Tun Sun

Tun Sun ( zh, 頓遜) or Tian-Sun or Tien-Sun ( zh, 典遜; ) or Tu-k'un/Tou-k'ouen/Ch'u-tu-k'un (), was a group of five ancient Mon political entities, stretching from present-day lower central Thailand to the Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand and Tanintharyi Region of Myanmar. It existed from the 1st to 6th centuries CE, and was said to have stretched from the east to the west coast, controlling a vital branch of long-distance maritime trade between the India Ocean and the South China Sea. It was also one of the earliest Indianized-states in Southeast Asia.

In the late 1st century, Tun Sun once vassalized its southern neighbor, ''Gē Luó Fù Shā'' (), later known as Kamalanka), on the Kra Isthmus and Bandon Bay area, as mentioned in the . Imperially Commissioned Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Books/Collection of Geographical Maps/Border and Ethnic Groups/Volume 096 (in Chinese) Retrieved 19 May 2025. Tun Sun remained independent until it was seized and became a vassal of Funan in the 3rd century CE, at least before 245 CE. Tun Sun disappeared from history about the beginning of the 6th century CE, when new principalities of Dvaravati emerged in central Thailand. Kamalanka or ''Lang-ya-hsiu'', centered at the ancient Nakhon Pathom, was expected to be the sucessor of Tun Sun.

Roland Braddell proposed that an ancient emporium mentioned in the '' Geōgraphikē Hyphēgēsis'' of Ptolemy and the Buddhist texts, Mahāniddesa and Milinda Panha, in the 2nd–4th centuries, was one of the principalities in Tun Sun. The others four kingdoms of Tun Sun might be the vassalized ''Gē Luó Fù Shā'', as cited in the ''Guangdong Tongzhi'', and the three brothers of ''Gē Luó Shě Fēn'' (; Kamalanka), Xiū Luó Fēn, and ''Gān Bì'' (), as it was said to be situated in western Menam Valleys to the west of Dvaravati, where the three significant historical towns of the ancient Nakhon Pathom, Khu Bua, and Mueang Uthong are located.

Etymology

Since Tun Sun was partitioned among five monarchs, the etymology of the name given by the Chinese is highly relevant: the number "5" in the ancient Mon Nyah Kur language, spoken by thousands of ancient Mon Dvaravati Nyah Kur people, is pronounced ''Chuun'', while ''Duinr'' means "kingdom, country". This has been interpreted to mean that Tun Sun was a confederation of five territories. It also incidentally corresponded with the legendary state of Suvarnabhumi, claimed by Thai scholars to exist from the late 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE in modern central Thailand, which consists of five king cities in the upper Malaysian peninsula, including Suvarnabhumi (the present-day old town of Nakhon Pathom), Ratchaburi, Mueang Sing, Phetchaburi, and Tanintharyi, probably with another crown dependency, Lamphakappa Nakhon (ลัมภกัปปะนคร, present-day Lampang) in the north.

Location of Tun Sun

Even the exact location of ''Tun Sun'' remains unclear. Still, scholars suggest that it was likely on the upper Malaysian peninsula, possibly near ''Pong Tuk'' () in modern Kanchanaburi province or Phra Pathom area in the old town Nakhon Pathom in central Thailand, which was dominated by the Mon people in the respective period. The Chinese reported that Tun Sun is located more than 3,000 li from the southern frontier of Funan. Its territory covered 1,000 li in width stretching from the east to the west coast with the political center situated 50 li (25 kilometers) from the sea; thus, it should be ''Pong Tuk'' instead of the old town Nakhon Pathom, which was located near the ancient Dvaravati coast. Its border with the northern neighboring entity, Chin-lin, was ill-defined, but probably not far above the present-Mergui-Tanintharyi Region, while the south encountered the kingdom of Chü-li (Takola; speculated to be Pan Pan) near the Kra Isthmus. It bordered with Jiaozhou () to the east. Tongdian/Volume 188 (in Chinese)

Other scholars, a Singaporean Han Wai Toon and H.G.Q. Wales, on the other hand, suggests that Tun Sun might probably situated at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula near the village of Johor Lama in Johor, Malaysia, but the presupposition was rebutted by Paul Wheatley due to lacking evidence to support the ancient flourishment.

Roland Braddell proposed that Tun Sun was rather less than one-quarter of the distance from ''Chü-li'', which Braddell believed to be ''Kou-chih'' of Kole polis in present-day near Kuantan of Malaysia to Funan according to the text given in ''Lo yang chia lan chi'' about the Bodhibhadra's voyage states that Tun Sun was some thirty days' sail from Funan and eleven days northwards from ''Kou-chih''. This corresponded with a Thai scholar Ruangyot Jantrakiri () who said Tun Sun was founded in 52 CE and was situated in the present-day Na Tham sub-district (), Yala province, in deep south Thailand. However, several historians confirmed that the area mentioned by Jantrakiri was probably Chi Tu.

Politics and society

The political structure of Tun Sun is difficult to ascertain. It hosted a colony of South Asians including over 1,000 Brahmans. It was mentioned in the 3rd century CE in the ''Nan-chou I-wu Chinh,'' a Chinese in which it is noted that the people of Tun Sun practiced intermarriage with Brahmans from India who were, reportedly, very pious. Five hundred families of ''hu'' (), who were believed to be Mongol and Tartar tribes from Central Asia as well as two (hundred?) ''fo-t'u'' were also present in the country.

In contrast to Funan, the people of Tun Sun disposed of the dead by allowing birds to consume the flesh. The bone was then burned and placed in an urn, and thrown into the sea. Cremation was another common method of disposal. Tun Sun also produces perfume and body powder from more than ten kinds of flowers, which can be grown domestically throughout the year.

Although the city was most active in the 3rd century CE, Tun Sun is mentioned in the Chinese text the '' Liáng Shū'' written in the 6th century describing Tun Sun as a “''stepping-stone in the ocean,''” and “''the market where East and West meet''” –suggesting it was situated on one of the most important trade routes across the peninsula and attracting merchants from both India and China. It was visited daily by more than 10,000 merchants, with trade relationships stretching from the Gulf of Tonkin to India and Partia. The '' Liáng Shū'' relates a story of an Indian named Kaundinya visiting Tun Sun and receiving a divine message that he was to rule Funan and went on to do so. The story is the famous myth of the later Khmer Empire.

Tun Sun was partitioned among five monarchs, implying that some higher form of political organization than that of a simple tribal society. The kings of Tun Sun are called ''K'un Lun''.

Archaeological sites

* Khao Sam Kaeo (4th century BCE – 5th century CE)
* Kha Mao Yee, Kawthaung District, Myanmar
* Khu Bua (6th – 16th centuries CE)
* (est. 6th century BCE)
* (7th – 11th centuries CE)
* (8th – 10th centuries CE)
* Pong Tuk (est. 1st century CE)
* Old town Nakhon Pathom (est. 1st century CE)
** Phra Pathommachedi
** Phra Prathon Chedi
* Old town Ratchaburi (est. 4 century BCE)

Citations

Notes

References

External links

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Former countries in Thai history
Buddhism in Thailand
Buddhist culture
Mon history
Former countries in Southeast Asia
Former monarchies of Asia
Indianized kingdoms
States and territories established in the 1st century
1st millennium in Thailand
Former monarchies of Southeast Asia
States and territories disestablished in the 6th century