Tambralinga

In his 13th-century work Zhu Fan Zhi, Chinese historian Zhao Rugua mentions the state Danmaling (Tan-ma-ling, ), describing it as a vassal of Srivijaya. Whether Danmaling can be identified with Tambralinga is dubious; sinologist proposes instead to locate it in the Tembeling region of Pahang. In contrast, the Sung shih gives an account of Tambralinga under the name of Tan-mei-liu, and says Tambralinga seems to have been a dependency of the Khmer Empire during the reign of Jayavarman VII (r.1181–1218). An indigenous source of Tambralinga history is an inscription dating to 1183, written in Old Khmer, engraved on the base of a bronze Buddha statue found at Wat Hua Wiang in Chaiya District, Surat Thani Province. It gives an impression of the political situation of Tambralinga in the late-twelfth century. Another important source is a Sanskrit inscription ascribed to King Chandrabhanu of Tambralinga, dated 1230. It gives the king the epithet "Śrī Dharmarāja", which is considered a piece of evidence for the identification of Tambralinga with Nakhon Si Thammarat (Nagara Śrī Dharmarāja in Sanskrit). == History ==

Early coastal polities: 5th century BCE – 5th century CE Present-day peninsular Thailand has long been considered an important area in social interaction as the gateway between the South China Sea and the India Ocean since the protohistoric period (c. 500 BCE–500 CE). by adopting Indic ideologies to extend power as well as institutionalizing god-king status and dynamic traditions. Tambralinga was one of the significant centralized polities in the area that was mentioned by Indian literature of the 2nd century CE. Scholars have assumed that Tambralinga was situated near modern Nakhon Si Thammarat (Ligor), which appears valid based on text given in inscription No. 28 found in Phra Maha That temple at the center of modern Nakhon Si Thammarat, engraved with Pallava scripts in Sanskrit language dated to the 5th century CE, which mentions the Tambralingeshvra meaning the "Siva of Tambralinga" or "Lord of Tambralinga". In this era, Tambralinga consisted of five main mandalas located on the bank of Khlong Tha Khwai, Khlong Tha Chieo – Tha Thon, Khlong Tha Lat, Maying River, and the largest one on the Haad Sai Keao dune, which was speculated to be the center of Tambralinga. According to the legend of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phraya Sri Thammasokaraj or Norabadi (; ) from the Mon Hanthawaddy, together with his younger brother named Dharanont (), brought their relatives and 30,000 soldiers, along with two Monks Phra Phutthakhamphien () and Phra Phutthasakon (), south to settle in Khao Chawa Prab () in present-day Krabi Province and later relocated to establish Nakhon Si Thammarat. Golden age: 10th – mid 13th centuries North expansion: 10th – 11th centuries During the 10th–11th centuries, after gaining independence from Srivijaya by the liberation of King Sujita, During this period, at Angkor's Yaśodharapura to the northeast, since the reign of Candravaṃśa's Jayavarman V of the Bhavapura house (r. 968–1001), the aristocratic families dominated the royal court. The throne then fell into two Tambralinga princes, Udayadityavarman I and Jayavirahvarman, who ruled Angkor from 1001–1011, which considered the period of the 9-year civil war between the two brothers and Suryavarman I of the Shailendra dynasty who controlled the east and southern regions and was supported by the Bhavapura house of the overthrown king. In contrast, according to the Prasat Khna Inscription (K.1312), some scholar believe that Narapativiravarman was Sujita, the successor king of both Tambralinga and Lavo, who gave the throne at Tambralinga to his younger brother, Udayadityavarman I, in 1001, and then successfully launched a campaign to conquer Yaśodharapura and enthroned Jayavirahvarman, a new Angkorian king, the following year. In the same year, Udayadityavarman I of Tambralinga/Lavo was replaced by his nephew, a usurper named Suryavarman I or Kampoch, who also allied with the house of the overthrown Angkorian king, Jayavarman V, and waged war against Jayavirahvarman to control Yaśodharapura. or Inthapat Nakhon (possibly Yaśodharapura Thai academic proposes that after losing the war to the Chola Empire in 1026, the center of power in the eastern Siam peninsula was shifted from Chaiya to Nakhon Si Thammarat (Ligor) in 1077, according to the information given to the Chinese court by the diplomat sent in 1168. The previous king's son was enthroned as the new ruler. as recorded in the Dhammarajaka inscription, which gives the southern limits of the kingdom to Takwā (Takua Pa), Salankre (Junk Ceylon?, Phuket) and two other places hardly legible, ending with a city with the suffix nakuiw' (nagara). Meanwhile, D.K. Wyatt said Tambralinga was the vassal of the Pagan Kingdom from 1130–1176, with the agreement of the King of Sri Lanka. This quarrel would continue and be the cause of the invasion of Sri Lanka in 1247 by Chandrabhanu, whose lineage was believed to have moved from the north. The relationships between Tambralinga and the Tai leaders in the north of the Kra Isthmus was speculated to have begun during the reign of Chandrabhanu I, In 1244, King Chandrabhanu invaded Sri Lanka, adopting the regnal name 'Srīdḥarmarāja' and installing himself as the king of Jaffna. This era ended with the losses of Tambralinga in the 1247–1270 Tambralinga–Sri Lanka Wars. Several local legends said the Padmavamsa clan ended due to the plague. In 1365 Majapahit, the Kingdom of Java, recognized Nakorn Sri Dharmaraja as Dharmanagari written in the Nagarakretagama. Despite its rapid rise to prominence in the 13th century, that is, by the following century Danmaling, or Tambralinga, the former member state of Sanfoshih – Javaka, had become a part of Siam (Ayutthaya Kingdom). ==Warfare==

