Kamalanka/Lang-ya-hsiu (狼牙脩) (คามลังกา/หลังยะสิ่ว)
Late 1st century CE – 1058
Political entities in theChao Phraya River Basin and theKra Isthmus in the 6th–7th century
Capital	Mevilimbangam
Religion	Buddhism
Historical era	Post-classical era
• Established	Late 1st century
• First embassy to China	515
• Formation ofDvaravati	6th–7th century
• Decline ofMueang Uthong	8th century
• Tambralinga conqueredMenam Valley	927
• Raided byChola	1030
• Destroyed byPagan	1058
• Establishment ofChen Li Fu	12th century
Preceded by Succeeded by Chin Lin Tun Sun Dvaravati Chen Li Fu Pan Pan
Today part of	Thailand Myanmar

Kamalanka orChia-mo-lang-chia,Lang-chia,Lang-ya-hsiu in the Chinese texts, orBalangka/Kalonga in theGeographike Hyphegesis ofPtolemy, orMevilimbangam in theTanjore Inscription, was an ancient political entity located in the westChao Phraya River basin incentral Thailand.^{[1]: 181–3} It existed from the late 1st or early 2nd century CE to 1058. Its chief city, located at the ancientNakhon Pathom,^[1]: 180 was possibly destroyed by the troops ofPagan'sAnawrahta in 1058 during hisMenam invasion to attack theLavo Kingdom. This marks the ending of Kamalanka.^{[2]: 95, 105} Previously, it was raided by theChola Empire during theSouth-East Asia campaign of Rajendra I in 1030. Its successor,Chen Li Fu centered atSuvarnapura, appeared around the 12th century, 90 kilometers northward in the present-dayDon Chedi,Suphan Buri province.^{[3]: 1 [4]}Chen Li Fu later evolved toSuphannabhum, which was then merged into theAyutthaya Kingdom in the 14th century.^[3]: 13

The Kingdom of Kamalanka orLang-ya-hsiu was probably the succeeding state ofTun Sun since its first embassy, sent to China in 515 CE, claimed that the country was founded around 400 years earlier but gained independence at the end of the 5th century. Several scholars speculated that Kamalanka is situated in lower central Thailand,^{[1]: 181, 183} probably the same area asTun Sun. Kamalanka additionally sent embassies to China in 523 and 531.^{[5]: 262–263} In the 20th century, Chinese people who settled in the westChao Phraya River basin still called the areaLang-jia-jiu.^[1]: 181

In the 7th century, southern Kamalanka later joinedPan Pan in the south,^{[5]: 262–263} while its northern territory became partDvaravati civilization after merging with the neighboringChin Lin and others following the decline ofFunan.^{[5]: 268–270, 281} Previously, Kamalanka orLang-ya-hsiu was equated withLangkasuka but according to the location provided in the Chinese texts dating to the 7th century, it would be situated at the modern lowercentral Thailand.^[6]

Based on the location given in the book ofI Ching and by the Chinese monksXuanzang in the 7th century, Kamalanka is equated withLang-ya-xiu orLang-chia-shu.^{[7]: 77–8} According to theLiáng Shū,Lang-ya-xiu was 30-day journeys from east to west, 20 days from north to south, 24,000li in the distance fromGuangzhou. The inland town ofBalangka orKalonga appeared in theGeographike Hyphegesis ofPtolemy in the 2nd century^[8]: 87 was potentially Kamalanka.^[2]: 94 It was described as the "metropolis" city.^[9]: 202

TheTanjore Inscription, dating from 1030, contains a list of the ports on theKra Isthmus to theMalacca Strait that were raided by a fleet sent by KingRajendra Chola I. The following are the ports located on the Kra Isthmus; some cannot yet be precisely identified.^{[10][11]: 77–78, 170}

• Mevilimbangam – Kamalanka,^[7]: 143 has fine walls as defense.^{[12]: 77–78}
• Mayirudingan – theJe-lo-ting of theChinese, surrounded by the deep sea as by a moat, the exact location remains unknown.
• Talaittakkolam –Takkola (Trang orTakua Pa) ofPtolemy and the Milindapandha, praised by great men versed in the sciences.
• Madamalingam –Tambralinga, capable of strong action in dangerous battles.

In the journey ofChang Chun as a Chinese envoy toChi Tu in 607, Kamalanka was referred to asLang-ya-xiu. It was said to be on the south ofChi Tu, which was in the Singora Inland Sea (presentSongkhla province).^[1]: 181

...Then going southward (fromChampa) they reachedShih-tzu-shih (Lion Rock inChanthaburi province), whence there extend a chain of large and small islands. After two or three days' voyage, they saw in the west the mountains ofLang-ya-hsu (Khao Sam Roi Yot). Then, continuing southwards toChi-lung (Fowl Cage Island inChumphon province), they reached the borders ofChi Tu....

