AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



THEWA SATHAN, THE PLACE OF DEITIES





Thewa Sathan was an ancient Brahmin sanctuary located near the Chikun Bridge. George Coedès (1886-1869 CE), in his article "Une nouvelle inscription d'Ayuthya", referred to the sanctuary as Wat Phram, likely the same as Wat Sao Ching Cha on the 1850 CE map. [1]


"Au cours des travaux de voirie effectués en septembre 1939 dans l'île d'Ayuthaya, une pierre plate, inscrite sur ses deux faces, a été exhumée d'un tertre situé à côté du Bot Phram. Cet ancien sanctuaire brahmanique se trouve dans la partie orientale de la ville près de l'ancien pont, nommé Saphan Chi Kun, qui franchissait le khlong du même nom. – Ce site figure sous le nom de Thewasathan sur la carte d'Ayutthaya annexée à la monographie de l'ancienne capitale par Phraya Boran Rachathanin, qui forme le volume 63 de Prachum Phongsawadan." (Coedès, 1944)


Thewa Sathan, or the Place of the Deities, is mentioned in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya.


In 1601 CE, a solar eclipse occurred. On this occasion, King Naresuan (reign 1590-1605 CE) received statues of Shiva and Vishnu. After a ceremony, the statues were probably enshrined somewhere in the city. One of the Brahmin rites was the State protection ritual, in which Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, and guardian deities were invoked for the kingdom's prosperity. Eclipse rituals also existed as protective ceremonies against cosmic disorder. The Phra Kan Shrine was likely the Brahmin shrine at the time of King Naresuan.


"In 963, a year of the ox, in the single seventh month, there occurred an eclipse of the sun. In that year [statues of] Holy Isuan and Holy Narai Who are Lords were received and all four palanquins went to bestow Their holy blessings on the King simultaneously on the same day." [2]





(San Phra Kan, a former Brahmin shrine, is located in the central area of Ayutthaya. On its north stands the City Pillar or Lak Mueang – Picture taken March 2012 CE)



We read again that in 1636 CE, King Prasat Thong (reign 1629-1656 CE) had the shrine of Shiva (in Thai “Isuan”) and Vishnu (in Thai “Narai”) relocated at Chikun.

"In 998 of the era, a year of the rat, eighth of the decade, the Supreme-Holy-Lord-Omnipotent had the shrine of Holy Isuan and Holy Narai moved on up and established at Chikun." [3]

On the map of Phraya Boran Ratchathanin, drawn in 1926 CE - some 100 years ago - we find two locations with Brahman shrines, close to each other but separated by the (former) Khlong Pratu Jin, the southern extension of Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak.

The western side had three shrines and two ponds. These three shrines symbolised the Hindu Trimurti ("three forms"): Brahma, the creator Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva, the destroyer. These were likely the shrines that King Prasat Thong had constructed in 1636 CE.




The shrine on the eastern side of Khlong Pratu Jin, just north of the Chikun Bridge, was a Brahman shrine, though I can only guess which Hindu deity or deities were worshipped there. At this location, a brick mound likely containing the shrine’s foundations can still be seen.


Brahman rituals were important during the Ayutthaya period. Brahmin priests always performed all religious ceremonies within the King’s Court. They also served as astrologers and offered consultations. Brahmins were summoned to bless new palaces, military campaigns, diplomatic missions, the construction of cities or fortifications, and significant public works.


Buddhism and Brahmanism were intertwined with local practices to form the foundations of Thai culture. Buddhism became the official religion, whilst Brahmanism played a significant role in the ceremonial rites of the Royal court. [6]


The Brahman presence in Thailand’s Buddhist temples and ceremonial rites remains notable even today. The "Sao Ching Cha" (Giant Swing) in Bangkok, in front of Wat Suthat, is a good example of this.


Before dethroning his uncle, King Suthammaracha (reign 1656 CE), Prince Narai (later King Narai) consulted the Brahmins and made offerings to Shiva and Vishnu, thereby announcing his intentions to the gods.


“Afterwards the Supreme-Paramount-Reverence-and-Holy-Existing-Lord Narai made offerings to worship the Holy Glorious Triple Gems, Existing Lords Holy Isuan and Holy Narai, and announced His intentions to all the gods who were endowed with potency, power and energy.” [4]





(Thewa Sathan or Place of deities – Picture taken in November 2020 CE)



In the same year, King Narai (reign 1656-1688 CE) performed acts of merit and ordered the casting of four Hindu statues. They were gilded with the finest gold, adorned with a ring, and reserved for worship during royal ceremonies.


