Chaophraya Thiphakorawong (born Kham Bunnag (; ); 1 October 1813–1870) was a Thai aristocrat, government official, and scholar.
Family
Kham Bunnag was born in 1813 into the powerful
Bunnag family
The Bunnag Family or House of Bunnag (; ) is a Siamese noble family of Mon people, Mon-Persian people, Persian descent influential during the late Ayutthaya kingdom and early Rattanakosin period. The family was favored by Chakri dynasty, Chakri mo ...
, a powerful Thai noble family of
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
ancestry.
[Bentiage, Bjorn, Eggert, Marion, Kramer, Hans-Martin, and Reichmuth, Stefanbr>"Religious Dynamics Under the Impacts of Imperialism and Colonialism: A Sourcebook"]
pp.63-4 His father,
Tish Bunnag, was a kinsman of the royal family who later served as regent for King
Mongkut
Mongkut (18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV. He reigned from 1851 until his death in 1868.
The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization ini ...
(Rama IV), while his brother
Chuang Bunnag would go on to serve as regent for King
Chulalongkorn
Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...
(Rama V).
Government service
Kham Bunnag entered the service of King
Nangklao
Nangklao (born Thap; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), also known by his regnal name Rama III, was the third Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 21 July 1824 to 2 April 1851.
Nangklao was the eldest surviving ...
(Rama III), as an official in the Harbour Department. After the death of Rama III, the Bunnag family played a major role in selecting his successor. Kham's strong support for Mongkut earned him a role as Minister of State in 1853, Minister of the Treasury in 1855, and the title of Thiphakorawong in 1865.
Scholarship
After ill health led to his retirement from public life in 1867, Thipakorawong spent the remainder of his life writing on history and religion.
In 1867, he wrote his most famous work, ''Nangsue Sadaeng Kitchanukit'' ("A Book on Various Things").
[Bentiage](_blank)
pp. 67-69 Thipakorawong was commissioned by Chulalongkorn to write the history of the first four reigns of the
Chakri dynasty
The Chakri dynasty is the current reigning dynasty of the Thailand, Kingdom of Thailand. The head of the house is the Monarchy of Thailand, king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Rattanakosin era and ...
, which he completed before his death in 1870. Though the history was complete by 1870, the section on the reign of Rama III was not published until 1934, due to a controversial section detailing a powerful prince's homosexual inclinations.
[Reyes, Raquel A. G., Clarence-Smith, William G]
"Sexual Diversity in Asia, c. 600 - 1950"
pp. 92-93 Thipakorawong's historical works were often edited, particularly by
Prince Damrong, to remove items that were considered scandalous or critical of the early monarchs.
The Nangsue Sadaeng Kitchanukit
Thipakorawong's Nangsue Sadaeng Kitchanukit was a groundbreaking work, said to be both the first science textbook in Thai and the first Thai book to be printed without the assistance of Westerners.
In this work, Thipakorawong argued against the literal truth of much traditional
Buddhist cosmology
Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the Universe according to Buddhist Tripitaka, scriptures and Atthakatha, commentaries.
It consists of a temporal and a spatial cosmology. The temporal cosmology describes the ...
(said to be contaminated by
Brahmanism
The historical Vedic religion, also called Vedism or Brahmanism, and sometimes ancient Hinduism or Vedic Hinduism, constituted the religious ideas and practices prevalent amongst some of the Indo-Aryan peoples of the northwest Indian subcontin ...
), while also attesting to the truth of Buddhist spiritual doctrines and the compatibility of modern science with Buddhism.
[Winichakul, Thongcha]
"Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation"
pp. 42-44 He spent much of the book detailing how
karma
Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
,
reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...
, and
merit
Merit may refer to:
Religion
* Merit (Buddhism)
* Merit (Christianity)
Companies and brands
* Merit (cigarette), a brand of cigarettes
* Merit Energy Company, an international energy company
* Merit Motion Pictures, an independent documentar ...
account for differences in social orders. While not necessarily derived from Mongkut's reforming views, it was clearly complementary to them.
[Piker, Steve]
"The Psychological Study of Theravada Societies"
pp. 18-19
The Nangsue Sadaeng Kitchanukit was translated into English by
Henry Alabaster
Henry Alabaster (22 May 1836 – 9 August 1884) was a British-born diplomat who became an advisor to King Chulalongkorn of Siam.
Early life and family
Henry Alabaster was born in 1836, the son of James Chaloner Alabaster and Harriet Woodman. Hi ...
, an advisor to Chulalongkorn. Alabaster published his translation as the first part of his "The Wheel of the Law" in 1871. While generally regarded as a faithful translation, Alabaster's version omits many sections of Thipakorawong's work, including a defense of polygamy, and also includes his own commentary.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thiphakorawong, Chaophraya
1813 births
1870 deaths
Bunnag family
Thai people of Iranian descent
19th-century Thai historians
Chaophraya