Candrapuri Sri Satta Naga Candrapuri | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1140s–1356 | |||||||||||||
 Candrapuri or Vientiane as part ofSukhothai in 1293. | |||||||||||||
| Capital | Candrapuri | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Lao | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism | ||||||||||||
| Government | City state | ||||||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||||||
• 1140s–1150s (first) | Phraya Chanthaburi | ||||||||||||
• 1150s–1180s | Lao Pao | ||||||||||||
• ?–1356 (last) | Unknown | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Post-classical era | ||||||||||||
• Kingdom establishment | 1140s | ||||||||||||
• Ngoenyang influence | 1150s–1185? | ||||||||||||
• Angkorian influence | 1185–1191 | ||||||||||||
• Sukhothai influence | 13th century | ||||||||||||
• Foundation ofLan Xang | 1353 | ||||||||||||
• Annexed byLan Xang | 1356 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Today part of | |||||||||||||
Candrapuri[1]: 77 [2]: 262 orCandrapuri Sri Satta Naga[3]: 151 was a Laotian city-kingdom ormuang located in the modernVientiane region ofLaos andThailand.[3]: 151 [4] It existed prior to the formation of theLan Xang Kingdom in the 14th century.[5]
A reference to the name Vientiane can be seen on a Vietnamese inscription of DukeĐỗ Anh Vũ, dated 1159 during the Khmer-Viet conflict. The inscription says that in 1135, Văn Đan (Vientiane), a vassal of Zhenla (Khmer Empire), invadedNghe An, and was repelled by the Duke; the Duke led an army chased the invaders as far as Vũ Ôn? (unattested), and then returned with captives.[6]: 65
A few decades later, Phraya Chanthaburi (lit. 'King of Chanthaburi'; Vientiane), together with his elder brother Tao Gwa (ท้าวกวา) of Mueang Kaew (Kao) Prakan (เมืองแกว(กาว)ประกัน;lit. 'theViet orTai Kao [th] city ofPrakan'[2]: 262 )—a polity commonly identified withXiangkhouang (Muang Phuan)[7]—launched a large-scale military invasion of theNgoenyang Kingdom of theTai Yuan in 1150s. The invasion failed, however, as theNgoenyang ruler Khun Chin sought military assistance from his nephews, the Chueang brothers. After successfully expelling the invaders, the youngerChueang marched eastward, annexed several polities, and eventually capturedMuang Phuan.[8]: 9 [1]: 76–9 He then appointed his middle son, also named Chueang, as ruler of Muang Phuan, and his youngest son, Lao Pao (ลาวพาว), as ruler of Vientiane.[1]: 82–3
As another Laotian city-kingdom, the northern neighborMuang Sua experienced a brief period ofAngkorian suzerainty underJayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191;[9]: 33 on this basis, Candrapuri, located between these two polities, may tentatively be understood as having experienced similar Angkorian influence. This interpretation is supported by the establishment of the Sanskrit–Lao Say Fong Inscription ofJayavarman VII K.368, dated to 1186, in the Vientiane area.[10]
However, the aforementioned presupposition has been challenged. No archaeological evidence of 12th centuryBayon-style Angkorian architecture has been identified in the area, despite the inscription’s statement thatJayavarman VII ordered the construction of anārogyasālā (hospital). Michel Lorrillard has argued that the inscription may have been relocated from Khu Ban Phanna (กู่บ้านพันนา;lit. 'Ban Phanna Shrine') in the modernSawang Daen Din District of Thailand—currently the northernmost known area with Angkorian architectural remains—possibly during the French colonial period, when cultural heritage was used to justify territorial claims and administrative control.[10] Lorrillard’s hypothesis is consistent with the findings of Anna Karlström’s 2009 survey.[11]
In the 13th century, during the reign ofRamkhamhaeng, Candrapuri or Vientiane was named as one of the polities under theSukhothai Kingdom.[12] However, later scholarship suggests that Sukhothai may not have exercised direct control over Vientiane; rather, the relationship likely reflected a mandala-style political arrangement based on dynastic connections.[13] Vientiane continued to function as an autonomous city-kingdom until it was annexed in 1356 byFa Ngum during his campaign to unite the Laomuangs into a single kingdom,Lan Xang.[5]
| Name | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| As acity-state underGotapura [th] during theDvaravati period, spanning the 7th–11th centuries. | ||
| Vassal ofAngkor during the reign ofSuryavarman II (r. 1113–1145) | ||
| Phraya Chanthaburi | 1140s–1150s | Younger brother of Tao Gwa (ท้าวกวา) ofMuang Phuan |
| Lao Pao (ลาวพาว) | 1150s–1185? | Tai Yuan monarch fromNgoenyang. Youngest son ofChueang and Nang Am Paeng Chan Phong (นางอามแพงจันทน์ผง) |
| Buri Aoy Luay | Early 13th-c. | Enthroned as Phraya Chanthaburi Prasit Sakka Thewa (พญาจันทบุรีประสิทธิสักกะเทวะ)[4] |
