district was under the control of Phi Chai District. Later, it was established as Uttaradit Province and Bang Pho District became the capital district. It was changed to Mueang ...
due to geographical characteristics.
The "God of Sri Mueang Sodharapura" (God: ผีฟ้า, corresponding to Skt Deva raja), the king of Angkor, bestowed the titles of "Sri Indraditya" together with the "sword of victory" (Phrasaeng Chaisri, พระแสงชัยศรี) upon Pha Mueang and he additionally received the "Kamrateng An Pha Mueang" or "กมรเตง อัญ ผาเมือง"". At the same time he was given Nang Sikhara Mahadevi, a "daughter" of King
Jayavarman VII
Jayavarman VII, posthumous name of Mahaparamasaugata ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៧, c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani.
He was ...
of the
Chenla. An "oath of loyalty" to Angkor was probably demanded as well.
Bang Klang Hao
Little is known of the history of
Bang Klang Hao (full name: Pho Khun Bang Hao, พ่อขุนบางกลางหาว). He was a friend and ally of Pha Mueang. Bang Klang Hao was ruler of the city-state Mueang Bang Yang (เจ้าเมืองบางยาง), its location also unknown. Griswold suspected it was located somewhere between Mueang Rat and Mueang
Si Satchanalai
The Si Satchanalai Historical Park ( th, อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์ศรีสัชนาลัย) is a historical park in Si Satchanalai district, Sukhothai Province, northern Thailand. The park covers the rui ...
, possibly even at today's
Ban Yang, which is situated about seven kilometres south of
New Sukhothai
Sukhothai Thani ( th, สุโขทัยธานี, ) is a small town about north of Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. ...
.
Liberation from the Khmer rule
After
Jayavarman VII
Jayavarman VII, posthumous name of Mahaparamasaugata ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៧, c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani.
He was ...
died in 1220, the power of Angkor dwindled in the northwestern regions. The commander
Khom Samat Klon Lamphong
Administrative divisions of Cambodia have several levels. Cambodia is divided into 24 provinces (''Khaet''; km, ខេត្ត, ) and the special administrative unit Phnom Penh. Though a different administrative unit, Phnom Penh is at provin ...
(ขอมสมาดโขลญลำพง) held an outpost of the
Khmer Empire in Sukhothai.
In "Inscription II" it is described that at some point, probably around 1238–1240, Pha Mueang marched his army united with Bang Klang Hao towards Sukhothai. In the ensuing battle at the gates of the city, Bang Klang Hao fought against Khom Samat Klon Lamphong, both from the back of their
war elephant
A war elephant was an elephant that was trained and guided by humans for combat. The war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elephant ...
s: "The bold Klon Lamphong was completely defeated".
[ Coedès, George]
''The Origins of the Sukhodaya Dynasty.''
The Siam Society, Bangkok, 1921
After the defeat of the Khmer troops, Pha Mueang entrusted the government of Sukhothai to Bang Klang Hao. He then retired with his men in Sukhothai. A little later Bang Klang Hao was ordained by Pha Mueang as "Chao Mueang Sukhothai" (ruler of Sukhothai, เจ้าเมืองสุโขทัย). Here Pha Mueang transferred his title "Sri Indraditya" to his comrades in arms. The new king of Sukhothai also received the "sword of victory" as a sign of his success and the
palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself na ...
of the New Kingdom. Sri Indraditya is now regarded as the founder of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, the
Kingdom of Sukhothai
The Sukhothai Kingdom ( th, สุโขทัย, , IAST: , ) was a post-classical Thai kingdom (mandala) in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. The kingdom was foun ...
.
Consorts
*
Phra Nang Singkhondevi, daughter of the king
Jayavarman VII
Jayavarman VII, posthumous name of Mahaparamasaugata ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៧, c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani.
He was ...
. Appointed to the Queen Consorts.
* Phra Nang Naovarongdevi, consorts had married before marriage with Phra Nang Singkhondevi.
References
Further reading
*Griswold, A. B. ''Towards a History of Sukhothai Art.'' The Fine Arts Department, Bangkok 1967.
*Griswold, A. B.; Na Nagara, Prasert. ''Epigraphic and Historical Studies'', No.10: "King Lodaiya of Sukhodaya and his contemporaries." The Siam Society, Bangkok, 1972
*Rooney, Dawn F. ''Ancient Sukhothai, Thailand's Cultural Heritage.'' River Books, Bangkok 2008,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pha Mueang
13th-century births
14th-century deaths
13th-century Thai people
Tai history
Thai generals
Thai princes
14th-century Thai people
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing