Canasapura


Canasapura or Canāśa, Śri Canāśa, possibly Jiā Luó Shě Fú in the Cefu Yuangui, is an ancient kingdom located in the upper valley of the Mun River, in present-day Isan, the northeastern region of Thailand. The kingdom was mentioned in the No. 118 Bô Ika inscription, founded in, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, dated to 790 CE, and also in the No. 117 Śri Canāśa inscription, founded in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya.
A Japanese historian, Tatsuo Hoshino, proposes that around the 8th century, Canasapura was probably under Tai-speaking people, who then expanded their political and military influence to the Pasak and Chao Phraya Basins a few centuries later.

History

The kingdom was mentioned in inscription K. 400, which was transcribed into English as:
An inscription in Sanskrit and Khmer, found in Ayutthaya in 1939, dated 937 A.D., mentions four rulers of Sri Canasa, starting with the first king named Bhagadatta, followed by Sri Sundaraprakrama, who had a son named Sri Sundararavarman and King Sri Sundararavarman had 2 sons, the elder named Narapatisimhavarman who later ascended the throne of the Sri Canasa kingdom. His younger brother, Mangalavarman, created this inscription to celebrate the creation of the image of the queen mother, the wife of Lord Shiva, in 859 CE.
The time of the establishment of Sri Canasa is still unknown. It probably existed parallel to the Dvaravati culture of the Mon in what is now central Thailand. According to the inscriptions of Bo Ika and Sri Canasa written in Khmer, it must have been located on the periphery of the sphere of influence of Dvaravati, a network of city-states in the Chao Phraya Plain. According to these texts, both Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced in the community.
After the reign of Narapatisimhavarman, Sri Canasa has disappeared from history. It is possible that it was merged with the Khmer Empire during the reign of King Jayavarman V, according to the inscription of the ancient city of Sema, which mentions the name of Driḍhabhakti Simhavarman, which is assumed to be the new royal name of Narapatisimhavarman, whose role was reduced.