The Story of Khun Chang Khun Phean
The famous Thai epic "Khun Chang Khun Phan" has been around for hundreds of years. No-one knows for certain when it was first written. However, the events depicted in this classic story are believed to have taken place around 1500. The story was passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. It wasn't until the 19th Century that King Rama II, King Rama III and other prestigious poets of the time, decided to collect all accounts of this story and then write a definitive version.
The following synopsis of the story is illustrated with photographs I took of the wall painting at Wat Pa Lelai in Suphan Buri.
Phlai Kaeo (later Khun Phan), Khun Chang, and Nang Phim (later Nang Wanthong) are childhood friends in Suphan Buri. Phlai Kaeo grows up to be handsome, clever and brave, but he is poor because the King executed his father. He ordained as a novice monk so that he could be educated at the local temple. He excels in martial arts and develops a love of magic. Khun Chang is his opposite: bald, ugly, and crass but very rich.
By the age of 16, Nang Phim is the most beautiful girl in Suphan Buri. She meets novice Phlai at Wat Pa Lelai during the Songkran festival, and they have a passionate courtship. But, Khun Chang is also smitten by Phim and tries to win her through his wealth. Love triumphs. Phlai Kaeo leaves the temple and they get married, even though Phim can already see that he is a great womanizer. Only two days together after the marriage, Phlai is called up to lead an army on a campaign in the north.
Phim falls sick from pining. The abbot of Wat Pa Lelai changes her name to Nang Wanthong to revive her luck. Khun Chang takes the opportunity of Phlai’s absence to spread rumours that Phlai Kaeo has died in battle and tempts Wanthong’s mother with his wealth. Wanthong’s mother consents to the marriage. Wanthong resists at first, but soon comes to enjoy a comfortable life and an attentive, faithful husband.
Meanwhile, Phlai Kaeo wins a magnificent victory in the north, and returns with his new fame as a great warrior. He also returns with a new wife, Laothong, who was a prize of the battle. The King gives him the title Khun Phan. When he reaches Suphan Buri he sees what has happened and commands Wanthong to return to his household. Wanthong and Laothong have a jealous quarrel. Things don’t work out and Khun Phan departs for Kanchanaburi and Wanthong stays with Khun Chang.
But, before long, Khun Phan is separated from Laothong by the King as punishment for skipping royal service. He equips himself with a magic sword, a magnificent horse and a powerful spirit, Golden Child. Then he comes to Suphan Buri and kidnaps Wanthong from Khun Chang’s house in the dead of night. They flee deep into the forest. But Khun Phan kills two royal officials sent after them, and so becomes a wanted man. When Wanthong becomes pregnant, he decides to give himself up.
At the trial, he clears himself, but then angers the King by asking for the return of his second wife, Laothong. He is jailed. Wanthong visits and looks after him. But then Khun Chang captures her and takes her back to his home. There she gives birth to Phlai Ngam, a son with Khun Phan.
Khun Chang is jealous of Khun Phan’s son and tries to do away with him by abandoning him in the forest. He survives, but Wanthong decides to entrust Phlai Ngam to a monastery. However, a while later, Phlai Ngam runs away and is brought up by his grandmother in Kanchanaburi.
Khun Phan suffers in prison for many years. He is released when the King needs him to lead another military campaign in the north. His adolescent son, Phlai Ngam, joins him on the campaign. Phlai Ngam starts to follow in his amorous footsteps by winning the hand of Simala, the beautiful daughter of the governor of Phichit. Khun Phaen is again victorious in battle. The King is so pleased that he not only restores Khun Phan to royal favour, but bestows on Phlai Ngam the title of Phra Wai and two wives: his beloved Simala, and a daughter of the defeated King of Chiang Mai.
At the wedding, Phra Wai and Khun Chang get in a drunken quarrel, which ends in a court case. Khun Chang loses and faces punishment, but Phra Wai appeals for him to be freed.
Khun Chang petitions the King to regain Wanthong as his wife. At the hearing, the King insists that Wanthong cannot have two husbands and must choose between them. But she cannot because each has meaning for her in different ways. The king loses his temper and condemns her to death. Phra Wai appeals and wins a reprieve at the last minute. He gallops off on his horse to stop the execution. But, the executioner, on seeing the approaching horse, thinks the King is angry with him for delaying the execution. So, he immediately beheads Wanthong.
Khun Chang Khun Phaen
Khun Phaen and Wanthong flee to the forest. Mural from sala on Khao Phra, U Thong.
Khun Chang Khun Phaen (Thai: ขุนช้างขุนแผน) is an epic Thai poem which originated from a folktale and is one of the most notable works in Thai literature. Chang and Phaen are the leading male characters, and "Khun" was a junior feudal title given for male commoners. The story is a classic love triangle, ending in high tragedy. Khun Phaen (dashing but poor) and Khun Chang (rich but ugly) compete for the lovely Wanthong from childhood for over fifty years. Their contest involves two wars, several abductions, a suspected revolt, an idyllic sojourn in the forest, two court cases, trial by ordeal, jail, and treachery. Ultimately the king condemns Wanthong to death for failing to choose between the two men. The poem was written down in the early nineteenth century, and a standard printed edition first published in 1917–1918. Like many works with origins in popular entertainment, it is fast-moving and stuffed full with heroism, romance, sex, violence, rude-mechanical comedy, magic, horror, and passages of lyrical beauty. In Thailand, the story is universally known. Children learn passages at school, and the poem is a source of songs, popular sayings, and everyday metaphors. The poem is also controversial because of its male bias and violence.
