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Chen Li Fu

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Chên Li Fu Kingdom
4th – early 13th centuries
Political entities in mainland Southeast Asia in 1180 CE after the decline of Dvaravati
Political entities in mainland Southeast Asia in 1180 CE after the decline of Dvaravati
CapitalMueang Uthong
Common languages
Religion
Theravada Buddhism
GovernmentKingdom
Monarch 
• 1180–1205
Fang-hui-chih
• 1205–1225
Mahīđharavarman
Historical eraPost-classical era
• Establishment
Unknown
• First sent tribute to China
1200
• Formation of Ayutthaya
1351
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Dvaravati
Chin Lin
Suphannabhum
Ayutthaya

Chên Li Fu (Chinese: 真里富) was a political entity located on the north shore of the Gulf of Siam, west of Chenla.[1]: 1 [2] It centered at the ancient Mueang Uthong.[1]: 20  The area encompassed the western Chao Phraya Basin and present-day Phetchaburi province of Thailand,[1]: 12  bordering Po-Ssu-lan to the southeast and Tambralinga to the south.[1]: 12 [2] Chên Li Fu sent tribute to the Chinese court in 1200 and 1205. Later, the region was merged into the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 14th century.[1]: 13 

Chên Li Fu was supposed to be one of the main polities under the Dvaravati civilization, together with the Lavo Kingdom in the eastern basin.[1]: 20 

Location

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O. W. Wolters suggests Chên Li Fu was potentially located on the east coast of the Gulf of Siam in Chanthabun area or in the Mae Klong Valley or both.[1]: 13  For phonological reasons, Gerini stated emphatically that Chên Li Fu represented Candanapura or Chanthabun. Friedrich Hirth, W.W. Rockhill, and L.P. Briggs also accepted the identification, but George Cœdès cautiously describes it as being on the Gulf of Siam.[1]: 13  Wolters contended this identification since the location of Chanthabun is sufficiently close to Angkor to make it unlikely that the Khmers lost control of it at that time.[1]: 14 

Wolters proposes that its center was at Mueang Uthong.[1]: 20  If that is so, according to the archaeological found in Mueang Uthong, the kingdom might have existed since 300–600 CE.[3]: 300, 302, 306–307  Nevertheless, Paul Wheatley posited that the site in question was the city-state of Chin Lin, the kingdom King Fan Man of Funan endeavored to annex during the 4th century.[4]

History

[edit]

Chên Li Fu was mentioned in the Chinese text Sung Hui Yao Kao in 1200–1205.[1]: 1  Its exact period of establishment is unclear. The Sung Hui Yao Kao says it is located in the southwestern corner, bordered by Po-Ssu-lan to the southeast and Teng-liu-mei (登流眉, Tambralinga) to the southwest. It is five days far by sea travel to Po-Ssu-lan and takes another day to reach Chenla.[1]: 2  It was the only trading center in the north of the gulf visited by Chinese ships at that time. The capital was situated inland and connected to the sea through the river. It takes 80 days of sea journey to reach Qingyuan of the Song.[1]: 9 

In the early 13th century, the Chinese Sung court was no longer receiving envoys from Southeast Asian kingdoms and was discouraging them and their trading. Still, Chinese merchant ships were trading with Chên Li Fu during this period.[1]: 6  On 23 September 1200, 20 years after his establishment of 立, the King of Chên Li Fu named Mo-lo-pa-kan-wu-ting-ên-ssŭ-li-fang-hui-chih (Kamrateng Sri Fang-hui-chih) sent senior palace officials to present a memorial for the Chinese court. The present included a gold-engraved scroll with the king's handwriting in black script, two elephants, and several local products.[1]: 3  Due to the far distance, Chên Li Fu was informed by the Chinese emperor not to send any tribute.[1]: 6 

According to the regnal name of its king who used the Khmer title of Kamrateng, Chên Li Fu was regarded as a vassal of Khmer before sending envoys to the Chinese court in 1200, which was the year Khmer fell under Champa. After that Khmer declined in power and the Menam Valley was dominated by Siamese people. Chên Li Fu then broke away.[1]: 6–7  However, archaeological evidence indicates that Mueang Uthong was possibly abandoned around the 11th century, thus escaping from the Khmer influence that came to the most significant power in the 12th century during the reign of the Khmer king, Jayavarman VII.[5] O. W. Wolters suggests Chên Li Fu was potentially an independent polity in the 13th century,[1]: 13  which is consistent with the contemporary Pali chronicle Yonok [th] says Khmer influences have waned from the Menam Valley since 1052 when it lost control over Lavapura of the Lavo Kingdom to Suphannabhum princes from Haripuñjaya.[6]: 532  Several Xiān polities, mentioned by the number of Chinese and Đại Việt texts, have emerged in the area, such as Ayodhya,[7]: 37–42  which has existed since the 1080s.[8]