"Now in that second month of the year of the monkey, the Holy Feet of the Supreme Paramount Reverence and Holy Buddhist Lord Omnipotent performed various kinds of holy royal acts of merit and then had cast one statue of the Holy Existing Lord Isuan standing up, a little over a sòk and a khüp in height, one statue of Holy Siwa the Sun standing up, a little over a sòk in height, one statue of the Holy Grand Hindrance to Isuan and one statue of the Holy Isuan of the Lunar Quarter. Now all four of these statues of the Holy Existing Lords were covered in gold of the finest quality and the decorative paraphernalia adorning them were of Royalty niello. Each of Their Holinesses was adorned with a ring and they were reserved for worship in the performance of the holy royal ceremonies." [5]





(Image of Ganesha and Skanda/Kartikeya displayed at the Chanthara Kasem National Museum - Picture taken in December 2025)



The four statues mentioned above are depicted in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya as representing Shiva. I presume they may have been a statue of Maha Shiva (Īśvara, the God of the gods) and two statues of some of Shiva’s devas, namely: Suriya (the sun) and Chandra (the moon) thus, Shiva in a solar manifestation and Shiva as Candraśekhara, the moon-bearing Śhiva. The last statue is most likely Vishnu (Nārāyaṇa), as the cosmic preserver who limits Shiva’s destructive power.

If this were the case, the ancient annual Brahman rite known as "Tri Yampawai" would likely have been performed. The rite was performed to pay homage to Shiva and to commemorate the God’s annual visit to the earth. This royal ceremony, held in the first lunar month of the Thai lunar calendar, dates back to the Sukhothai period and continued until 1935 CE during the Rattanakosin era. This suggests that, in the vicinity of the Brahman shrines near the Chikun Bridge in Ayutthaya, a large swing was installed in earlier times. Even in a minor city of that time, such as Nakhon Sri Thammarat, a large Brahman swing can still be seen today.

The suggestion of the presence of a Giant Swing in Ayutthaya becomes merely a proof because the old document 'Geographical description of Ayutthaya' mentions a large fresh market called 'Giant Swing Market' near a pavilion beside the Giant Swing in front of the old Brahman shrine. The document also states that Khaek (probably Indians) sold bangles and other jewellery at a market near a Brahman shrine close to the Great Swing. [7]




(Skanda, Lopburi Art 8-9th century, found at San Phra Kan in Ayutthaya and displayed at the Chanthara Kasem National Museum – Picture taken in December 2025)



The Chanthara Kasem National Museum displays two images from the 16th or 17th century, which were discovered by Phraya Boran Ratchathanin (PBR) in Ayutthaya in the early 20th century. The exact location of discovery is unknown because PBR did not record it. Both images likely came from Thewa Sathan or from the Bhraman shrines on the opposite side of Khlong Pratu Jin. Both images are labelled as Ganesha, but the most damaged one is likely to be Kartikeya, also known as Skanda Kumara, the Hindu god of war, son of Parvati and Shiva and brother of Ganesha.


The Fine Arts Department of the 3rd Region conducted an archaeological excavation at Thewa Sathan in June 2020 CE.



The stele of Thewa Sathan


During roadwork construction in September 1939 CE (likely the road surfacing of the Pa Thon Road), a flat stone with inscriptions on both sides was unearthed at Thewa Sathan. The origin of the stele is unknown, but given its place of discovery, it must date from the period when Ayutthaya was still the capital. It is impossible to determine whether it was found at its original location or brought in from another area. The inscribed part of the slab measures 45 cm in height and 22 cm in width on each side. [8]

The first side has 18 lines entirely in shloka (1), except for the sixth stance (lines 11 and 12), which is an āryā (2). The text begins with two invocations: the first to Shankara (Shiva) and the second to Parvati, united with Shiva in the Ardhanarishvara form (3). It then gives the genealogy of the kings of Canasa Pura. The first king, whose era is not mentioned, named himself Bhagadatta. One of his descendants, Sundaraparakrama, had a son, Sundaravarman, who also had two sons. The oldest, Marapatisinhavarman, became the supreme leader of Sri Canasa the younger, Mangalavarman, was the author of the inscription commemorating the erection of an image of his mother in the aspect of Devi, spouse of Shiva, in 859 Saka (937 CE). This royal lineage, appearing here for the first time, is entirely different from the dynasty that ruled the Khmer empire at that time, King Jayavarman IV (reign 928-941 CE) resided at Chok Gargyar (Koh Ker).

