Dhammikaraja

Dhammikaraja
ธรรมิกราชา
King of Ayodhya
King of Xiān's Ayodhya
Reign1165–1225
PredecessorSai Nam Peung
SuccessorUthong II
Born1150
Ayutthaya
Died1225 (aged 75)
Ayutthaya
ConsortSiripajarajadevi
Names
Phrabat Somdet Phra Ramathibodi Sriwisutthiburusodom Borommachakkraphat Thammikaraja Dechochaithepadithep Triphuwanathibet Barombophit Phra Phutthi Chao Yu Hua[1]
HouseSai Nam Peung or Sindhob Amarin
FatherSai Nam Peung

Dhammikaraja (Thai: ธรรมิกราชา) was the fourth sovereign of Xiān at Ayodhya.[2] His name is attested in the Ayutthaya Testimonies [3]: 37 , the Northern Chronicle,[4]: 46  and the 1225 Ayutthaya Royal Miscellaneous Laws (Phra Aiyakan Betset; พระอัยการเบ็ดเสร็จ or อายการเบดเสรจ).[1] He ascended the throne in 1165, succeeding his father, Sai Nam Peung, and reigned until around 1225.[2] 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,[4]: 46 [5]: 105–6  as evidenced by the construction of several religious monasteries attributed to his patronage.[3]: 37  Dhammikaraja's principal consort was Queen Siripajarajadevi (ศิริปภาราชาเทวี); however, no record survives concerning royal offspring.[3]: 37  According to the Ayutthaya Testimonies, he ascended the throne at the age of fifteen, which suggests a birth year of approximately 1150.[3]: 37 

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.[3]: 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] Dhammikaraja was then succeeded by Pra Poa Noome Thele Seri 's prince, Uthong II.[9]: 41  Some scholars further suggest that Uthong II may have entered into a matrimonial alliance with Dhammikaraja’s daughter.[2]

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.[10]

An alternative tradition recorded by Jeremias van Vliet describes him as a Chinese prince who had been exiled from China.[11]: 21   However, this account appears to conflict with other traditions: both the Northern Chronicle and the Ayutthaya Testimonies state that the father-in-law of Uthong II—whom some scholars have identified with Dhammikaraja—was a descendant of Sindhob Amarin (r. 937–996).[11]: 22 

References

  1. ^ a b The Fine Arts Department of Thailand. (1978). Rūang Kotmāi trā 3 dūang [Three Seals Law] เรื่องกฎหมายตราสามดวง (in Thai). Bangkok: The Fine Arts Department of Thailand. p. 414. OCLC 934462978
  2. ^ a b c 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). Retrieved 25 December 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e Phraya Pariyattithamthada (1968). Ayutthaya Testimonies (PDF) (in Thai). Rung Rueang Tham. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b Northern Chronicle
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b Simon de La Loubère (1693). "Du royaume de Siam". ota.bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  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). Archived from the original on 2025-08-23. Retrieved 2025-09-15.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ 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 20 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ Chatchai Sukrakarn (October 2005). "พระเจ้าศรีธรรมาโศกราช" [Sri Thammasokaraj] (PDF) (in Thai). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ a b "การศึกษาวิจัยพระราชพงศาวดารกรุงเก่า" [Research study of the royal chronicles of Ayutthaya] (PDF). Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre (in Thai). 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2026.