Khom Sabat Khlon Lamphong (Thai:ขอมสบาดโขลญลำพง) was a 13th-century monarch attested in theWat Si Chum Inscription as the ruler ofSukhothai–Si Satchanalai.[2]: 58 [3] Earlier scholarship identified him as a Khmer noble appointed byAngkor to administer the region;[4] however, more recent interpretations propose that he was a kinsman of his predecessor,Sri Naw Nam Thum, and nevertheless maintained political affiliations withLavo.[2]: 58 [4]
Khomsabat Khlon Lamphong succeededSri Naw Nam Thum, either following the latter’s death or through forcible usurpation.[2]: 58 [3] Subsequently, he was deposed in 1238 by a coalition force led bySi Inthrathit, the ruler ofMueang Bang Yang (son ofCandraraja, the former sovereign ofSukhothai) together withPha Mueang, a Tai Lueang (ไทเลือง) monarch ofMueang Rat.[5]: 195–196 Following Khomsabat Khlon Lamphong’s deposition,Si Inthrathit was enthroned as the new ruler. This event has been conventionally interpreted in historiography as marking the formal inception of the early Siamese polity;[5]: 195–196 nevertheless, various historical records attest that the Siamese had already exercised political authority overSukhothai prior to this episode.[b]
On etymological grounds, certain scholars have identified Khom Sabat Khlon Lamphong withThao Saen Pom [th],[1] a legendary figure reputed to have married aTai Yuan princess ofMueang Tritrueng [th][11][12] and subsequently migrated southward to assume the vacant throne ofSuphannaphum around the mid-13th century.[13]: 60–1 His successor, Uthong (III), is said to have consolidated dynastic authority in the region and later established a royal alliance with the Siamese polity atAyodhya through the marriage of his daughter toUthong (V), the first monarch of theAyutthaya Kingdom. This lineage is generally identified in later historiography as theSuphannaphum dynasty.[13]: 61
According to the Surin Khmer dialect, the term Khom Sabat Khlon Lamphong literally denotes “the Khom afflicted with a condition of innumerable nodules upon the feet.” An analysis of the constituent morphemes suggests that the term functions as a descriptive epithet—referring to an individual by physical characteristics—rather than as an official title or rank. The expression can be segmented into three components: Khom + Sabat Khlon + Lamphong, each of which conveys the following meanings:[1]
Khom signifies “a Khom person.”
Sabat Khlon may be further divided intoSabat andKhlon. The termSabat, when reconstructed into Old Siamese–Khmer phonology, appears assbaek (ซแบ๊ย์ก), meaning “skin” or “surface.” The termKhlon, similarly reconstructed askhluon (คลวน) orkhluan (คลูน), denotes “body” or “form.” Combined,Sabat Khlon therefore signifies “skin of the body” or simply “skin.”
Lamphong, reconstructed asLampuong (ลำป็วง) in Old Siamese–Khmer pronunciation, carries two possible meanings: first, “a protrusion or small swelling upon a surface,” and second, “a species of climbing plant bearing small, smooth, round fruits, approximately the size of a fingertip; the fruits are dark green when unripe and black when ripe, and are edible.”
When this linguistic interpretation in the Surin Khmer dialect is compared with the legend ofThao Saen Pom [th] (“Lord of a Thousand Nodules”), a striking correspondence emerges. The legendary figure Thao Saen Pom appears to be identical with the historical personage referred to as Khomsabat Khlon Lamphong, thus suggesting that the name encapsulates a descriptive reference to his distinctive physical condition rather than denoting a formal royal designation.[1]
^abCoedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.).The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. Translated by Cowing, Susan Brown. University of Hawaii Press.ISBN978-0-8248-0368-1.
^Chuangphitak, Prangphanan (5 October 2019)."ท้าวแสนปม : จากปมตำนานสู่ปมประวัติศาสตร์" [Thao Saen Pom: From Mythical Enigma to Historical Inquiry] (in Thai). Retrieved12 November 2025.