Origins and sepha
Modern performance of sepha, showing krap.
Khun Chang Khun Phaen is an old story in the Thai language. It originated as a folktale some time before the eighteenth century, developed by storytellers who recited episodes for local audiences, and passed on the story by word-of-mouth. By the eighteenth century, such performances had become the most popular form of entertainment in Siam. The storytellers recounted the story in stylized recitation, using two small sticks of wood (krap) to give rhythm and emphasis. The performances typically lasted a full night.
The performance of Khun Chang Khun Phaen created a new genre known as sepha. For at least a century, only episodes from this work were known by this term. In the Fourth Reign (1851–1868), parts of the royal chronicles and a few other works were also rendered in this form on royal commission, but all but a few fragments have since disappeared.
The origin of this word sepha is disputed. There is a musical form of the same name, but this seems unconnected. Kukrit Pramoj thought that sepha meant a jail and that the genre was developed by convicts in jail. Sujit Wongthet argued a connection to the Sanskrit word sewa, indicating some original association with ritual.
Khun Chang and Khun Phaen are the names of the two leading male characters. In the era when the poem's events are set, Khun was a title for one of the lowest ranks in the official nobility.
Development as literature
Beginning in the eighteenth century, prominent episodes from the story were written down. After the foundation of Bangkok in 1782, the new royal court made efforts to retrieve all kinds of texts which had survived the sack of Ayutthaya fifteen years earlier. Episodes of Khun Chang Khun Phaen were transcribed from earlier texts, or adapted from recitations by storytellers. No manuscripts of Khun Chang Khun Phaen have survived from the Ayutthaya era.
It became conventional to render these written versions in the then-popular poetic meter, klon, especially the variant with eight-syllable lines known as klon paet. Performance of these episodes were popular in the court and among the aristocracy. In the Second Reign (1809–1824), the performance was often enhanced by adding music. From the Fourth Reign (1851–1868), dancing was also added and more than one performer might share the task of recitation.
Several chapters were written down by members of the literary salon of King Rama II (1809–1824). None of these works are signed, but certain chapters and part-chapters are conventionally attributed to King Rama II, the future King Rama III (r. 1824–1851), and the great poet Sunthorn Phu. Another member of the salon, Prince Mahasakdi Phonlasep, a son of King Rama I (1782–1809) and cousin of King Rama II, may also have contributed to the writing.
Several other chapters were compiled later, probably during the reign of King Rama III, by Khru Jaeng, a performer of sepha and other forms of entertainment. Little is known of him except for an internal reference in the poem. For over half the 43 chapters in the standard version, the author is unknown.
A former missionary, Samuel Smith, printed the first book version in 1872, probably using a manuscript belonging to Somdet Chaophraya Borommaha Sisuriyawong. Another printed version was issued in 1889 by the Wat Ko Press. Five episodes composed by Khru Jaeng were printed around 1890.
The standard modern edition appeared in three volumes in 1917–1918, published by the Wachirayan Library, and edited by its head, Prince Damrong Rachanubhab. Damrong compiled from four sets of samut thai manuscripts and a few other fragments. The earliest of the manuscripts dated from the Fourth Reign (1851–1868). He selected what he believed were the best versions of each episode, and added some link passages. He deleted some passages which he considered obscene, and some which depended on topical jokes and other material which he felt were no longer comprehensible.
Plot Model of Khun Chang's house at Wat Palelai, Suphanburi.
This standard edition is around 20,000 lines divided into 43 chapters. The main story ends in chapter 36, but a further seven chapters were included because the episodes were well-known and popular. Performers and authors had already developed many more episodes which extended the story down through three generations of Khun Phaen's lineage. Damrong decreed that these were not good enough as either narrative or poetry to deserve publication. Around fifty of these later chapters have since been published in various collections.
Old Thai house erected on site of Ayutthaya jail, and called Khun Phaen's House.
Khun Chang, Phlai Kaeo (who later is given the title, Khun Phaen), and Nang Phim Philalai (who later changes her name to Wanthong) are childhood friends in Suphanburi. Khun Phaen is handsome and intelligent, but poor because the king has executed his father and seized their property. He enters the monkhood as a novice to get educated, excelling at military skills and love magic. Khun Chang is ugly and stupid, but rich and well-connected at the Ayutthaya court.
By age 15, Phim is the belle of Suphanburi. She meets Phlai Kaeo when putting food in his almsbowl at Songkran (Thai New Year). Sparks fly. They have a passionate affair, with him shuttling between the wat (Buddhist monastery) and her bedroom.
