Page 98 - A History of Siam

A HISTORY OF SUM
96
image away to Ayut'ia. The Maharaja of Chiengmai,
P'ra Yot, the grandson and successor of Maharaja Tilok,
demanded its return. Meeting with an evasive answer,
he invaded Siam and compelled King Rama T'ibodi to
deliver up the Buddha. 1
In 1499 King Rama T'ibodi gave orders for a gigantic
of Buddha to be and erected in Wat
image cast,
This Buddha in an erect
Srisarap'et. image represented
attitude. It was 48 feet high, and the pedestal was 24
feet in It was covered with
length. gold plates weighing
in all 800 lb., and took more than three to
nearly years
This was the of
complete. largest standing image
Buddha recorded as ever existed in the world.
having
It was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. The first
King of the present dynasty had the broken pieces
to in the of them
brought Bangkok hope joining together ;
this was found so were buried under
impossible, they
the named in Wat
pagoda Jedi Srisarap'etchadayan,
Jetup'on at Bangkok.
In war broke out anew with
1507 Chiengmai.
Maharaja Yot had been deposed in 1495, on account of
"
his reign bringing ill luck upon his country." This
was due to his having been crowned on a Monday,
which was an unpropitious day. He was succeeded
by his son, known as Maharaja Ratana. This ruler
A
attacked Suk'ot'ai in battle
1507. very sanguinary
was fought, in which the Laos were worsted and driven
back. In 1508 the Siamese retaliated by invading
Chiengmai territory. P're was captured, but after a
fierce battle the Siamese were forced to retreat in
; 1510
another Siamese invasion was attended with similar
results.

1
Siamese history makes no mention of this invasion. It may be regarded as
very doubtful that a Laotian army ever reached Ayut'ia.