Tambralinga
Tambralinga (Sanskrit: Tāmbraliṅga) was an Indianised kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula (in modern-day Thailand), existing at least from the 10th to 13th century. It was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but later became independent from it. The name had been forgotten until scholars recognized Tambralinga as Nakhon Si Thammarat (Nagara Sri Dharmaraja). In Sanskrit and Prakrit, tām(b)ra means "copper", "copper-coloured" or "red" and linga means "symbol" or "creation", typically representing the divine energy of Shiva.
Tambralinga Tāmbraliṅga | |||||||||||
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970–1365 | |||||||||||
Tambralinga and neighboring Hindu-Buddhist Austronesian kingdoms in the Middle Ages | |||||||||||
Capital | Nakhon Si Thammarat (on the Malay Peninsula) | ||||||||||
Common languages | Old Malay, Old Khmer, Mon | ||||||||||
Religion | Hinduism, Buddhism | ||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
King | |||||||||||
• 1230–1262 | Chandrabhanu | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
• First mentioned in medieval Chinese sources | 970 | ||||||||||
• Conquest by the Melayu Kingdom | 1365 | ||||||||||
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Today part of | Thailand, Malaysia |
History of Thailand |
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Thailand portal |
Tambralinga first sent an embassy to China under the Song dynasty in 1001. In the 12th century it may or may not have been under the suzerainty of the Burmese Pagan Kingdom and a kingdom of Sri Lanka. At its height in the mid-13th century, under King Chandrabhanu, Tambralinga was independent, regrouping and consolidating its power and even invading Sri Lanka. By the end of the 13th century, Tambralinga was recorded in Siamese history as Nakhon Si Thammarat, under the suzerainty of the Tai Sukhothai Kingdom.