Khun Chang is also smitten by Phim. He competes for her using his wealth and status. He offers to give her mother Phim's weight in gold. After Phlai Kaeo and Phim are married, Khun Chang maneuvers the king to send Phlai Kaeo on military service, and then claims he is dead. When Phlai Kaeo returns victorious, Khun Chang plots to have him banished from Ayutthaya for negligence on government service.
Phim (now Wanthong) resists Khun Chang. But when Phlai Kaeo (now Khun Phaen) returns from war with another wife, they have a jealous quarrel. Wanthong goes to live with Khun Chang, enjoying his devotion and the comforts afforded by his wealth.
When Khun Phaen's second wife, Laothong, is taken into the palace by the king, Khun Phaen regrets abandoning Wanthong. He breaks into Khun Chang's house at the dead of night and takes Wanthong away. At first she is reluctant to leave her comfortable existence, but the passion rekindles, and they flee to an idyllic but frugal sojourn in the forest.
Khun Chang tells the king that Khun Phaen is mounting a rebellion. The king sends an army which Khun Phaen defeats, killing two of its officers. A warrant is issued for his arrest. When Wanthong becomes pregnant, Khun Phaen decides to leave the forest and give himself up. At the trial, the charges of rebellion are disproved, and Khun Chang is heavily fined.
Khun Phaen angers the king by asking for the release of Laothong. He is jailed, and festers in prison for around twelve years. Khun Chang abducts Wanthong and they again live together in Suphanburi.
Wanthong gives birth to Phlai Ngam, her son with Khun Phaen. When Phlai Ngam is eight, Khun Chang tries to kill him. Phlai Ngam escapes to live in Kanchanaburi with his grandmother who teaches him from Khun Phaen's library.
When the kings of Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai quarrel over a beautiful daughter of the King of Vientiane, Phlai Ngam volunteers to lead an army to Chiang Mai, and successfully petitions for Khun Phaen's release. They capture the King of Chiang Mai, and return with the Vientiane princess and a great haul of booty. Khun Phaen now gains status as the governor of Kanchanaburi. Phlai Ngam is appointed Phra Wai, an officer in the royal pages.
Khun Chang gets drunk at Phra Wai's wedding, and the old rivalry returns. Phra Wai abducts Wanthong from Khun Chang's house, prompting Khun Chang to petition the king for redress. At the subsequent trial, the king demands that Wanthong decide between Khun Chang and Khun Phaen. She cannot, and is dumb-struck. The king orders her execution. Phra Wai pleads successfully with the king for a reprieve, but the order arrives fractionally too late to avoid her execution.
Origins of the story
Prince Damrong believed that the Khun Chang Khun Phaen story was based on true events which took place around 1500 in the reign of King Ramathibodi II. His evidence was a memoir believed to have been taken down from Thai prisoners in Burma after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 (Khamhaikan chao krung kao, The testimony of the inhabitants of the old capital). The memoir mentions the name of Khun Phaen in an account of a military campaign against Chiang Mai. However, this memoir is just as much a text of oral history as Khun Chang Khun Phaen itself, and could well have developed from the folktale, rather than vice versa. The campaign against Chiang Mai in the latter part of Khun Chang Khun Phaen seems to be modeled on events which appear in the Ayutthaya and Lanchang chronicles for the 1560s.
The opening chapter of Khun Chang Khun Phaen mentions a gift from the Emperor of China which might be dated shortly before 1600. The third chapter has a date based on a 120-year calendar which can be resolved as 1549/50, 1669/70, or 1789/90.
Most likely Khun Chang Khun Phaen developed over decades or centuries by storytellers absorbing and embellishing several local tales and true stories. Prince Damrong surmised that the original version was much shorter and simpler: Khun Phaen woos and marries Wanthong but then goes to war; Khun Chang seizes her; Khun Phaen returns and in the ensuing squabble, Wanthong is condemned to death. The story then expanded as other episodes were assembled around these leading characters. The whole second half of the standard version shows signs of being an extension which repeats themes and episodes from the first half. Certain episodes are known to have been newly written and incorporated in the nineteenth century. Some episodes are known to be modeled on true events. The arrival of an embassy from Lanchang, for example, is based on the reception of an embassy from Tavoy at Ayutthaya in 1791.
Characteristics Realism
Most major works of old Thai literature are about gods and royalty, and take place in the court or the heavens. Khun Chang Khun Phaen is the great exception. The major characters are drawn from the minor provincial gentry. The authors build an atmosphere of realism by cramming the narrative with anthropological detail on dress, marriages, funerals, temple ceremonies, feasts (including menus and recipes), court cases, trial by ordeal, house building, travel, and entertainment.
In addition, the geography is real. Most of the action takes place in Suphanburi, Kanchanaburi, and Ayutthaya, and the locations are easily identifiable today, including temples and cross-country routes. Several places mentioned in the text appear on some early nineteenth century maps which were recently discovered in the royal palace in Bangkok.