The 17 lines on the other side of the slab list proper names, each preceded by the Khmer word "Khnum", which means "slave".





(Stele found at Thewa Sathan - Source JSS)



King Bhagadatta had the same name as the king who reigned in the Malay Peninsula state in 515 CE, the Chinese called Lang-ya-sieou (Langkasuka).


Whether we are speaking of the same ruler is unknown, as the name Bhagadatta was relatively common at the time. Another quadrilateral stele dating from 868 CE (Coedès dates the side with the Sanskrit inscription to the 7th century CE) and mentioning Canasa was found at Ban Bo Ika, Mueang Sema, in Sung Noen District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. The Sanskrit/Khmer inscription on one side records livestock and slaves that a king of Sri Canasa offered to the sangha. The reverse inscription begins with praise for Lord Shiva and then hails a person named Ansdeva, who commissioned the phallic image. (4)


Coedès concluded that in 937 CE, three centuries after the Mon inscription of Lopburi and close to one century before the Khmer inscription of 944 - 947 Saka (1022 - 1025 CE) in the name of Suryavarman I of Angkor (reign 1002-1050 CE), the Ayutthaya region could have been part of a state that was not yet attached to the Khmer empire, but the Khmer element had already supplanted the Mon element, thereby paving the way for the annexation of the country by Angkor.


The Ayutthaya and Bo Ika inscriptions suggest that a small state existed in the upper Mun Valley for several generations during the period of the Chenla kingdoms (550 - 802 CE). [9]


Srisakra Vallibhotama (b.1938 CE) suggested that Mueang Sema (Sung Noen District) and Hin Khon (Pak Thong Chai District) in Nakhon Ratchasima Province were two sites of the Kingdom of Canasa from the pre-Angkorian period to at least the tenth century, stating that the inscriptions also show that the kingdom was initially Buddhist, but later became Hindu. [10]


Senake Bandaranayake (1938-2015 CE) agreed that "Canasta must have been a polity in the seventh century in the area of Mueang Sema, the ruler of which was a supporter of Buddhism. There are cakras from Mueang Sema that date from this time, or more probably the eighth century, and thus can reasonably be said to be associated with Canasa". At the same time, he doubts the connection between this Canasa and the Canasa of the Ayudhya inscription. [11]


Of the above, it is very likely that the stele found at Thewa Sathan initially came from an area in the upper reaches and sources of the Mun River on the Khorat plateau.



Footnotes:


(1) Shloka, Sanskrit meaning 'song', is a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustup. Shloka is the basis for the Indian Epic verse and may be considered the Indian verse form par excellence, occurring, as it does, far more frequently than any other meter in classical Sanskrit poetry. The shloka is treated as a couplet. [Source Wikipedia]

(2) Āryā is a meter used in Sanskrit and Prakrit verses. A verse in āryā metre is in four metrical feet called pādas. [Source Wikipedia]

(3) Ardhanarishvara is a composite androgynous form of the Hindu god Shiva and his consort Parvati, depicted as half male and half female, split down the middle. The right half is usually the male Shiva, illustrating his traditional attributes.

(4) See "The inscriptions in Thailand database project" - Bo Ika (online).


References:


[1] Coedès, George (1944). Une nouvelle inscription d'Ayuthya. Journal of the Siam Society. Volume 35.1.

[2] Cushman, Richard D. & Wyatt, David K. (2006). The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya. Bangkok: The Siam Society. p. 189.

[3] Ibid. p. 220.

[4] Ibid. p. 229.

[5] Ibid. p. 243.

[6] www.brahmin.siamfoundation.org. Info retrieved 29 May 2009.

[7] Pongsripian, Vinai, Dr. (2007). Phanna phumisathan Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya: Ekasan jak Ho Luang. Geographical description of Ayutthaya: Documents from the palace. Bangkok: Usakane.

[8] Coedès, George (1944). Une nouvelle inscription d'Ayuthya. The Journal of the Thailand Research Society 35, February 1944. pp. 73-76.

[9] Higham, Charles. Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilisations. Infobase Publishing, 1 Jan. 2552 BE. p. 63.

[10] Vallibothama, Srisakra. The Northeast between the 12th-16th C. BE. p 41.

[11] Bandaranayake Senake (1974). Sinhalese Monastic Architecture: The Viháras of Anurádhapura. BRILL. pp 25-6.



Selected PICTURES



Pictures taken January 2009 CE



Selected PICTURES



Pictures taken June 2020 CE



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