Towards a History of Chanthaburi 1700-1860 (paper presented at the Internatinal Conference on Thai Studies in 1984) (original) (raw)
The significance of peninsular Siam in the Southeast Asian maritime world
2005
This thesis would not have become possible without the generous financial support of the Anandamahidol Foundation, under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty King Bhumibol of Siam. The foundation has funded me for my study at the University of Hawai'i and for my research. This academic endeavor would not have come to fruition without the patience and unending support of my thesis committee, including Drs. Miriam Stark, James Bayman, and Michael Aung-Thwin. My gratitude also goes to Drs. Leonard Andaya and Dhida Saraya who offered me valuable suggestions on the Southeast Asian maritime interaction. I would particularly like to single out Dr. Miriam Stark, my advisor, for special mentions. The advice and guidance that she has showered upon me during my time at the University of Hawai'i have not only shaped me into a better student, but also groomed me for my life ahead. I am indebted to many people and organizations in Thailand, in particular to Professor Surapol Nathapintu, the Dean of the Faculty of Archaeology of Silpakom University. I am grateful to the Fine Arts Department for making available data of the archaeological sites for this thesis, Research and Development Office of Prince of Songkhla University for the base maps in the thesis, and Walailuk University for the GPS unit used during my survey in Nakhon Si Thammarat. I would like to thank my family for cultivating my interest in archaeology and for their unconditional love. Many thanks are due to all my friends in Hawai'i and Thailand, especially to Nantiya Janchanakit for cartographic assistance, Soon Hock Kang and Koh Keng We for proofreading, Cyril Calugay for stimulating discussions, and Somjat Sukcharem for his support in my survey. Last but not least, I wish to thank Nareerat Leelachat for the everlasting help, hospitality, and encouragement that she has always given to me. Thank you very much. IV 6. The Distribution of the Earliest Vishnu and Buddha Images 67 a. The Earliest Vishnu Images in Peninsular Siam b. The Earliest Buddha Images in Peninsular Siam IV. Data Analysis and Interpretation A. Phase I: The early coastal polities (c. fifth century BC-fifth century AD) 72 1. The Application of a Dual-Processual Theory 75 2. The Application of Peer Polity Interaction B. Phase II: The Early Mandalas (c. fifth century-tenth century AD) Chapter 4: Tambralinga Case Study I. Geographical Overview II. Archaeological Database A. Archaeological Background prior to the Fifth Century AD B. The Early Historic Sites (c. fifth to tenth centuries AD) 1. Methodology 2. The Distribution of Early Historic Sites a. The Group of the Tha Khwai River 104 b. The Group of the Tha Chieo-Tha Thon Rivers 107 c. The Group of the Tha Lat River 112 d. The Group of the Maying River 114 e. The Group of the Haad Sai Keao Sand Dune 118 IV. Interpretation and Discussion 123 A. The Early Mandala of Tambralinga (c. fifth to tenth centuries AD) 123 B. The Inter-Mandala Interaction 135 Chapter 5: Summary and Conclusion Figures Bibliography v 162 164 164 165 166 Figure 43. Vishnu from Satingpra 44. The Yarang Complex 45. Peninsular Siam and Nakhon Si Thammarat 46. Geography ofNakhon Si Thammarat 47. The Nakhon Si Thammarat City and the sand dune 48. The Distribution of Early Historical Sites in Nakhon Si Thammarat 49. The inscription ofHup Khao Chong Koy 50.
Tok Takia's Legacy in Ayutthaya, Thailand: Tracing Qadriyyah Circulations through the Bay of Bengal
Studia Islamika
This article fills some of the gaps in the secondary literature about the growing Muslim presence in the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya during the mid-sixteenth century. It does so by reconstructing the arrival of Tok Takia, a miracle-working Sufi missionary who arrived from somewhere in the Indian subcontinent. The study begins with a description of the Tok Takia Complex which consists of a mosque that once was a Buddhist temple and a maqam where Tok Takia was buried in 1579 before introducing references to the former in Thai primary sources. Before dealing with details about Qadriyyah presence across the Bay of Bengal, this research reconstructs the geopolitical and commercial developments from the late fifteenth century contributing to the growth of Muslim—and specifically, Kling Muslims—presence in Ayutthaya mentioned in a range of Siamese and Portuguese primary sources. This paper presents reasons for suggesting that Tok Takia’s missionary activism was connected to the Nagore-e-S...
