Balidhiraja

Balidhirāja (Thai: พาลีธิราช) was the second monarch of Sukhothai.^{[1]: 3–5 [2]: 25} He was the elder son of Kalavarnadisharaja, the inaugural ruler of Lavo, and ascended to the throne of Sukhothai in 687 by overthrowing the preceding sovereign, Indrajayādhirāja (อินทราไชยธิราช), the founder of Sukhothai in 679. There is no extant record concerning his immediate successor at Sukhothai.^[1]: 3–5

Balidhirāja had two sons: the elder, Balipatijaya, who succeeded his grandfather as the ruler of Lavo in 700; and the younger, Sai Thong Som, who was presumably born to a Tai queen consort from Yonok and was appointed to govern Devapurī of the Dvaravati realm after Balidhirāja deposed the preceding sovereign around the late 680s.^[1]: 3–5

According to Borihan Theptani, following the reign of Balidhirāja, Sukhothai was possibly invaded by the legendary kingdom of Suvarṇakōmakam (สุวรรณโคมคำ), located in the present-day Chiang Saen region to the north,^[3]: 10 and was subsequently abandoned from the late 8th century onward.^[3]: 8–9 It was later reestablished in 957 by Abhayakāminī of Haripuñjaya, who fled southward after Haripuñjaya was seized by Umoṅkaselā (อุโมงคเสลา) in the present-day Fang District. Nonetheless, this refounded Sukhothai remained under the political influence of Umoṅkaselā.^{[3]: 9–10}