Page:ประชุมพงศาวดาร (ภาค ๑) - ๒๔๕๗.pdf/9

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with the Manang Sila Throne[1] and another stele in the Khmer language[2] and, after his efforts to analyse this Thai script, he finally knew how to read the writing of King Khun Ramkhamhaeng. The stories inscribed upon this stele thus became known.

The second stele contains an inscription in which Phra Bat Kamaradeng-at Si Suriyaphongsaram Mahathammaracha,[3] that is, King Lithai, known also as King Mahathammaracha, a grandchild of King Khun Ramkhamhaeng and the fifth ruler of the city-state of Sukhothai, gave an account of his own life. It also contains stories which offer significant knowledge as to history. The inscription upon this second stele was originally made upon two stelai, one in the Khmer language with the Khom script, the other in the Thai language with the Thai script, both being of equal wording. The Thai stele seemed to have long been removed from Sukhothai Town. After His Majesty King Chomklao discovered and obtained only the Khmer stele, he had His Royal Highness Prince Kromphraya Pawaretwariyalongkon lead a committee for making a Thai translation of it, which is herein printed. As regards the Thai stele, Phraya Boranratchathanin (Phon Dechakhup)[4] found it at Wat Mai[5] near Phra Nakhon Luang[6] in the Old Kingdom region. It was not known how long it had been there but it had been used as a whetstone that most of the characters on it had become indistinct. It was sent to be together with its mate at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Upon examination, its surviving contents appeared to be identical to those of the Khmer stele and the bodies of both stelai were also found to be of the same shape and size. This allowed me to know for certain that the two stelai were originally created at the same time because the then citizens of

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