In the later part of the tale there is an expedition to Vientiane which clearly follows one of the routes taken by Bangkok armies during the war against Vientiane in 1827–1828. There are also two military campaigns to Chiang Mai, but here the geography is much less certain. The place names are correct, but temples are located in the wrong town, routes between places make no geographical sense, and other mistakes indicate that the authors had only a hazy idea of the northern region.
Super-realism
Khun Phaen amulet.
As a novice, Phlai Kaeo is schooled in the “inner ways" (Thai: ทางใน, thang nai). This phrase refers to beliefs in supernatural powers which exist within human beings and other natural objects, and which can be activated through taught skills. These beliefs stem from the Tantric school of Buddhism, and are found as a substratum in Buddhism throughout Southeast Asia and other parts of the Buddhist world.
The methods to activate these latent powers include meditation and recitation of mantras or formulas (elsewhere, yoga is another method). The power can also be transferred to objects, especially diagrams known as yantra (Thai: เลขยันต์, lek yan). In India, where they probably originated, such diagrams are composed mostly of geometric shapes with symbolic meanings arranged in symmetrical patterns (the mandala is a yantra). In the Thai tradition, these diagrams also include numbers in sequences with supernatural meaning, pictures of gods and powerful animals (lion, tiger, elephant), and formulas or abbreviated formulas written in Pali or Khmer. To have power, these diagrams have to be drawn by an adept under strict rules (such as reciting formulas continuously, completing the drawing in one sitting), and activated by reciting a formula.
Yantra (called Yant in Thai) diagrams can be carried on the body in various ways: tattoed on the skin (Sak Yant - สักยันต์); imprinted on a shirt or inner shirt; imprinted on a scarf (Thai: ประเจียด, prajiat) tied round the head, arm, or chest; imprinted on a belt, perhaps made from human skin; imprinted on paper or cloth which is then rolled and plaited into a ring (Thai: แหวน พิรอด, Hwaen Pirod); inscribed on a soft metal such as tin which is coiled round a cord and worn as an amulet (Thai: ตะกรุด, Takrud). The main purpose of these various forms of yant designs with Khom inscriptions, is to give invulnerability or protection against various forms of threat.
The same purpose is served by carrying amulets made from natural materials which have some unusual property which seems contrary to nature. A good example is mercury – a metal which has the unusual property of behaving like a fluid. Other examples include cat’s eye, a semi-precious stone which resembles an animal’s eye, and “fluid metal” (Thai: เหล็กไหล, lek lai), a metal-like substance believed to become malleable under the heat of a candle’s flame. These items can be strung on cords and worn around various parts of the body, or inserted under the skin.
Before going into battle or any other undertaking entailing risk, Khun Phaen decks himself with several of these items. He also consults various oracles which indicate whether the time and the direction of travel is auspicious. These oracles include casting various forms of horoscope, looking for shapes in the clouds, and examining which nostril the breath is passing most easily.
Khun Phaen is also schooled in Kata Akom (mantra) or formulas with supernatural power. They are used for such purposes as stunning enemies, transforming his body into other forms, opening locks and chains, putting everyone else to sleep, and converting sheaves of grass into invulnerable spirit warriors. Khun Phaen also uses love formulas to captivate women, and to allay the wrath of the king.
Finally, Khun Phaen has a corps of spirits which he looks after. They defend him against enemy spirits, act as spies, and transport him at speed. In a famous passage, Khun Phaen acquires an especially powerful spirit from the still-born foetus of his own son. This spirit is known as a Gumarn Tong (Thai: กุมารทอง), a golden child.
In the poem, the command of these powers is described using several combinations of the following words: wicha (Thai: วิชา), taught knowledge; witthaya (Thai: วิทยา), similar to the suffix, -ology; wet (Thai: เวท), from veda, the Brahminical scriptures; mon (Thai: มนตร์), mantra, a Buddhist prayer; katha (Thai: คาถา), a verse or formula; and akhom (Thai: อาคม), from agama, a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge, especially pre-vedic texts. These words position the command of these powers as an ancient and sacred form of learning.
Adaptations
While the poetic sepha has become the standard version of Khun Chang Khun Phaen, the story has been rendered into many other forms.
In the nineteenth century, various episodes were adapted into drama plays (lakhon), dance dramas, comedies, and likay. In the twentieth century, episodes were adapted into the poetical form of nirat, and the folk performance of phleng choi.
There have been five film versions, beginning with a silent film in two parts by Bamrung Naewphanit in 1936. The most recent film version, Khun Phaen, was directed by Thanit Jitnukul in 2002.
A first TV version appeared as a single episode in 1955. A 1970 version, based around the exploits of Khun Phaen as governor of Kanchanaburi, extended over 500 episodes. Thai Channel 3 aired a serial version under the name Phim Phlilalai (Wanthong's natal name) in 1985, and Thai Channel 5 aired a serial Khun Phaen in 1998.
A cartoon version, drawn by Sawat Jukarop, appeared in Siam Rath from 1932 to 1950. The latest among many book-length cartoon versions was compiled by Sukrit Boonthong in 2005.