In 1205, another ruler, Mahīđharavarman, sent an embassy to China.[1]: 16 

Social and economy

[edit]

Chên Li Fu consisted of more than 60 settlements.[1]: 1, 11  Each has its administrator. The chief officials only use silver utensils and their tents are of flowered silk. The people tend to follow the law of the Buddha. When there is a dispute about grievances among them, (the parties) proceed to the Temple of the God of Potent Magic and drink the water of the Buddha in front of each other. He who remains at ease is considered to be telling the truth, while he who shows distress is considered to be lying.[1]: 2 

Its resources are ivory, rhinoceros horn, local beeswax, lakawood, foreign oil, coarse perfumes, cardamons, and ebony wood.[1]: 1  The people are fond of dark red ganze and pottery, which are commodities that Chinese ships bring to them for commerce. For trade dealings in clothing and food, they use pieces of lead.[1]: 2 

There seems to be no evidence to indicate the ethnic identity of the population. There must have been many Mons in the area. In the 16th century Tomé Pires, writing about Ayutthaya, regarded the population of 'Siam' as similar to that of Pegu in the Hanthawaddy Kingdom:[1]: 15 

The people, and almost the language, are like those of Pegu... They are tall swarthy men, shorn like those of Pegu.

Rulers

[edit]

The rulers of Chên Li Fu were called by the Chinese Zhǔ (主, lit. 'chief'), not Wáng (王; lit. 'king').[1]: 11  They lived in a palace resembling a Buddhist temple. All of the king's utensils are of gold. The tents are made of Chinese red floss silk.[1]: 1  He wears white clothes as his privilege. His curtains are of white gauze interwoven with gold. When his officials come to court, they bow their heads and clasp their hands to salute him. The canopy over his curtains is 'dry' red. Beneath it is a madder-red one, a striped red one, and finally a green one. When (these people) use official documents they are bound together with black skin and the characters are written in white powder.

The copper plate dating from the 6th–mid 7th centuries found at U Thong also mentions King Harshavarman (หรรษวรมัน), who was assumed by Jean Boisselier to be one of the kings of Dvaravati, while George Cœdès considered the plate was brought from the Khmer Empire, and the name mentioned might be the Khmer king as well.[9] However, the periods seem unrelated since King Harshavarman I of Khmer reigned from 910 to 923, 200 years after the inscription's date,[10][11] and Harshavarman I's grandfather was Indravarman I,[12][13][14] not Isanavarman as mentioned in the inscription.[9]

List of rulers
  • Isanavarman
  • Unknown, son of the previous.
  • Harshavarman (r. mid 6th century), son of the previous.
  • Fang-hui-chih (r. 1180–1205)
  • Mahīđharavarman (r. 1205–1225)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z O. W. Wolters (1960). "Chên Li Fu: A State On The Gulf Of Siam at the Beginning of the 14th Century". The Journal of the Siam Society. XLVIII.
  2. ^ a b "宋與真里富、登流眉、蒲甘等國之關係" [The relationship between Song dynasty and the states of Chên Li Fu, Tambralinga, and Bagan] (in Chinese). Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  3. ^ Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., ISBN 9786167339443
  4. ^ "อู่ทอง ที่รอการฟื้นคืน" (in Thai). Thai Rath. 16 August 2015. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  5. ^ H. R. H. Prince Damrong (1904). "The Foundation of Ayuthia" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society. 1.0. Siam Heritage Trust. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Yonok Chronicle" (PDF) (in Thai). 1936. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  7. ^ Yoneo Ishii (2004). "Exploring a New Approach to Early Thai History" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society. 92: 37–42. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-15.
  8. ^ สุจิตต์ วงษ์เทศ (21 April 2023). "พงศาวดารอโยธยาศรีรามเทพนคร ฉบับ มานิต วัลลิโภดม : อโยธยา เก่าแก่กว่าสุโขทัย ต้นกำเนิดอยุธยา ต้นแบบรัตนโกสินทร์". www.silpa-mag.com (in Thai). Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  9. ^ a b "จารึกแผ่นทองแดง" (PDF). finearts.go.th (in Thai). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Book Review: Voices from S-21" Archived 2008-10-12 at the Wayback Machine. The American Historical Review (October 2002).
  11. ^ SBS French program. Special Broadcasting Service (December 10, 2007).
  12. ^ Bhattacharya, Kamaleswar (2009). A Selection of Sanskrit Inscriptions from Cambodia. In collaboration with Karl-Heinz Golzio. Center for Khmer Studies.
  13. ^ Some Aspects of Asian History and Culture by Upendra Thakur. Page 37.
  14. ^ Saveros, Pou (2002). Nouvelles inscriptions du Cambodge (in French). Vol. Tome II et III. Paris: EFEO. ISBN 2-85539-617-4.
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