Phraya Kong
King of Nakhon Chai Si in the 9th century
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Phraya Kong (Thai: พระยากง) is a legendary monarch associated with the late Dvaravati period in west-central Thailand. He appears in the Legend of Phra Pathommachedi (ตำนานพระปฐมเจดีย์) and in the several recensions of the Legend of Phraya Kong – Phraya Pan,[1]: 15 [2]: 39 [3] which present him as the successor of Sikaraj and ruler of Nakhon Pathom.[2]: 39 The Northern Chronicle instead makes him ruler of Kanchanaburi.[4]: 55
| Phraya Kong พระยากง | |
|---|---|
| King of Nakhon Pathom–Kanchanaburi | |
| King of Dvaravati's Kamalanka | |
| Reign | 807–867 |
| Predecessor | Sikaraj |
| Successor | Phraya Pan |
| Born | Nakhon Pathom |
| Died | 867 Ratchaburi or Nakhon Pathom |
| Issue | Phraya Pan |
| Father | Sikaraj |
Legend
The narrative has him succeed his father Sikaraj and marry a princess in the household of King Dhalemesvara (เทลเมศวร) of Phetchaburi.[3] His reign ends in his defeat and death at the hands of his own son, Phraya Pan,[5]: 11 [6]: 24–25 an episode that has been compared with the Greek story of Oedipus and with the traditions concerning Kamsa and Bana in the Sanskrit Puranas and the Mahabharata.[5]: 5–8, 17
Historicity
Borihan Thepthani placed his reign between 807 and 867 by calculation from the chronology of the Yonok Chronicle.[7]: 31, 67 No archaeological or epigraphic evidence has been identified that would confirm his existence, and the account of his reign belongs to the body of folklore, Buddhist narrative and dynastic tradition transmitted about the Dvaravati period rather than to its documentary record.[5]: 10–43