Maha Sila Viravong | |
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| ສິລາ ວິຣະວົງສ໌ | |
| Born | Sila Chanthanam สิลา จันทะนาม (1905-08-01)1 August 1905 |
| Died | 18 February 1987(1987-02-18) (aged 81) |
| Occupations |
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| Family | 3, includingDouangdeuane |
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Maha Sila Viravong (also known as Sila Viravong;Lao:ສິລາ ວີຣະວົງສ໌,RTGS: Sila Wirawong,pronounced[sí(ʔ).láːwíː.rā.wóŋ]) was aLao historian, philologist, and scholar of traditionalLao literature, history, and culture. He modernized theLao alphabet and was an important intellectual figure in the Lao independence movement during the struggles against French colonial rule. He was an active member of theLao Issara movement and served as the personal secretary to PrincePhetsarath Rattanavongsa ((1889-01-10)January 10, 1889 –(1959-10-01)October 1, 1959). His name is often preceded by the honorific title "Maha", and he is frequently referred to as "Maha Sila."
He was the father of Laotian writersDouangdeuane Bounyavong,Dara Viravong, and Pakian Viravong.[1]
Born into a family of farmers fromChampassak, Maha Sila Viravong was born on(1905-08-01)August 1, 1905 inRoi Et Province (Thai: ร้อยเอ็ด) in theIsan region of Thailand. As a young novice monk, he learned theTai Tham alphabet and theLao script from palm-leaf manuscripts and developed an early passion forLao literature and history, which survived in temple libraries after the fall ofLan Xang to theSiamese. After leaving the monkhood, he traveled toBangkok to studyPali.[2]
In 1929, he became secretary to PrincePhetsarath Rattanavongsa, a major figure in Lao nationalism during the French protectorate.[3] In the 1930s, he joined the “Movement for National Renovation,” founded by young Laotian intellectuals under French oversight, aiming to maintain national influence.[4]
He later joined the independence movementLao Issara (“Free Laos”) following theJapanese coup d'état in French Indochina in 1945. When France regained control in 1946, he went into exile inBangkok, conducting research at theNational Library of Thailand.[4] He returned to Laos in 1949, becoming aPali professor at theBuddhist Institute inVientiane.[3]
He married Nang Maly in Vientiane. Among their fourteen children were writersDouangdeuane andDara Viravong. Although he retired in 1963, after the establishment of theLao People's Democratic Republic in 1975, he was appointed an expert advisor to the Ministry of National Education. He continued teaching, researching, and writing until his death in(1987-02-00)February , 1987.
In the 1930s, supported by the Buddhist Institute in Vientiane and the Buddhist Academic Council, he expanded theLao script to include characters forPali andSanskrit, filling gaps in the existing system.[5] Though the Buddhist Institute published books using these extensions, they gradually fell out of use by 1975.[5] In 2019, the extended Indic characters were added toUnicode 12.[6]
He designed the currentFlag of Laos in 1945.[7]
Viravong also opposed the proposed Latinization of the Lao script and sought to modernize it instead. He authored a Lao grammar, dictionary, and a transcription system forPali, which is still used in temples today. He also wrote the first official textbook on theHistory of Laos and developed a Lao calendar still used alongside foreign ones.
His major published works includePhongsavadane Lao (History of Laos, 1957), based on the chronicles ofLan Xang,[4] and his biography of Prince Phetsarath,[3] which was published posthumously. Though his work is occasionally criticized for nationalistic tones and limited academic rigor, his influence on Lao national identity and historiography remains significant.[8]
