Editing Mon people (section)

===Early history===
{{see also|Mon kingdoms|Dvaravati|Lavo Kingdom|Hariphunchai}}
[[File:Ban-talat-Mon-inscription.jpg|thumb|180px|The Ban Tha Lat Mon inscription, dated 9th century CE, was discovered in 1968 in an area where other archaeological evidence confirmed the presence of the ancient Mon people. It is now located at the Ho Phra Kaeo Museum in Vientiane, Laos<ref>{{citation|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/265360818.pdf|title=The Diffusion of Lao Scripts|page=6|first=Michel|last=Lorrillard|access-date=26 February 2021|date=12 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://pdfslide.net/documents/inscription-laos.html|title=Mon inscription in Laos|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref>]]
[[File:Mon political entities.png|Political entities of the Mon people around the 6th-7th centuries.|thumb|180px]]
[[File:DvaravatiMapThailand.png|thumb|180px|Spread of [[Dvaravati art|Dvaravati Culture]] and [[Dvaravati|Mon Dvaravati]] sites.]]
[[File:Map-of-southeast-asia 900 CE.png|thumb|180px|Map of Southeast Asia c. 900 CE, showing the [[Hariphunchai]] in light green.]]
[[File:พระนางจามะเทวี - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|266x266px|Queen regnant [[Camadevi]] Monument in [[Lamphun]], Thailand]]
The Mon are believed to have been one of the earliest peoples of [[Mainland Southeast Asia]].{{sfn|Pan Hla|1991|page=15}}<ref>{{citation|title=MON STATE PROFILE|publisher=UNHCR|date=June 2014|url=https://themimu.info/sites/themimu.info/files/documents/Infographic_MonStateProfile_UNHCR_June2014.pdf|quote=The Mon people are one of the oldest civilizations in South-East Asia, with a recorded history dating back more than a millennium, and are believed to be a major source of influence for the cultures of Myanmar and Thailand, particularly regarding the spread of Buddhist religion.}}</ref> They established some of the earliest civilizations in the region, including [[Dvaravati]] in Central Thailand, which spread its culture into Northeastern Thailand, Sri Gotapura in Central Laos (modern Sikhottabong, Vientiane Prefecture),<ref name="l1">{{citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=seglAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA328|title=Historical Dictionary of Laos|author=Martin Stuart-Fox|date=6 February 2008|page=328|publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810864115|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="l2">{{cite web|url=https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/57571|title=The That Phanom chronicle : a shrine history and its interpretation|author=Phra Thep Rattanamoli|date=1976|access-date=27 February 2021}}</ref>{{rp|6,7}}<ref name="l3">{{citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCMgBlhtm8sC|title=Culture and Customs of Laos|date=2009|first=Arne|last=Kislenko|access-date=26 February 2021|page=19|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9780313339776}}</ref><ref name="l4">{{cite web|url=https://vietlongtravel.com/news/laos-history/the-mon-and-khmer-kingdoms|title=The Mon and Khmer Kingdoms|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagecruise.net/laos/laos-history/the-mon-a-khmer-kingdoms.html |title=Sri Gotapura |access-date=2013-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031024149/http://www.heritagecruise.net/laos/laos-history/the-mon-a-khmer-kingdoms.html |archive-date=2014-10-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[Hariphunchai|Hariphunchai Kingdom]] in Northern Thailand, and the [[Thaton Kingdom]] in Lower Myanmar.<ref name="Coedes"/>{{rp|63,76–77}}The Mon were the first to receive [[Theravada Buddhist]] missionaries from [[Sri Lanka]], in contrast to their [[Hindu]] contemporaries such as Cham peoples.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Geography of Religion: Faith, Place, and Space|author=Roger W. Stump|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|date=2008|isbn=978-0742581494}}</ref>{{rp|153}} They adopted the [[Pallava script]], and the oldest form of the [[Mon script]] was discovered in a cave in modern-day [[Saraburi]], dating back to around 550 CE.<ref>{{citation|url=https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/jiabs/article/view/8854|title=The Advent of Theravāda Buddhism to Mainland South-east Asia|author=Peter Skilling|journal=Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies|date=30 June 1997|pages=93–107|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://thesiamsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/1991/03/JSS_079_1f_Bauer_MonEpigraphy.pdf|title=Notes on MON Epigraphy|author=Christian Bauer|date=1991|access-date=26 February 2021|page=24}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/128261411/Inscription-Narai|title=Inscription Narai
|author=Bee Htaw Monzel|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref> Although no remains have been found from the Thaton Kingdom, it is widely mentioned in Bamar and Lanna chronicles.