Several famous artists have illustrated scenes from Khun Chang Phaen, especially Hem Vejakorn. In 1917, BAT Co Ltd issues a series of 100 cigarette cards featuring characters from the story.
There have been several adaptations into novels, beginning with Malai Chuphinit, Chai Chatri (The Hero) in 1932. The most famous is Khun Phaen written by the major thriller author Por Intharapalit in 1972.
There have been at least seven re-tellings of the story in modern Thai prose. The first, and most complete of these, was by Premseri in 1964.
Three other works tell the story with the addition of annotations and explanations of old words and forgotten customs. The study by Suphon Bunnag was published in two volumes in 1960, and republished in her cremation volume in 1975. Khun Wichitmatra (Sanga Kanchanakphan) and Phleuang na Nakhon wrote a series of articles in the magazine Withayasan over 1954–57, collected together in book form in 1961. Kukrit Pramoj also wrote a series of articles in Siam Rath, collected as a book in 1989.
In 2002 Sujit Wongthet published a similar work which originated as a series of articles in the magazine Sinlapa Watthanatham (Art and Culture). The book includes a copy of two manuscript versions of chapter 17, which Sujit secured from the National Archives under the Freedom of Information Act. These manuscripts reveal what Prince Damrong had excised in his editing.
Cholthira Satyawadhna wrote an MA dissertation in 1970 using a Freudian approach to analyze aggression in Khun Chang Khun Phaen. The thesis became famous, both as a landmark in Thai literary criticism, and as an early Thai feminist treatise.
In modern life
Shrine to Khun Phaen and his father Khun Krai at Cockfight Hill, Kanchanaburi.
Shrine to Nang Simala at Old Phichit.
Shrine to Nang Buakhli on stalactite in cave at Ban Tham, Kanchanaburi.
Khun Chang Khun Phaen is the source of many sayings in modern Thai, and several songs. The name Khun Phaen is shorthand for a great lover (similar to Romeo or Casanova). It is also the name of a famous amulet, reputed to bring success in love, and the slang for a large "chopper" motorcycle.
In Suphanburi and Phichit, towns which figure prominently in the poem, the major streets have been named after characters in the story.
At several locations featured in the story there are now shrines with images of the characters. Such locations include Cockfight Hill in old Kanchanaburi (images of Khun Phaen and his father Khun Krai), the old town of Phichit (Nang Simala), and Ban Tham in Kanchanaburi (Nang Buakhli).
In Ayutthaya, an old Thai house has been erected on the site of the jail where Khun Phaen was incarcerated in the poem. The house has been renamed “Khum Khun Phaen” and is a major tourist attraction. A similar house, attributed to Khun Phaen, has recently been erected in Wat Khae in Suphanburi. This temple also has an old tamarind tree which is legendarily associated with a passage in the poem in which Khun Phaen is taught how to transform tamarind leaves into wasps.
Wat Palelai, Suphanburi, has erected a model of Khun Chang's house, and commissioned a series of murals from the Khun Chang Khun Phaen story around its main cloister.
Contemporary status
Almost every Thai knows the story of Khun Chang Khun Phaen. Most children have to memorize and recite extracts at school.
Thailand's literary establishment has been rather cool towards Khun Chang Khun Phaen, probably because of the work's origins in the folk tradition and consequent lack of refinement. In addition, feminists have criticized the story for celebrating Khun Phaen as a promiscuous lover, and making Wanthong a tragic victim.
Kukrit Pramoj opened his study of the poem with the remark: “At present there are some knowledgeable people who have expressed the opinion that Khun Chang Khun Phaen is an immoral book and a bad example which should be burnt or destroyed, so no one may read it from now on.”
Kukrit Pramoj is one among many enthusiasts who value Khun Chang Khun Phaen as a great story and as a unique repository of old Thai culture. Other prominent defenders include:
• Sulak Sivaraksa (social commentator, activist): “This immortal story is number one in Thai literature, and cedes nothing to the major literary works of other nations."
• Rong Wongsawan (novelist, essayist): “I like Khun Chang Khun Phaen and still read it today. It's the literary work which best reflects the life of the Thai. In simple words, the voice of the people."
• Naowarat Phongphaibun (national poet): “Every Thai person over 30 should read at least four or five books, starting with Khun Chang Khun Phaen.”
• William J. Gedney (linguist): “I have often thought that if all other information on traditional Thai culture were to be lost, the whole complex could be reconstructed from this marvellous text.”
Translation
There is no full translation into a European language. Prem Chaya (Prince Prem Purachatra) began a précis version, The Story of Khun Chang Khun Phaen (1955, 1959), but completed only two of the three planned volumes. J. Kasem Sibunruang compiled an abridged version in French, with some commentary, as La femme, le heros et le vilain. Poeme populaire thai. Khun Chang, Khun Phen (1960). Klaus Wenk translated the famous chapter 24 by Sunthorn Phu word-for-word into German, in Studien zur Literatur der Thai: Texte und Interpretationen von und zu Sunthon Phu und seinem Kreis. Hamburg and Bangkok (1985).
