Siamese Missions to Ceylon
in the 18th Century.
In the Journal Asiatique X vol. VIII., page 533, Professor Lorgeou has described a Siamese MS. having reference to two religious Missions which were sent to Ceylon from Siam in the middle of the 18th Century. The MS. as far as can be ascertained up to now is unique, and from the description Professor Lorgeou gives of it, it appears both as regards style and contents to be the work of a scholar. It is therefore sincerely to be hoped that the MS. will be published in full, together with the MSS. kept in the Colombo Museum Library, Colombo, dealing with these Missions, viz:—
"Siyam Sandesa," Religious letters in Pali written to the King of Siam by the Buddhist Priesthood in Ceylon, 1746, and the "Syamopasampadavata," an account of the embassies to Siam and the introduction of Siamese ordination of Buddhist monks in. Ceylon.
The history of the Mission of Phra Ubali to Ceylon was published in Siamese in the Vajirañāna Magazine, Nos. 11, 12, 13.
It is, however, incomplete. The Phougsavadan as at present published only contains reference to the Mission in the summary where it is stated that:— "In the Chulasakaraj 1115, the year of the cock, the fifth of the decade (A.D. 1753), the King of Ceylon deputed an Ambassador and his suite with a Royal letter, in which the King asked that priests might be sent to establish the Buddhist religion in Ceylon. His Majesty was then pleased to invite Phra Ubali and Phra Ariyamuni with twelve priests to proceed to Ceylon with these Ambassadors." (1.)
[ 23 ]
