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113

Foreword
to the Royal Chronicle: Lūang Prasœ̄t Version

Phra Pariyattithammathādā (Phǣ Parīan),[1] whilst still being Lūang Prasœ̄tʿaksǭnnit,[2] discovered a manuscript containing this royal chronicle at the house of a private citizen. He then asked for it to be given to the Wachirayān Royal Library on 19 June 2450 BE.[3] Finding it was a royal chronicle distinguished from the other existing versions, the Board of the Royal Library named it the Royal Chronicle: Lūang Prasœ̄t Version to honour the person who discovered it and brought it to the Royal Library.

This royal chronicle contains a preamble declaring that it is a royal document which King Nārāi the Great ordered to be composed on Wednesday, the twelfth waxing-moon day of the fifth month of the Year of the Monkey, Year Two, 1042 LE.[4] Its contents commence with the construction of a Buddha statue, Lord Phanan Chœ̄ng, in the year 686 LE.[5] It is not known at which point of time the contents should end because the manuscript obtained by the Royal Library only consists of a single volume which stops short in the Year of the Dragon, Year Six, 866 LE,[6] during the reign of King Narēsūan, when an army was prepared for attacking the city of ʿAngwa. My speculation is that there might be one more volume, being the second volume, of which the contents would end in the reign of King Prāsātthǭng at most.

The manuscript obtained was written in gamboge ink on a blackened book with the Old Kingdom[7] penmanship. There are traces of rain drops which damped and blurred the writing in many places,

8

  1. ↑ A Siamese nobleman and Ministry of Public Instruction official (1862–1926 CE), Phra Pariyattithammathada being his noble title during his tenure as Chief of the Right Department of Royal Scholars, Phae being his given name, Parian being an honorary title he obtained upon passing the fourth level of the Buddhist pariyatti examination (Khurusaphā 1958, pp. 1–2). (Wikisource contributor note)
  2. ↑ The noble title he held during his tenure as Deputy Chief of the Department of Education, Ministry of Public Instruction (Khurusaphā 1958, p. 1). (Wikisource contributor note)
  3. ↑ 1907 CE. (Wikisource contributor note)
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named decree
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 686le
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 866le
  7. ↑ Ayutthaya Kingdom. (Wikisource contributor note)
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