According to the location mentioned above, Thai scholar, Chand Chirayu Rajani, purposedLang-ya-xiu was potentially located in the westChao Phraya River basin, and strongly deniedPaul Wheatley's assumption that equatedLang-ya-xiu withLangkasuka (Chinese:凌牙斯加/龍牙犀角; Ling-ya-si-jia/Long-ya-xi-jiao),^{[1]: 180 [13]} which was located in modern-day deep south Thailand,^[13] and Wheatley's assumption has been continued by many scholars to the present day.^[6] Rajani additionally asserts that even Chinese people who settled in the west Chao Phraya River basin still called the areaLang-jia-jiu.^[1]: 180 There are also the islands namedLang-ya-jiew islands (birds' nest islands) inChumphon province, which expected to be the southern border ofLang-ya-xiu.^[1]: 181

TheOld Book of Tang, dating 618 onwards, also indicates the location ofLang-ya-xiu, situated north ofPan Pan, aligning with Rajani's hypothesis. The text was translated byPaul Wheatley as follows.^[1]: 182

...The kingdom ofP'an-P'an is situated to the southwest ofLin-i (Champa) on a bay of the sea. To the north, it is separated fromLin-i by the Small Sea. One can reach it by boat fromChiao-chou (Tonkin) in forty days, and it adjoins the kingdom ofLang-ya-hsiu...

As per the text provided, sincePan Pan was placed at the area along theBandon Bay inSurat Thani province,Lang-ya-xiu should be on the plain in lowerCentral Thailand; however,Paul Wheatley positionedLang-ya-xiu to the south ofPan Pan.^[1]: 182 The location of bothPan Pan andLang-ya-xiu given in theNew Book of Tang, also sustaintiated Rajani's hypothesis. The text was translated by Peter Bee of the School of Oriental and African Studies,University of London, as follows.^[1]: 182

...P'an-P'an is on the bend of the Southern Sea (Gulf of Siam). To the north, it goes as far as the surrounding king's border (and) a small amount of sea connects it withLang-Su-Shih. From the crossing of the mainland, it takes forty days of sea travel to arrive (at P'an-P'an). The king is calledYang-su-Shih....

The book ofI Ching orYijing, dating to the late 7th century, also mentions toKamalanka asLang-ya-xiu, which conforms to the information provided in the 629–645 journey of a Chinese monk,Xuanzang, who referred toKamalanka asChia-mo-lang-chia. The location provided by both indicates thatLang-ya-xiu is equated withChia-mo-lang-chia or Kamalanka.^[1]: 182

Book ofI Ching giving the location of the kingdoms inmainland Southeast Asia from the west to east direction, as follows.^[1]: 182

...Southwards from this, and bordering the sea-coast, is the kingdomShi-li-ch'a-ta-lo (Srikshetra). Further to the southeast is the kingdom ofLang-chia-shu. Further east is the kingdom ofShe-ho-po-ti (Dvaravati). In the extreme east is the kingdom ofLin-i (Champa)...

Journey ofXuanzang also provided the location of the polities in the same area withI Ching. as follows.^[1]: 182

...Thence north-eastwards is the kingdom ofShi-li-ch'a-ta-lo (Srikshetra), Next, to the south-east, in a recess of the ocean, is the kingdom ofChia-mo-lang-chia (Kamalanka). Next, to the east is the kingdom ofTo-lo-po-ti (Dvaravati). Next, to the east is the kingdom ofI-shang-na-pu-lo (Isanapura). Next to the east is the kingdom ofMo-ho-chan-po (Mahacampa), which is the same asLin-i...

From both texts, ifLang-ya-hsiu/Lang-chia-shu orChia-mo-lang-chia (Kamalanka) is identified withLangkasuka asPaul Wheatley's presumption,Dvaravati,Isanapura, andChampa would be placed somewhere in the middle of theSouth China Sea, which is impracticable.^[6] Thus, the westMenam Valley is more feasible.^{[1]: 181, 183}

Suchandra Ghosh, an Indian archeologist, placed Kamalanka in theIrrawaddy delta, to be specific,Pegu,^[14]: 148 whileGeorge Cœdès identified Pegu withMäppappälam (Papphäla), the city raided byRajendra Chola I in 1030.^[7]: 143

The earliest and most detailed description ofKamalanka comes from the ChineseLiang dynasty (502–557) recordLiáng Shū, which refers to the kingdom of "Lang-ya-xiu" (Chinese:狼牙脩,Middle Chinese:lɑŋŋˠasɨu) or "Lang-chia-shu", which has been identified with Kamalanka. The record mentions that the kingdom was founded over 400 years earlier,^[15] which made its founding likely sometime in the late 1st or early 2nd century. Moreover, Thai scholars believe that the city of "Balangka, an inland town" (บลังกา), mentioned in theGeographike Hyphegesis ofPtolemy in the 2nd century, was potentially Kamalanka.^[2]: 94