There are very few studies on Khun Chang Khun Phaen in western languages. Prince Bidyalankarana (Krommuen Pitthayalongkon) wrote two articles on the poem in the Journal of Siam Society in 1926 and 1941 which explain the metrical form of the sepha and give a summary of the plot. E. H. S. Simmonds published an aritlce in Asia Major in 1963 which compares one episode in the standard text with a version he recorded in performance.
Notes
1. ^ a b This section and the next draw on Prince Damrong’s account of the poem’s background.
2. ^ This section draws on works by Anuman Rajadhon, Thep Sarikabut, Textor, and Turton.
3. ^ This section depends on research by Narongsak Sonjai, referenced in the External links section below.
References Thai text
• Sepha Khun Chang Khun Phaen. 3 vols, Bangkok, Wachirayan Library, 1917–1918. Reprinted by Khurusapha. Includes Prince Damrong's preface on the history and background of the story.
• Khun Chang Khun Phaen. 40 vols, Rattanakosin [Bangkok], Wat Ko, 1890. Complete copy in William Gedney collection, University of Michigan library.
Other works in Thai
• Anuman Rajadhon, Phraya. 1965. Prapheni bet set (Miscellaneous traditions). Bangkok: Social Science Association of Thailand.
• Cholthira Satyawadhna. 1970. Kan nam wannakhadi wichan phaen mai baep tawan tok ma chai kap wannakhadi thai (The application of western modern literary criticism to Thai literature). MA dissertation, Chulalongkorn University.
• Kanchanakphan (Khun Wichitmatra) and Nai Tamra na Muang Tai (Pleuang na Nakhon). 1961. Lao rueang Khun Chang Khun Phaen (Telling the story of Khun Chang Khun Phaen). (Reprint, Amarin, 2002).
• Khamhaikan chao krung kao (The testimony of the inhabitants of the old capital). 2001. Bangkok: Chotmaihet.
• Kukrit Pramoj. 1989. Khun Chang Khun Phaen: chabap an mai (Khun Chang Khun Phaen, a new reading). (Reprinted, Dokya, 2000).
• Premseri. 1964. Khun Chang Khun Phaen: chut wannakhadi amata khong thai samnuan roi kaeo (Khun Chang Khun Phaen: series of immortal Thai literature in prose versions). Bangkok Ruamsat (11th printing, 2003).
• Sujit Wongthet. 2002. Khun Chang Khun Phaen saensanuk (Khun Chang Khun Phaen, lots of fun). Bangkok: Sinlapa Watthanatham.
• Suphon Bunnag. 1960. Sombat kawi: Khun Chang Khun Phaen (Poetic treasure: Khun Chang Khun Phaen). Bangkok. (Republished as cremation volume, 1975).
• Thep Sarikabut, Phra khamphi phrawet (Texts of lore). 6 vols. Bangkok: Utsahakam kan phim, n.d.
Khun Paen The Mighty Warrior
Here's a storey for Peter Soerianto who asked about Khun Paen.........
Legendary Khun Paen lived between 1491-1529. He is the legendary Ayuthaya warrior living some 450 years ago. His name later became the name of a kind of votive tablets found at Wat Bankrang, Suphanburi Province, about a century ago. Khun paen was born in Suphanburi Province (some 70 km. northwest of Bangkok) but grew up in the close bordered Kanchanaburi Province, where the world wide well-known "Bridge over River Kwai" situated.
He was a disciple of Archan Kong, a magic-expert guru monk, for magical studies. By his skillful fighting, he was appointed by the king to be Khun or a high ranking military officer.
His biography was far more extended and rather a story by poetic authors of the early Rattanakosin period.
Khun Paen's House
Phlai Kaeo (who later is given the title, Khun Phaen), and Nang Phim Philalai (who later changes her name to Wanthong) are childhood friends in Suphanburi. Khun Phaen is handsome and intelligent, but poor because the king has executed his father and seized their property. He enters the monkhood as a novice to get educated, excelling at military skills and love magic.
He was a disciple of Archan Kong, a magic-expert guru monk, for magical studies.
Khun Chang is ugly and stupid, but rich and well-connected at the Ayutthaya court.
By age 15, Phim is the belle of Suphanburi. She meets Phlai Kaeo when putting food in his almsbowl at Songkran (Thai New Year). Sparks fly. They have a passionate affair, with him shuttling between the wat(Buddhist monastery) and her bedroom.
Khun Chang is also smitten by Wanthong. He competes for her using his wealth and status.
He offers to give her mother Phim's weight in gold. After Khun pean and Phim are married, Khun Chang maneuvers the king to send Phlai Kaeo on military service, and then claims he is dead. When Phlai Kaeo returns victorious, Khun Chang plots to have him banished from Ayutthaya for negligence on government service.
Phim (now Wanthong) resists Khun Chang. But when Phlai Kaeo (now Khun Phaen) returns from war with another wife, they have a jealous quarrel. Wanthong goes to live with Khun Chang, enjoying his devotion and the comforts afforded by his wealth.
