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Heroine, Queen Suriyothai
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Queen
Suriyothai was the wife of King Maha Chakraphat of Ayutthaya who
reigned between 1549-1569. The king was said to have so many white
elephants that he was nicknamed the "King of the White Elephant".
When the king had occupied the throne for only six months, King
Tabengshweti of Burma Wanted to test the Thai king's courage and
to take revenge against Siam. So, the Burmese however, refused
the Burmese king's request as he considered it as a breach of
honour and prepared himself for war. According to Brahmanic belief,
if a monarch possessed one or more white elephants, it was a glorious
and happy sign for his reign.
(Suriyothai
has been made into a movie, click here
or click on the picture to buy it) |
In the battle , Queen Suriyothai
dressed herself as a man and accompanied her husband on an elephant.
A royal fight between the two kings then took place. In trying to rescue
her husband who was on the brink of danger , Queen Suriyothai drove
her elephant in between and was herself cut through from shoulder to
hip. The Burmese king realised that he had killed a woman and felt ashamed,
thus withdrew immediately.
The Queen has since been
regarded as one of the greatest heroines of Thai history, for her unique
bravery, love devotion and faithfulness to her husband. This was the
first time that a Queen appered onthe battlefield in Siam.Her ashes
has been enshrined in Sri Suriyothai pagoda at Suan Luang Sobsawan Temple
in Ayutthaya Province.
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This
story comes from "Essays on Thailand" by Thanapol
Chadchaidee. It is used here with his permission. The book contains
60 essays about Thailand written in Thai and English.
If you are interested
in this book, you can see more information and buy it in our school
shop at ThaiHypermarket.com |
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