925–927 Tambralinga–Lavo–Haripuñjaya wars In the early 10th century, battles between the two Mon mandalas of Lavo and Haripuñjaya happened several times. Due to losing Lavo, both Mon kings rallied up north to occupy Haripuñjaya, but King Rathasatkara eventually lost the city to Lavo's king. After failing to retake Haripuñjaya, King Rathasatkara moved south to settle in Phraek Si Racha (present-day in Sankhaburi district). He then attempted to seize another northern city, Nakaburi (นาคบุรี), but also failed. Several battles between Haripuñjaya and Lavo happened since then. Kampoch was married to a Khmer princess who had fled an Angkorian dynastic bloodbath. who also shared a political relation with Tambralinga kingdom. 1002–1010 Tambralinga–Ankorian–Lavo Wars Cœdès suggests that Sujita, who was the king of Tambralinga, won over Udayadityavarman I of Angkor in 1003 and enthroned as Jayavirahvarman. Suryavarman I was believed to be Kambojaraja, a son of Sujita and an Angkorian princess. After learning of Suryavarman's alliance with Rajendra Chola, Tambralinga requested aid from the Srivijaya king, Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman. This eventually led to the Chola Empire coming into conflict with Srivijaya. The conflict ended with a victory for the Chola and heavy losses for Tambralinga and Srivijaya with the capture of Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman in the Chola raid in 1025. However, the Malay Annals were compiled several centuries after the events they describe, and the Chola Empire did not establish direct rule over Southeast Asia though they might have levied a periodic tribute. 1247–1270 Tambralinga–Sri Lanka Wars According to the inscription No. 24 found at Hua-wieng temple in Chaiya near Nakhon Si Thammarat, the ruler of Tambralinga named Chandrabhanu Sridhamaraja was the king of Padmavamsa (Lotus dynasty). He began his reign in 1230, he had the Phra Borommathat (chedi in Nakhon Si Thammarat, from Sanskrit dhatu - element, component, or relic + garbha - storehouse or repository) reparation and celebration in the same year. Chandrabhanu Sridhamaraja brought Tambralinga to the pinnacle of its power in the mid-13th century. From the Sri Lankan and Tamil materials, records, and sources, Chandrabhanu was a Savakan king from Tambralinga who had invaded Sri Lanka in 1247. His navy launched an assault on the southern part of the island but was defeated by the Sri Lankan king. However Chandrabhanu was able to establish an independent regime in the north of the island over the Jaffna kingdom, but in 1258 he was attacked and subjugated by the Tamil Emperor Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan. He was compelled to pay a tribute of precious jewels and elephants to the Pandya dynasty. In 1262 Chandrabhanu launched another attack on the south of the island, his army strengthened this time by the addition of Tamil and Sinhalese forces, only to be defeated when Pandya sided with the Sri Lankan side; this time Jatarvarman Sundara Pandyan's brother Jatavarman Veera Pandyan intervened and Chandrabhanu himself was killed in the fighting. Chandrabhanu's son Savakanmaindan inherited the throne and submitted to Veera Pandyan's rule, received rewards and retained control over the northern kingdom. His regime too had disappeared following Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I's ascension to the Pandya empire's throne and another invasion of the island by the army of the Pandya dynasty in the late 1270s. Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I installed his minister in charge of the invasion, Kulasekara Cinkaiariyan, an Aryachakravarti as the new king of Jaffna. In at least two senses, the rapid expansion of Tambralinga is exceptional in the history of Southeast Asia. In the first place, Candrabhanu's invasion of Sri Lanka and occupation of the Jaffna kingdom marks the only time that a Southeast Asian power has launched an overseas military expedition beyond the immediate Southeast Asian region. In the second place, in the historiography of Southeast Asia, southern Thailand has generally played a secondary role to that of places like Java, Sumatra, the Malacca Strait region (Srivijaya in the seventh~eighth century, Melaka in the 15th century), Cambodia, Champa, Vietnam, and Burma. Tambralinga's sudden appearance on centre-stage in the 13th century was thus highly unusual. ==List of rulers==

Early mandalas era: 5th – 11th centuries CE Information regarding Tambralinga's king during this era is scattered and largely based on local legends. Except for Sujita who was mentioned in some chronicles. This era ended with heavy losses for Tambralinga in the 1025–1026 Tambralinga/Srivijiya–Ankorian/Chola Wars. Padmavamsa clan: 12th – mid 13th centuries Transitional era: late 13th century == Heritage and restoration ==

The city chronicle mentions a fortification when the town was refounded in 1278. The Ram Khamhaeng inscription of 1283 lists Nakhon Si Thammarat as one of the tributary kingdoms of Sukhothai. In the Old Javanese Desawarnana document of 1365, the Majapahit kingdom also recognised Nakhon Si Thammarat as belonging to Siam. In the Palatinate Law of King Trailok dated 1468, Nakhon Si Thammarat was listed as one of eight great cities (Phraya maha nakhon) belonging to the Ayutthaya Kingdom. During the reign of King Naresuan (r. 1590–1605) it became a first class province (Mueang Ek). Restorations were recorded at the time of King Ramesuan (1388–1395), as well as King Narai (1656–1688) of Ayutthaya. The latter one was supported by the French engineer M. de la Mare. The walls of the town spread 456 meters from east to west, and 2,238 meters north to south, thus enclosing an area of about one square kilometre. The northern wall had only one gate, called Pratu Chai Nuea or Pratu Chai Sak, while the southern wall also had only one gate. To the east there were three gates, which connected the town with the sea. To the west were five gates. Today only the northern gate still exists, together with a short stretch of the northern city wall. ==See also==