Anuruddhā

Anuruddhā is a figure described in Pali and Thai historiographical traditions as a ruler associated with the Dvaravati cultural sphere, particularly the polity of Arimadhanaburi, which modern scholars identify with Nakhon Pathom. He appears in chronicles such as the Jinakalamali and the Northern Chronicle as a monarch engaged in political consolidation within present-day central Thailand.

Reign and Chronology

The Jinakalamali places Anuruddhā's reign approximately in the mid to late 7th century. Both the Jinakalamali and the Northern Chronicle attribute to him the establishment of the Chula Sakarat era in 638 CE. Based on this, some scholars have proposed a reign from 639 to 679 CE and have tentatively identified him with Kakabhadra, the supposed founder of this era. However, this chronology is complicated by other accounts within the Northern Chronicle, which suggest Kalavarnadisharaja succeeded Kakabhadra in 641 and later moved the political center to Lavo in 648.

Political and Religious Activities

According to the Jinakalamali, Anuruddhā is portrayed as the ruler who orchestrated the overthrow of Manohanaraj at Ayojjhapura, a city identified in Chinese sources as Qiān Zhī Fú and linked to Si Thep. This campaign followed earlier events where Manohanaraj's father, Rajadhiraj, had invaded Lampang and removed Sikhī Buddha images to Ayojjhapura. Anuruddhā subsequently requested these images from Manohanaraj, but upon refusal, launched a military campaign that resulted in Manohanaraj's capture and the transfer of two Sikhī Buddha images to Arimadhanaburi. The Jinakalamali further records that he later returned these images to Haripuñjaya during the reign of Camadevi, indicating his activities extended at least until 688 CE, the accession date of Camadevi's son, Hanayos.

The Northern Chronicle depicts Anuruddhā engaging in a conflict with Indaprasthanagara over sacred objects, specifically the Pali Canon and the Emerald Buddha, which had been transported from Lanka. These items reportedly arrived at Indaprasthanagara due to lost course, and the ruler there refused to return them. Anuruddhā is described as having exerted political pressure on Indaprasthanagara, a polity identified in the Ayutthaya Testimonies as lying east of Sankhaburi. The dispute was partially resolved when Indaprasthanagara returned the Pali Canon, while retaining the other object. Anuruddhā is also portrayed as maintaining religious connections with Lanka, supporting the transmission and patronage of Buddhism.

Historiographical Issues

Scholarly discussions regarding Anuruddhā's identity are influenced by phonetic similarities and chronological discrepancies in the historical sources. His name bears resemblance to Anawrahta, the 11th-century ruler of Pagan, and the Northern Chronicle conflates the two figures. However, this same text associates Anuruddhā with the 638 CE establishment of the Chula Sakarat era, creating an internal inconsistency. Some researchers have proposed identifying Anuruddhā with Kalavarnadisharaja of Lavo, but this interpretation faces chronological challenges, as narratives place Anuruddhā at Nakhon Pathom concurrently with Kalavarnadisharaja's rule in Lavo. The proposed identification of the 7th-century Anuruddhā with the 11th-century Anawrahta of Pagan also impacts the location of Indaprasthanagara, with some scholars placing it in modern Myanmar, contrary to other sources that locate it in the Menam basin.