Studia Islamika, 2022
This article fills some of the gaps in the secondary literature about the growing Muslim presence in the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya during the mid-sixteenth century. It does so by reconstructing the arrival of Tok Takia, a miracle-working Sufi missionary who arrived from somewhere in the Indian subcontinent. The study begins with a description of the Tok Takia Complex which consists of a mosque that once was a Buddhist temple and a maqam where Tok Takia was buried in 1579, before introducing references to the former in Thai primary sources. Although we address details about Qadriyyah presence across the Bay of Bengal, we first reconstruct the geopolitical and commercial developments from the late fifteenth century contributing to the growth of Muslim—and specifically, Kling Muslim— presence in Ayutthaya mentioned in a range of Siamese and Portuguese primary sources. This paper presents reasons for suggesting that Tok Takia’s missionary activism was connected to the Nagore-e-Sharif complex in present-day Tamil Nadu.
Kingdom on the Beach Ridges: A Landscape Archaeology of Tambralinga in Peninsular Siam
Asian Perspectives, 2013
Peninsular Siam, or Southern Thailand, the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, is an isthmian tract between the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal (Fig. 1). It has been an important crossroad of civilizations since the mid-first millennium b.c. Unlike the lower part of the Malay Peninsula, which was heavily forested and almost impossible to cross, the isthmian tract was a thin ribbon with relatively narrow mountain ranges in the middle. A series of transisthmian routes comprised of rivers and walking trails provided passageways between the west and east coasts. There is significant evidence that coastal communities in peninsular Siam were part of an intraregional long-distance exchange network in maritime Southeast Asia. Local communities circulated their resources and goods prior to the integration of this region into the greater trans-Asiatic trade network. For example, a number of Dong Son bronze drums and lingling-o earrings dated to around the first half of the first millennium b.c. and emanating from coastal Viet Nam were found in peninsular Siam, indicating that an intraregional exchange network centered in peninsular Siam may have provided a key geographic focus for the emerging broader maritime trans-Asiatic trade network more than two millennia ago. Since at least the mid-first millennium b.c., a maritime trans-Asiatic trade network developed and expanded, linking vast regions of the ancient world, including, but not limited to, the Mediterranean world, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and China. This network seems to have been comprised of a number of regional but overlapping interaction spheres. The one that was most influential to communities in peninsular Siam was the sphere in the Bay of Bengal wherein the cultural connections between the isthmian tract and the east coast of India were intensified. The archaeological sites of Phukhao Thong (Chaisuwan 2011) and khao Sam keao in the northern reaches of the isthmian tract have provided evidence of possibly the earliest phase of social interactions between the two regions in the mid-first millennium b.c. (Fig. 2). These sites yielded a considerable number of semipreciousstone and glass beads, as well as ornaments, gold objects, and pottery. Some of them
(2019) The Legacy of Melaka's 15th Century Successes in 16th Century Siam
2019
main-page/conference/dr-christopher-m-joll/ The Legacy of Melaka’s 15th Century Successes in 16th Century Siam This paper seeks to respond to the perceived dearth of studies pursuing an explicitly comparative approach to Southeast Asian historiography. Before the publication of Chris Baker’s Ayutthaya Rising From Land or Sea?, there were a few examples in the secondary literature on “littoral“, and “mainland” of any engagement between Thai Studies specialists and members of the Malay Studies Guild. Although this paper seeks to build on Baker’s seminal contribution to comparative historiography vis-à-vis mainland Southeast Asia subservient to Ayutthaya, and Melaka, I ask questions about what insights into Melaka in the 15th century might be provided from an exploration of developments in the 16th. I argue that the prosperity of port cities such as Ayutthaya and Patani following 1511, confirms Melaka’s regional importance in the 15th Century. Furthermore, the presence of transcultural entrepreneurs in Siamese palaces and ports suggests Ayutthaya to have actively imitated Melaka’s highly successful cosmopolitan model. Finally, I consider case studies of how aspects of Melaka’s religious cosmopolitanism spread to Ayutthaya. These include Sufi tariqat, and Persian mercantile networks present in South Indian port cities arriving via transpeninsular portages revitalised by mercantile networks forced to establish new operational hubs.
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 1999
Locational information about moated settlements derived from examination of aerial photographs of central Thailand is used to assess the degree of regional integration and political centralization during the sixth to ninth centuries A.D. around the Bay of Bangkok. A consideration of settlement size hierarchy, rank-size distribution, and geographical location suggests that the moated settlements were integrated into a single regional economic system by the end of the time under consideration. While it is argued that the moated settlements represent remnants of administrative hierarchy, it is unclear from the current data whether a single state-level polity or a series of smaller competing polities were present. Further investigation is needed to comprehend how the inhabitants of this region, who shared a common material culture and symbolic system, conceptualized their political relationships.