Phayu (, ''Phāyu'': ) was a monarch of

Lan Na The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The cultural developmen ...

who reigned from 1336 to 1355, ruling for 19 years. He was the son of Khamfu and was originally known as ''Chao'' Phayu. He ascended the throne following the death of his father, who, according to legend, died after being bitten by a ''

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

'' or a

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

. According to the ''Sip-Ha Rajawong Chronicle'', the account of his accession is recorded as follows: ''"''At that time, ''Chao Pho Thao'' Phayu was 28 years old. All the ministers and royal officials held a coronation ceremony and made him ''Phraya in Chiang Mai'' in the year of the Chicken, the 707th year of the

Chula Sakarat Chula Sakarat or Chulasakarat (; , ; , ; , , , abbrv. จ.ศ. ''Choso'') is a lunisolar calendar derived from the Burmese calendar, whose variants were in use by most mainland Southeast Asian kingdoms down to the late 19th century. The calendar is ...

สมหมาย เปรมจิตต์. (2540). ตำนานสิบห้าราชวงศ์ ฉบับชำระ . เชียงใหม่ : สถาบันวิจัยสังคม มหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่." After ascending the throne, he relocated the capital from

Chiang Saen Chiang Saen () is an old city in Northern Thailand. Chiang Saen is the capital of the Chiang Saen district, which lies in the north of the Chiang Rai province. Geography Chiang Saen is located in the northernmost tip of Thailand. The provincia ...

, where his father had moved it, back to

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

. According to tradition, Phayu was a righteous ruler who upheld the

Dasavidha-rājadhamma Dasavidha-rājadhamma ("tenfold virtue of the ruler") is one of the Buddhist dhamma that rulers of people, organisations, companies, offices, countries or other organs are purposed to hold. It could be found in Sutta, Khuddakanikāya, Jātaka, s ...

. His reign was marked by peace and prosperity, and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

flourished under his rule. He died in 1355 at the age of 57. The ministers then unanimously invited ''Thao''

Kue Na Kue Na (; ), Dhammikaraja (), or Song Saen Na Dhammikaraja () was the 6th monarch of the Mangrai Dynasty. He reigned from 1355 to 1385. He was the son of Pha Yu and Chitradevi. Kuena was deeply devoted to Buddhism. He invited Phra Sumanathera fr ...

, his son, who had been governing

, to succeed him as king.

References

{{Monarchs of Thailand Monarchs of Lan Na Mangrai dynasty Thai monarchs Tai history 14th-century monarchs in Asia 1298 births 1355 deaths