King Ramkhamhaeng

The controversy ovey the origin of the Thai shows no sign of abating,and     Further research is needed before we can draw any definte conclusions. What is    Beyond dispute,however,is that by the 13^th cenury. theThai had become a   Force to be reckoned with in mainland Southeast Asia,and that Thai prnces ruled over states as far apart as Lanna,Suphannaphum (Suphanburi),Nakhon Si Thammarat,and Sukhothai.

Sukhothai {13^th-15^th Centuries}

Thai state that is still regarded by   Thai historian as the “first Thai  kingdom” was Sukhotnai. There  were, in fact, other  contemporaneous Thai  states such as Lanna and Phayao,both inpresent-day northern Thailand,but the Thai historical  imagination has been most stirred  by sukhothai Even today, The evocative ruins of sukhothai and its twin city si satchanalai conjure up Images of material prosperity,artististic greatness,and Buddhist piety Indeed,

Sukhothai is remembered as much for its art and architecture as for its political

Even allowing for some hyperbole     In king Ramkhamhaeng”s inscription,   It is probably true that Sukhothai  was   Prosperous and well-governed.  Its   Economy was self- sufficient, small-scale,   and agricultural. The Thai people. Thai people”s basic

The  most  famous  and  dynamic  monarch ever  to  rule  the  Sukhothai  kingdom.  Much   of  what  we  know  adout  sukhothai  in  the 13^th  century  derives  from a 1292  stone  inscription  attributed to  king  ramkhamhaeng.  Though  problematic,  the inscription  is  considered  a  seminal  source  of  sukhothai  history,  as  well  as a  masterpiece  of  thai  literature.  It  elopuently  extois  the  benevolence  of  king  ramkhamhaeng  s  rule  the  power  and  prosperity  of  sukhothai.  The  king  was  accessible  to  his  people  for  example,  he  had  a  dell  hung  in  front  of  the  palace  gate  so  that  any  subject  with  a  grievance  could  ring  it  and  ask  for  justce:

            “king  ramkhamhaeng,  the  ruler  of  the  kingdom,  hears  the  call  he  goes  and  puestions  the  man,  examines  the  case,  and  decides  it  justly  for  him.  So  the  people  of … sukhothai  praise  him.

             According  to  the  inscription,  the  king did not levy road s or taxes on merchandise, not did he tax his subjects,  Inhrritance  at all  such a paternalistic   And  benevolent  style   of  kingship has  Caused  posteritty  to  regard  the sukhothai   Kingdom,s heyday  as a golden age in Thai  history.