When Khun Phaen's second wife, Laothong, is taken into the palace by the king, Khun Phaen regrets abandoning Wanthong. He breaks into Khun Chang's house at the dead of night and takes Wanthong away.
At first she is reluctant to leave her comfortable existence, but the passion rekindles, and they flee to an idyllic but frugal sojourn in the forest.
Khun Chang tells the king that Khun Phaen is mounting a rebellion. The king sends an army which Khun Phaen defeats, killing two of its officers. A warrant is issued for his arrest. When Wanthong becomes pregnant, Khun Phaen decides to leave the forest and give himself up. At the trial, the charges of rebellion are disproved, and Khun Chang is heavily fined.
Khun Phaen angers the king by asking for the release of Laothong. He is jailed, and festers in prison for around twelve years. Khun Chang abducts Wanthong and they again live together in Suphanburi.
Wanthong gives birth to Phlai Ngam, her son with Khun Phaen. When Phlai Ngam is eight, Khun Chang tries to kill him. Phlai Ngam escapes to live in Kanchanaburi with his grandmother who teaches him from Khun Phaen's library.
When the kings of Ayutthaya and Chiang mai quarrel over a beautiful daughter of the King of Vientiane, Phlai Ngam volunteers to lead an army to Chiang Mai, and successfully petitions for Khun Phaen's release. They capture the King of Chiang mai, and return with the Vientiane princess and a great haul of booty. Khun Phaen now gains status as the governor of Kanchanaburi . Phlai Ngam is appointed Phra Wai, an officer in the royal pages.
Khun Chang gets drunk at Phra Wai's wedding, and the old rivalry returns.Phra Wai abducts Wanthong from Khun Chang's house, prompting Khun Chang to petition the king for redress.
At the subsequent trial, the king demands that Wanthong decide between Khun Chang and Khun Phaen. She cannot, and is dumb-struck. The king orders her execution. Phra Wai pleads successfully with the king for a reprieve, but the order arrives fractionally too late to avoid her execution.
The Magical power of Khun paen
Khun Paen- Wat Bang Krang
Based on old legends, Khun Paen was handsome and very attractive to ladies.Although, he had many wives, but still many ladies fell in love with him. Khun Paen had magical knowledge. He used magic to make himself invulnerable and unseen to enemies, to change the marching track of the enemies to become labyrinthine field, and to change leaves of the tree to become wasps to sting enemies etc.
Khun Paen is also a master in mantra or formulas with supernatural power.
They are used for such purposes as stunning enemies, transforming his body into other forms, opening locks and chains, putting everyone else to sleep, and converting sheaves of grass into invulnerable spirit warriors. Khun Phaen also uses love formulas to captivate women, and to allay the wrath of the king.
Khun Paen was also the first who created Guman Thong. He brought the dead baby from the womb of the dead Bua Klee, one of his wives, to the Temple outer area within the chanting hall where the Buddha image is placed. The Temple and its outer area are so sacred place that no mighty ghosts or spirits can enter. Based on the legend descriptions, Khun Paen was chanting some sacred mantras to invoke the spirit of Guman Thong while roasting the dead baby on the fire.
Guman Thong defended him against enemy spirits, act as spies, got for him money and transported him at speed.
The Lengendary Khun Paen (Khun Paen Bucha in shrine at Old Kanburi)
Legendary Khun Paen lived between 1491-1529. He is the legendary Ayuthaya warrior living some 450 years ago. His name later became the name of a kind of votive tablets found at Wat Bankrang, Suphanburi Province, about a century ago. Khun paen was born in Suphanburi Province (some 70 km. northwest of Bangkok) but grew up in the close bordered Kanchanaburi Province, where the world wide well-known "Bridge over River Kwai" situated.
He was a disciple of Archan Kong, a magic-expert guru monk, for magical studies. By his skillful fighting, he was appointed by the king to be Khun or a high ranking military officer.
His biography was far more extended and rather a story by poetic authors of the early Rattanakosin period.
Special Khun Paen amulets
( Luang Pu Tim Wat Lahanrai Khun paen plai guman)
From above miracle Khun Paen story, many Archans or monks like to make Khun Paen as charming and metta amulets. Personally, I like to collect khun paen amulets as some of it are beautiful and it's effect proven to be good. According to some comments and reviews by the archans, monks and local Thai people, khun paen amulet generally is best for :
1) Able to naturally attract the opposite sex.
2) Get to be liked, trusted, respected and admired by everyone.
3) Get to develop indestructible confidence and courage.
4) Easiler to ask for favour and help.
5) Gain the "upper hand" in business or career.
6) Sucessful in everything that your do.
7) Great luck and great charm.
8) Victories in all aspects of lifes.
and much much more....
Some more of khun paens:
(khun Paen from Wat Bankrang)
(Khun paen from Cambodia)
(Khun Paen by Archan Monak)
Khun Paen
Khun Paen was my second votive tablet after the Nang Phaya. Similarly, it was also given to me by my long time Thai friend (actually, it was his - where it was 15 years ago, I had some "diplomatic" business problems and when he got to know about it and take down from his wearing to ask me to start wearing it, strangely, that issue was resolved peacefully). Since then, I started using it daily as one of the three companion amulets.
