Tracing Mon Civilization Along the Chao Phraya

Who are the Mon? From whence did they journey? Like a wind carrying tales from the past, anthropologists have charted their odyssey from southern China to the golden lands of Suvarnabhumi. One Tibeto-Burman current brought the Pyu, who established the illustrious Sri Ksetra kingdom in central Myanmar. Another, the Karan or Rakhine, found their haven by the Bay of Bengal. And a vital stream, the Mon-Khmer, navigated the Salween River’s course to found the city of Thaton, or Suvarnavadi, at its mouth. Here, a “window of civilization” opened, embracing Buddhism and Indian culture until it blossomed magnificently.

But the winds of history are ever-shifting. The once-mighty Mon kingdom was shattered by Burmese conquest, its people scattered like dust motes. Time and again, these winds carried waves of Mon refugees to seek sanctuary under the royal protection of Siamese kings. One such significant surge occurred around 1664 CE, during the reign of King Narai the Great. After a Mon uprising against Burmese rule was quelled, over 10,000 souls, led by Suwannadeva and Thamum Mwai who had slain the Burmese governor of Mottama, journeyed across the border via the Three Pagodas Pass. King Narai graciously allowed them to settle in places like “Ban Sam Khok in Pathum Thani, Ban Pak Kret in Nonthaburi, Ratchaburi, and Kanchanaburi,” where Mon communities took deep root in Thai soil.