Ramkhamhaeng (redirected from Ramkhamhaeng the Great)

Ramkhamhaeng

(born 1239?—died 1298) Third king of Sukhothai (in modern north-central Thailand) who created the first major Tai state in Southeast Asia. He united a region that shared a common religion (Theravada Buddhism). Under him, the arts developed distinctively Tai expressions, and accomplished bronze sculptures were created. He is also credited with inventing the Thai alphabet, a modification of Khmer script. He was remembered only in legend until 1834 when King Mongkut of Siam (then a Buddhist monk) rediscovered an inscription Ramkhamhaeng had made in 1292. As a result, he came to be regarded as a national hero, a just and liberal ruler who imparted a sense of cultural unity to the region.