Chamadevi

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Prasat - Hariphunchai style chedi at Wat Chamathewi, Lamphun

Cāmadevī ( Pali ; Thai พระนาง จาม เทวี , Phra Nang Chamathewi ; 7th to 8th or early 9th century AD) is a historical ruler of Hariphunchai , a Mon empire in what is now northern Thailand that belongs to the Dvaravati culture . Numerous legends are woven around them. Among other things, she is the main character of Cāmadevīvaṃsa , written in Pali , a work by the monk Mahāthera Bodhiraṃsi from Chiang Mai in the 15th century.

Legend

Historical

Cāmadevī originally came from Lavo, today's Lop Buri . Her father was the local Mon ruler and sent her north to bring civilization and Buddhism to the area there. We know relatively little about the historical person, but the legend is all the more vivid - and even today Cāmadevī has a special place in the traditional culture of the north.

Foundling and youth

The Chronicles of the North, especially the Kon-Gesang, often associated with the Queen, tell us that as a newborn she was found by a hermit in a giant lotus flower . He raised her, protected her, and provided for her training before sending her to Lop Buri, where she was accepted by the king, who saw to it that her training was completed. Whether she married one of his sons remains unclear, but in any case she became pregnant. And the king may have sent her north because she had become pregnant while unmarried.

She is also said to have stepped over a burning lamp in front of a Buddha statue in the temple, and was cursed for this unforgivable sin. According to legend, she then had a pronounced body odor, which was perceived from long distances. On the way north, she is said to have bathed in the river, whereupon the water stank so badly that the vultures gathered on the bank and believed they found a dead elephant in the water.

Establishment of Hariphunchai

Later Cāmadevī returned with a large entourage on the Mae Nam Chao Phraya and the Mae Nam Ping to the home of their first foster father, who in the meantime had miraculously built a city for them, Hariphunchai . Shortly after their arrival, she gave birth to twins who ensured her succession. This was very favorable, because legend has it that some Mon in the area were not particularly well-disposed towards her. In particular, the ruler of the Lawa , who settled near Doi Suthep , King Luang Viranga, felt repulsed when she rejected his marriage proposal or at least held it up for a while with an answer.

Viranga

But then she had to submit to military conditions and agreed on a wager with Viranga: If he could throw a spear from Doi Suthep into her walled city, she would give him her hand. This was a great challenge in that the summit of Doi Suthep was more than 20 km away from Hariphunchai.

According to legend, Viranga threw his spear just before the walls of the city, which in turn alarmed the queen extremely. Fearing that he might succeed, she sent him a Danaer present in the form of a hat made from her undergarment stained with menstrual blood. Viranga was delighted with the gift, showing the appreciation the Queen showed him and putting on her hat.

The second litter hit the ground not far from his feet. Viranga now recognized the true nature of the gift, which he had taken to be a compliment: it was an illusion and robbed him of all his strength. He was deeply disappointed and desperate.

Viranga set the third throw with his spear vertically in the air, the spear fell back to the ground and hit him fatally in the chest. Even so, Viranga is still a respected character in folk lore today and appears in some of the most important ceremonies.

queen

Cāmadevī survived and saw her city grow and its sphere of influence increased.

effect

Today there is a Wat Chamathewi in Lamphun named after the queen .

In some ceremonies in the north, Cāmadevī is portrayed as a highly revered person.

Web links

literature

  • Andrew Forbes, David Henley: Khon Muang. People and principalities of North Thailand. Teak House Books, Bangkok / Chiang Mai 1997. Chapter “The Legend of Queen Chamadevi”, p. 17 ff.
  • Donald K. Swearer, Sommai Premchit: The Legend of Queen Cāma. Bodhiraṃsi's Cāmadevīvaṃsa , a Translation and Commentary. State University of New York Press, Albany NY 1998. ISBN 0-7914-3775-2
  • Donald K. Swearer et al. a .: Sacred Mountains of Northern Thailand . Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai 2004, ISBN 974-9575-48-2 (legends about the sacred mountains of northern Thailand, including the complete Cāmadevī legend)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Robert L. Brown: The Dvāravatī Wheels of the Law and the Indianization of South East Asia. EJ Brill, Leiden 1996, p. 62.
  2. ^ Ashley South: Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma. The Golden Sheldrake. Routledge, Abingdon / New York 2003, p. 58.
  3. ↑ Swearer, Sommai: The Legend of Queen Cāma. 1998.
  4. ^ Geoff Wade: Southeast Asian Historical Writing. In: The Oxford History of Historical Writing. Volume 3: 1400-1800. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2012, p. 130.
personal data
SURNAME Chamadevi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cāmadevī; พระนาง จาม เทวี (Thai); Phra Nang Chamathewi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ruler of Hariphunchai
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century or 8th century
DATE OF DEATH 8th century or 9th century