The Pearl of Asia/Chapter 32

by Jacob T. Child

Scene on the Canal.

XXXII.
Brief synopsis of Siamese history.—A translation.

The history commences with a Laos king who reigned in Chieng-rai, at that time the capital of the kingdom. The neighboring king of Sa-tawng invaded his country and took the capital and carried away many captives. On the capture of Chieng-rai the king with many of its inhabitants fled and took refuge within the boundaries of Siam. Crossing the river Po, they came to the ancient city of Paap then in ruins. This city and Kam-p'aang-p'et were situated on opposite sides of the river. The king being endowed with extraordinary merit, P'ra-In, assumed the form of an ascetic and presented himself before him as he was riding on his elephant. He counseled him to found his capital there, being an auspicious place, where he would be safe from all enemies. He then vanished. The king, being delighted with this apparition, said, this ascetic is assuredly P'ra-In, who has assumed this form in order to give me this advice. He therefore encamped and there he built his capital with walls, forts, gates, towers and trenches all complete. When his royal palace and dwellings for the nobles and people were completed, he called it Trei-trung, because its sight had been designated by P'ra-In. In this city he and his descendants reigned for four generations.

At that time there was a very poor man, whose whole body was covered with tumors, on which account he was called Nai Saan Pom, or the man of a hundred thousand tumors. This man had a small garden on the river's bank a day's journey south of the city in which he cultivated egg-plant, pepper and other vegetables as a means of subsistence. One of these egg-plants, standing near his house, was watered daily from his own person, it therefore bore fruit of extraordinary size and beauty. The king's daughter, at that time desiring some egg-plant, sent her maids to buy some. Attracted by the beauty of these large ones offered for sale by Nai Saan Pom, she purchased them. She carried them to her mistress, who partook of them, and was consequently found to be pregnant. When her father became aware of it, he made inquiry, but could not learn that she had in anyway violated her chastity. At the end of ten months she brought forth a son perfect in all parts and distinguished for his great beauty. All the royal family aided in nonrishing the child till it was three years old. Its royal grandfather then thought that he would then endeavor to discover by divination its father. He made a proclamation commanding all the males of the city to assemble in the grounds of the royal palace, each person being required to bring with him some article of food. He then commanded the nurse to bring the child forth, with a prayer that if his father were present the child might be guided to him and eat whatever he had in his hand. Passing by the inviting portion in the hands of the rich and the great, he made his way straight to Nai Saan Pom who had only a lump of cold rice. Embracing him round his neck, he took this and ate it, to the great astonishment and indignation of all present. A feeling of shame predominated in the breast of the king; he, therefore, gave both his daughter and her child to Nai Saan Pom, and had her put on a raft to be floated out of the city. When they arrived at the garden of Nai Saan Pom, he led them up into his hut. In consequence of the great merit of these three persons, P'ra-In assumed the form of a monkey, and presented to Nai Saan Pom a celestial drum. At the same time he told him that he had only to strike that drum and whatever he desired should be immediately granted. The monkey then vanished from his sight. Knowing that it was the gift of a celestial being, he was greatly delighted, and instantly struck it with the desire that he might become beautiful in form and handsome in appearance. His tumors all immediately vanished and he became distinguished for his extraordinary beauty. He brought the drum to his house, and told his wife all that had happened. She was much rejoiced and struck it again, desiring that they might receive gold of the first quality sufficient to make a cradle for their boy⟨.⟩ No sooner done, than the gold was theirs and from that circumstance the boy received the name of P'ra-Chow-oo-t'awng⟨.⟩

In the year 681 Siamese era, or about A.D. 1320, the father of Chow-oo-t'awng again struck the drum and a large splendid capital sprung in to existence with walls forts, towers, gates and trenches all complete, together with a royal palace. He called the city T'ep-na-k'awn because it was accomplished by the power of the t'ewa-da. The people then encouraged each other to take up their abode there, so that it was soon filled with a large population and the father of Chow-oo-t'awng, whose fame reached to Siam, reigned there under the title of Somdet P'ra-Chow-see-ch'ei Ch'ieng Saan. He was a prince of distinguished merit and great power. He reigned twenty-five years, and died in the year 706 = A.D. 1346. At his death the celestial drum also disappeared. He was succeeded the same year by his son—

P'ra Chow Oo-T'awng. He made a great burning for his father's remains, and reigned in T'ep-na-k'awn, his father's capital, six years. Desiring to found a new one, he sent his officers to search for a place where fish of every kind was abundant. Coming south they found such a place and reported it to the king. He came down to it with all his people. They pitched their tents in a place called Weeang-lek, and immediately commenced leveling the ground, and preparing materials for building a new walled capital, which he called Kroong t'ep'a-maha-nak'awn bawawn t'a-wa-ra wadee see-a-yoot'aya ma-ha-dilok-p'op nop'a-archa'a-t'anee booree-rom oodom rach'a-ni-wet maha sat'an—alias Ayuthia.

While building the city in the year 712 on Friday the 6th day of the fifth waxing moon, at nine minutes past nine in the morning, they found under a mulberry tree a shell whose spiral whorl is sinistral or from right to left. Regarding that as an auspicious omen, he caused three royal audience chambers to be erected on that spot. P'ra-Chow oo-T'awng began to reign at the age of thirty-seven under the title—

I. Somdet P'ra Rama T'ibawdee the 1st. He appointed his queen's elder brother governor of Soop'-an-booree, under the title of Somdet P'ra Bawroma-Rach'a-T'irat, and made his own son P'ra Rame-sooan governor of Lop booree. There were at that time six-teen provincial cities tributary to Siam, viz.: Malaka, Ch'awa, Tanow-see, Tawai, Maw:-tama; Maw:-lam lo'ng, Nak'awn-see-t'ama-rat, Songk'la, Chant'a-booree⟨,⟩ P'ra-p'itsa-noolok, Sook'ot'ei, P'ich'ei, Sawank'alok, Kamp'aang-p'et⟨,⟩ P'ichit, Nak'awn-sawan.

The king built two temples during his reign. He also sent his son on. an expedition against Cambodia, Somdet P'ra Bawroma-Rach'a-T'irat leading the reserve force. They conquered the capital of Cambodia and brought back a great many captives to Ayuthia. This Somdet P'ra Rama-T'ibawdee, the first king who reigned in Ayuthia, died in the year 731 or A.D. 1370 in the 56th year of his age and the 20th of his reign, the projenitor of the Siamese monarchs, and was succeeded by four dynasties, embracing thirty-nine kings, the present dynasty representing five kings. The three first dynasties reigned in Ayuthia, which was captured and destroyed in the year of 1767, after a three-year siege, they having been the monarchs of Siam for a period of four hundred and seventeen years. After the Burmese had sacked the capital and taken off thousands of the people prisoners a Siamese General, P'ra yah Lohk-Sin, of great celebrity, rallied the Siamese under him at T'onaburee and after a number of hard-fought battles, drove the invaders back and laid the foundation of Bangkok, since then the capital. He founded the present fourth dynasty, and after a reign of twenty-seven years was succeeded by his son P'ra P'utt'a Lo't-lah, who reigned fifteen years, and was succeeded by his son P'rabaht Somdetch P'raNang Klow, who reigned twenty-seven years, then his son P'ra baht Somdetch P'ra Paramendr Maha-mongkut, who reigned seventeen years and was succeeded by His Majesty King Chulalongkorn.