In this period, several polities emerged in theChao Phraya River Valley, such as the five kingdoms ofTun Sun on the upperMalay Peninsular,^[5]: 259 the city state ofChin Lin centered atMueang Uthong,^[16]: 27 as well asSi Thep (potentially the legendaryAyojjhapura) to the northeast.^[17] Records about these polities are extremely limited.Tun Sun fell underFunan around 245 CE.^[16]: 25

In the 6th century,Funan began to decline. Several polities broke away, such asTou Yuan andTanling, which later became the vassals ofDvaravati.^{[18]: 15–16}Kamalanka orChia-mo-lang-chia probably absorbedTun Sun andChin Lin and expanded its territory to the south at the present-dayChumphon province, and to the east metChenla at present-dayChanthaburi province. It later became part of theDvaravati civilization.

The journey record of a Chinese BuddhistXuanzang in the 7th century provided the information regarding the location ofKamalanka, which was said to be located to the southeast ofSri Ksetra kingdom, to the west ofDvaravati, and adjoinedPan Pan to the south,^[1]: 182 with the southernmost territory near theLang-ya-jiew islands (birds' nest islands) in the present-dayChumphon province.^[1]: 181Dvaravati that was thought to have been located at an ancientNakhon Pathom, but from the evidence ofI Ching, it must be moved to the eastern side of the valley.^[1]: 183Cœdès proposed that Kamalanka expanded its territory eastward to modernChanthaburi province ineastern Thailand where it bordered withChenla.^[5]: 269

However, due to the overlap in territory claimed in the aforementioned Chiese textI Ching and the area that was expected to be aFunan's dependency,Tun Sun, together with the story given byLang-ya-hsiu's embassy to the Chinese court regarding the state establishment and gaining independence as well as the disappearance of Tun Sun from the historical record at the beginning of the 6th century,Lang-ya-hsiu was speculated to be the successor state of Tun Sun and later evolved to or merged withDvaravati.^{[5]: 262–263} Some scholar locates Kamalanka at the presentMueang Uthong.^[1]: 183

In the 10th century, Kamalanka began to decline since thewestern coast was conquered by thePagan Kingdom, who expanded its territory southward to theKra Isthmus as far as to the south of present-dayPhuket province^{[19]: 92 [20]: 89, 90} and controlled the maritime trade between theIndia Ocean and theSouth China Sea, as recorded in the Dhammarajaka inscription.^{[19]: 92 [21]: 3} This led to the conflict between thePagan Kingdom and theSinhalese from theChola Empire, who was the overload of several polities in theMalay Peninsula at the moment.^{[19]: 92 [20]: 89–90} The western coat was then constantly raided by theSinhalese navy.^{[20]: 89–90} Kamlanka was also attackted by theChola Empire during theSouth-East Asia campaign of Rajendra I againstTambralinga andSrivijaya in 1030.^{[7]: 143 [12]: 77–8}

Kamalanka's chief city, the ancientNakhon Pathom, was potentially destroyed in 1058 by KingAnawrahta ofPagan during his campaign to conquer theLavo Kingdom.^{[2]: 95, 105} If not, it might have been weakened due to the 925–927 conflicts between twoMon's sister states,Haripuñjaya andLavo,^[2]: 105 which led to the conquering of the lowerChao Phraya River Valley byTambralinga from the south in 927.^{[22][23]: 191 [24]}

After the fall of Kamalanka, its successor kingdom,Chen Li Fu was established around the 12th century, possibly centered near the Nong Chaeng village in Sra Krachom subdistrict (ตำบลสระกระโจม),Don Chedi,Suphan Buri province, as there are traces of a large ancient city surrounded by a rectangular moat, and was speculated to beSuvarnapura, a city mentioned in the Prasat Phra Khan inscription (จารึกปราสาทพระขรรค์).^[25] Some propose thatSuvarnapura was at the Nern Thang Phra Archaeological Site (แหล่งโบราณคดีเนินทางพระ), about 20 kilometers northeast of the Nong Chaeng village.^[26]: 12 Initially,Chen Li Fu was potentially a vassal of theAngkor or had relatives with the Angkor kings; however, due to the decline in power of Angkor,Chen Li Fu broke away and sent an embassy itself to the Chinese court in 1200.^[3]: 6–7

• Michel Jacq-Hergoualc'h (1 January 2022)."The Mergui-Tenasserim Region in the Context of the Maritime Silk Road: From the Beginning of the Christian Era to the End of the Thirteenth Century AD".The Maritime Frontier of Burma. pp. 79–92.doi:10.1163/9789004502079_007.ISBN 978-90-04-50207-9.

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