Dhammikaraja

Dhammikaraja
ธรรมิกราชา
King of Ayodhya
King of Xiān's Ayodhya
Reign1165–1205
PredecessorSai Nam Peung
SuccessorUthong II
Born1150
Ayutthaya
Died1205 (aged 55)
Ayutthaya
ConsortSiripajarajadevi
HouseSai Nam Peung
FatherSai Nam Peung

Dhammikaraja (Thai: ธรรมิกราชา), also known as Sudhammaraja (สุธรรมราชา), was the fourth sovereign of Xiān at Ayodhya. He ascended the throne in 1165, succeeding his father, Sai Nam Peung, and reigned until 1205.[1] The extant historical sources provide limited detail regarding his reign. Nevertheless, it is generally characterized as a period of economic prosperity and the flourishing of Theravāda Buddhism,[2]: 46 [3]: 105–6  as evidenced by the construction of several religious monasteries attributed to his patronage.[4]: 37  Dhammikaraja’s principal consort was Queen Siripajarajadevi (ศิริปภาราชาเทวี); however, no record survives concerning royal offspring.[4]: 37  According to the Ayutthaya Testimonies, he ascended the throne at the age of fifteen, which suggests a birth year of approximately 1150.[4]: 37 

Dhammikaraja is also noted to have exercised authority over Mueang Phreak and to have established a northern frontier at Phitsanulok.[4]: 37  This settlement was subsequently entrusted to another monarch originating from Lavo, Phitsanuraja (พิษณุราชา), who extended his influence further by founding the polity of Phichit. Phitsanuraja’s reign was succeeded by that of his brother, Pichayaraja (พิไชยราชา), who advanced southward and established Phetchaburi, designating it as his principal seat.[4]: 38  Following him, his son Si Sing succeeded to the throne, but later abandoned Phetchaburi and relocated the political center northward once more to Mueang Phreak.[4]: 39–40  In the year 1182, during the reign of King Lý Cao Tông of Đại Việt, Xiān is recorded to have dispatched a tributary mission to the royal court, thereby affirming diplomatic engagement between the two realms.[5]:line 25

Concurrently, during Dhammikaraja’s reign, another dynastic line emerged, consisting of the brothers Pra Poa Noome Thele Seri and Uthong I, who originated in Lavo and established themselves in Soucouttae/Locontàï in the 1150s.[6][7]: 127  By 1157, they had shifted southward and assumed control over Singburi.[4]: 46  From this base, the lineage progressively consolidated authority over several polities in the western Menam basin: Suphannaphum in 1163[8]: 61  and Phrip Phri in 1188.[6] Following Dhammikaraja’s death in 1205, Pra Poa Noome Thele Seri 's prince, Uthong II, ascended the throne of Ayodhya.[9]: 41  Under his rule and that of his immediate successors, the expansion continued with the annexation of Chen Li Fu and Mueang Phreak in 1225, thereby consolidating control over the region.[8]: 21 

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sujit Wongthes (21 April 2023). "พงศาวดารอโยธยาศรีรามเทพนคร ฉบับ มานิต วัลลิโภดม : อโยธยา เก่าแก่กว่าสุโขทัย ต้นกำเนิดอยุธยา ต้นแบบรัตนโกสินทร์" [The Chronicles of Ayutthaya Sri Ramathep Nakhon, Manit Vallipodom Edition: Ayutthaya is older than Sukhothai, the origin of Ayutthaya, the prototype of Rattanakosin.]. www.silpa-mag.com (in Thai). Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  2. ^ Northern Chronicle
  3. ^ Thepthani, Phra Borihan (1953). Thai National Chronicles: the history of the nation since ancient times (in Thai). S. Thammasamakkhi. p. 30. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Phraya Pariyattithamthada (1968). Ayutthaya Testimonies (PDF) (in Thai). Rung Rueang Tham. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  5. ^ "大越史記全書 《卷之四》" [The Complete Historical Records of Dai Viet "Volume 4"]. 中國哲學書電子化計劃 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b Simon de La Loubère (1693). "Du royaume de Siam". ota.bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  7. ^ Michael Smithies; Dhiravat na Pombejra (2022). "Instructions Given to the Siamese Envoys Sent to Portugal, 1684" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society. 90 (Part 1 & 2).
  8. ^ a b David K. Wyatt (2020). "Relics, Oaths and Politics in Thirteenth-Century Siam". Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 32 (1): 3–65. JSTOR 20072298. Archived from the original on 13 April 2025.
  9. ^ Chatchai Sukrakarn (October 2005). "พระเจ้าศรีธรรมาโศกราช" [Sri Thammasokaraj] (PDF) (in Thai). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.