Ayojjhapura

Ayodhyapura or Ayojjhapura ( or ) was an ancient settlement in central Thailand. It existed before the 14th century and is mentioned in the or ''The Chronicle of the Emerald Buddha'' written in Pali by Brahmarājaprajña in the 15th century and in another Pali chronicle Jinakalamali. Modern scholars suggest ''Ayodhyapura'' was potentially Si Thep, the early center of the Dvaravati civilization, which flourished from the 6th to 11th century. In contrast, some say it was the city in present-day North Thailand, but its exact location is unknown.

Ayodhyapura potentially began to decline in the mid-10th century as the Khmer inscription dating to 946 mentioned the Angkorian king Rajendravarman II won over Rāmaññadesa (country of the Mon) and Champa. He later assigned his lineage, Vap Upendra, as the governor of Rāmaññadesa in 949. Earlier, the mentions a battle between Ayodhyapura led by Adītaraj and Yaśodharapura over the Emerald Buddha in the late 9th or early 10th centuries. However, the conflict between these two polities may exist long before, as Woodward stated Jayavarman II, who established Kambujadesa and relocated the capital northward to Yaśodharapura in the mid 9th century, probably formed an ally with the city-states in the Mun-Chi river basin, including Wen Dan, to counter Si Thep's strength in the Pa Sak River basin in the west.

Ayodhyapura was left abandoned around the 13th century. Many Thai scholars believe that climatic change and epidemics contributed to Ayodhyapura's downfall. The inhabitants subsequently sought refuge in Lavo's Lavapura (Luó hú) and Ayodhya (Xiān), both of which later merged into the Ayutthaya Kingdom (Xiānluó hú; ) in the 14th century.

During the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods, Jinakalamali also referred to Ayutthaya as Ayojjhapura. Meanwhile, Burmese sometimes called Ayutthaya Dvaravati.

Location and interpretation

The text given in the , which is a mix of fact and fables with some variations to the story, states the Emerald Buddha which was brought from Pataliputra (today's Patna, India; during the reign of Tambralinga's Chandrabhanu, Ligor was also known as ''Pataliputra'') to Inthapatnakhon (, Yaśodharapura) in present-Cambodia through Lankadvipa (Sri Lanka). It was then brought to "''Ayodhyapura''" before to ''Vajiraprakarapura'' (Kamphaeng Phet), Chiang Rai and Lampang. Ayodhyapura as described in the text was ruled by the great king "Adītaraj" () and was said to be located on the north of Lavo's Lavapura.

The Jinakalamali also mentions ''Ayodhyapura'' as a big city ''Mahā-nagara'' located in ''Rāmaññadesa''. Its king who was the greatest of all kings created 5 Buddha images from the precious black stones; one was installed in ''Ayodhyapura'', one given to Lavapura, one to Thuwunnabumi, and the other two are enshrined in the far Rāmaññadesa.

As per the location given in the text, Thai scholar Pensupa Sukkata speculated that ''Ayodhyapura'' is potentially the present- Si Thep. Haripuñjaya Study scholar, Akrin Phongphanthacha, agrees with the mentioned theory and additionally asserts that:

Notes

References

{{Dvaravati Historical Sites

States and territories established in the 4th century
1st millennium in Thailand