Xiu Luo Fen
Ancient kingdom in central Thailand
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Xiū Luó Fēn (Chinese: 修羅分)[1]: 73 was an ancient political entity recorded in the New Book of Tang[2] and the Cefu Yuangui, a leishu compiled during the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE).[3]: 22 Chinese sources describe the polity as being located north of the South Sea, with an urban perimeter enclosed by wooden palisades rather than masonry walls. Its territory is further said to have reached eastward toward the Kingdom of Zhenla and southward to the maritime frontier.[3]: 22 [4][5] These spatial descriptions stand in clear tension with the identification advanced by Tatsuo Hoshino in his earlier study, which equated Xiū Luó Fēn with Isanapura, the capital of Zhenla.[1]: 57
Xiū Luó Fēn Kingdom | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early to late 7 century | |||||||||
Proposed locations of ancient polities in the Menam and Mekong Valleys in the 7th century based on the details provided in the Chinese leishu, Cefu Yuangui, and others. | |||||||||
| Capital | Chanthaburi | ||||||||
| Religion | Buddhism | ||||||||
| Government | Kingdom | ||||||||
• c. 665 | Shīdámó Típó | ||||||||
| Historical era | Post-classical era | ||||||||
• Fall of Funan | 627 | ||||||||
• Establishment | Early 7 century | ||||||||
• Tribute sent to China | 665 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Thailand | ||||||||
During the Tang period, three closely associated city-states—Xiū Luó Fēn, Gē Luó Shě Fēn, and Gān Bì—were documented as sending tributary missions to the Chinese imperial court in 665. The three shared broadly similar sociopolitical customs and systems of governance, each ruled by its own sovereign and protected by fortified city walls.[2][6]: 133
Militarily, Xiū Luó Fēn maintained a substantial army of 20,000–30,000 elite soldiers[a] under the command of its ruler, Shīdámó Típó (尸达摩提婆; ศิทามะเทวา).[3]: 22 [4][5] Its principal allies are recorded as Gē Luó Shě Fēn, which reportedly possessed around 20,000 elite troops, and Gān Bì, whose military establishment was considerably smaller, numbering approximately 5,000.[2]
Interpretation
No direct interpretation of Xiu Luo Fen has been established. However, the element “fēn” (分) has been tentatively interpreted as corresponding to the Sanskrit suffix “pūra”, meaning “town” or “city.”[7]: 28 The character “Luó” (羅) may likewise represent a transcription of “dvara” (door, gate, or entrance), given that comparable forms—Luó 儸 and Luò 落—occur in Chinese renderings of Dvaravati.[7]: 28–9
Location
Notes
- The Cefu Yuangui records that Xiū Luó Fēn possessed 30,000 elite troops,[3]: 22 whereas the New Book of Tang reports a lower figure of 20,000 soldiers.[2] Cefu Yuangui: 修罗分国，居于南海之北，以木栅为城，东至真腊国，南至海。其王名尸达摩提婆，精兵三万余人。 New Book of Tang: ...二國勝兵二萬，甘畢才五千。