The rear view of the Khun Paen image I am using for the last 15 years, sounds something like: "Krut Thong Seh-Tie, Chang Wat, Kamphaeng Phet" Khun Paen was a respectful Thai legendary warrior who fenced-off invading Burmese a few hundred years ago near Kanchanaburi Province. The word, "Khun" when translated, was actually a military rank of a "general" in Thailand (and thus "Paen" was the name). The legend says he was raised and taught by Guru Monk, Acharn Kong on magical studies which in turn had helped him won many battles against the aggression of Burmese during those days. Many secondary Thai imageries such as "Guman Thong" - the ritual babe ghost was actually referring to his son who was killed and transformed by Paen into a half human-ghost to help him in his battles.
But most of all, other than protective purpose and a mysterious ability in improving human relationship, this all-time men's favorite imageries originated from the general beliefs that Khun Paen has a mysterious "power" to attract women (much due to historical legend that he had plenty of beautiful women in his life). Probably this was also one of the main reasons you can find so many of this Imageries in my site, hehe ...oldman syndrome, you can call this.
Please note that this men-favourite image can also be regarded as one of the most copied tablets on the market and many replicas have surfaced. I don't have the adequate knowledge to command and differentiate the originality of these either but it is advisable to refer to a few experienced Guru-collectors who can help you to authenticate them before committing any heavy financial investment. Some of the images of Khun Paen showcased below come with different origin and with different prices. The image provided by Col. Samay is a good example, it is one of the original version that has liquar-coated finishing. The center two well preserved images, although look very normal but they have been authenticated as old original images. The third from the left was similar to the one that I am using but it is the second version. The one by LP Tim from "Wat Rat Hanrai, Changwat Ratyong", Chun Buri has a Takrut behind, it comes with three versions in white, gold and black colour, the golden finish version was said to be the midrange (price-related) while the black version is the most expensive. Third from the right is an older version of the Khun Paen Ren Keow, "Wat Prarut", Supanburi, the one at the far right is also from the same source but it is not as old. The amulet at the center is named as "Khun Paen Ren Keow Phra Bhudhacharn(Toh) Promrangsi", sealed in "Krut Tad Khow", Changwat Sukhorthai, it was another rare piece - as quoted by some Thai guru collectors' magazines, some amulet Guru believed the famous Toh at Wat Rakang, Bangkok did produced some very limited number of Khun Paen images and this re-surfaced image is an extremely hard to source item - don't ask me how much does it cost... because it is probably meant for collectors.
Khun Paen is the name of a legendary Ayuthayan warrior living some 450 years ago. His name later became the name of a kind of votive tablets found at Wat Bankrang, Suphanburi Province, about a century ago.
It is amulets collectors of the previous generation who named such the votive tablets "Khun Paen" just because the name was widely known to Thai people as an important legendary figure. There is actually no relation between the votive tablets themself and Khun Paen. And the figure image appears on the votive tablet is Lord Buddha, not Khun Paen.
据说坤平出身于一个将领的家庭，天生聪慧、正直。年纪小的他已很讲义气，扬言长大后必效力国家，为帝王宝命也绝不言辞。他从小就学习武功，到年纪较长时已是十八般武艺皆精通，对骑马射箭更有他的一套，百发百中。由于他从小习武的缘故，所以他身材健硕，魁壮结实，加上他天生英俊非凡，真可说是一名标准的美男子。也因为家庭背景的助力，坤平自然而然也当上了当地的一名将领，后来要因为减赋有功而被封为将军。因此往后便有流传，坤平将军下面神鸡的佛牌可以改善人缘、异性魅力和化解困难。
将军他不但威勇善战，样貌更是俊朗不凡，深受女孩子欢迎，因此坤平妻妾之多无人能及，而且都能和睦相处，一次，坤平将军接到国家的命令，要攻打妻子的国家，便哀求丈夫不要攻打自己的家乡，但军命难为，坤平将军没有接受妻子的哀求，见丈夫不接受自己的哀求，便在坤平将军的食物中下毒，但坤平将军是天神化身，有天神秘佑，所以未能毒害坤平将军，事件已败露，坤平将军一时气愤，便将妻子杀死，但躺下后，坤平将军，才发现妻子已怀有身孕，便将死去的儿子，制成干骸佩带在身，以作记念，这就是现今人称金童子之鬼仔(泰国称作古曼童)的来历，坤平将军佩带了儿子的干骸金童子后，百战百胜，每当遇上危险都能化险为夷。
据说坤平将军喜爱斗鸡，斗鸡是泰国一种赌博活动，而坤平的斗鸡竟和坤平将军一样威勇善战，百战百胜，有神鸡称号。因此往后便有流传，坤平将军佛牌，能助人缘，特别是异性缘，另外会对偏财、赌运有所帮助。
兴旺发
