Page:Foundation of Ayuthia - Damrong - 1904.pdf/2

 recent origin and would appear to date from the time of Ayuthia, and the remains in Müang Thao U Thong would therefore date from two different periods. This city appears to have been one of the capitals of old Kings, and as the course of the river deviated, it was necessary to dig wells to use in the dry season for water supply. The want of water continued, so that an epidemic arose and rendered existence in that place impossible, and it was therefore necessary to abandon the city and to remove to another place. This, I suppose, is the origin of the tradition, that the city was abandoned on account of an epidemic.

It may not be out of the way to recall the fact that there were many cities, abandoned in this way; so for example the old city of Sukhothai. Even in recent history we have an example of a town being abandoned in this way. When in 1867 King Mongkut went to Phitsnulok (Vishnuloka) by the Aggarajvoradej, a large steam yacht with two funnels, he was able to proceed up the Phichit river. At the present time this river is so shallow that it cannot be used for navigation, and it became therefore necessary to remove the town to the new river bed at Klong Rieng.

It is known from the Phongsovadan (Vaṁsāvatāra) by Somdet Phra Boromanujit that a king by name of Phra Chao U Thong (King U Thong) established the capital in Ayuthia in 1350. The old city of which I have been speaking is called the city of King U Thong, (or Thao U Thong or Phra Chao U Thong), and the question arises, are there two Kings of the same name or only one. The annals relate that U Thong carne down from Thepanakhon (Devanagara) south of Kampheng Phet, and it is related, that he got his name from the fact that he was sleeping in his youth in a golden cradle. Of Phra Chao U Thong that is all that is known, and we are otherwise dependent on hypotheses.

In old inscriptions such as that of Sukhothai, Suphan is called Suvarnabhūmi and not Suvarnapurī. Now the word U may be translated as cradle or as origin. Thus we speak of U Nam origin of water, and of U Khao origin of rice, as the two necessaries of life for founding a settlement. If we therefore translate the Siamese name U Thong, by Suvarnabhūmi, we mean by it: the origin of gold. The King therefore who reigned over that city, was the Thao (of) U