According to the Northern Thai Chronicles, the city of [[Lavo Kingdom|Lavo]] (modern Lopburi) was founded by Phaya Kalavarnadishraj in 648 CE. He reportedly came from Takkasila, which is assumed to be the city of [[Tak Province|Tak]] or [[Nakhon Pathom Province|Nakhon Chai Si]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://kids-d.swu.ac.th/dspace/bitstream/123456789/1370/2/p02.pdf|title=ลพบุรีที่น่ารู้|page=5|author=Huan Phinthuphan|access-date=March 1, 2021|date=1969|language=th}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.thapra.lib.su.ac.th/objects/thesis/fulltext/thapra/Saritpong_Khunsong_Doctor/fulltext.pdf|title=พัฒนาการทางวัฒนธรรมของเมืองนครปฐมโบราณในช่วงก่อนพุทธศตวรรษที่ 19|author=Saritpong Khunsong|date=2010|access-date=March 1, 2021|language=th}}</ref>{{rp|29}}<ref>{{citation|url=https://arit.kpru.ac.th/contents/pdf/local/1289.pdf|title=กําแพงเพชร เมืองก่อนประวัติศาสตร์|language=th|date=February 28, 2021|access-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref> Another historical figure, Phaya Kakabatr, is believed to have also come from Takkasila and established the [[Chula Sakarat]] era in 638 CE,<ref>{{cite book|language=th|title=ตามพรลิงค์ศรีวิชัยอาณาจักรที่ถูกลืม|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lnRuAAAAMAAJ|isbn=9747115093|author=Sanphet Thammāthikun|publisher=Samnakphim Matichon|date=1995|access-date=March 2, 2021}}</ref>{{rp|22}} which was used by the Siamese and Burmese until the 19th century. Phaya Kalavarnadishraj, the son of Phaya Kakabatr, founded Lavo a decade later. By the late 7th century, Lavo had expanded to the north. The legendary Queen [[Camadevi]], who was said to be a daughter of a Lavo king, according to the Northern Thai Chronicle [[Cāmadevivaṃsa]], came to rule as the first queen of [[Hariphunchai]] (modern Lamphun) around 750-800 CE.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Swearer|first1=Donald K.|title=The Legend of Queen Cama: Bodhiramsi's Camadevivamsa, a Translation and Commentary|date=1998|publisher=State University of New York Press|location=Albany, New York|isbn=0791437752|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hFCMhlaj4bkC&q=Camadevivamsa&pg=PR9|first2=Sommai|last2=Premchit|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/johnjadd-3524a.appspot.com/o/ySroOyFbNphMLJ9kMTSmDpxsJeX2%2Fpdf%2F1547179111436-RT10_2Ch07%20Camadevi%20Worship%20%20Legend%20Reproduction%20and%20Social%20Space%20Construction.pdf?alt=media&token=fe0a1975-2a1b-41e2-8975-ef030228c936|title=Camadevi Worship: Legend Reproduction and Social Space Construction|date=2017|access-date=26 February 2021|author=Warisara Anantato}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Z9ODwAAQBAJ&q=Hariphunchai&pg=PT348|title=Discovery of Prehistory Ancient India|isbn=9781532037900|access-date=26 February 2021|last1=Motwani|first1=Dr. Jagat K.|date=22 February 2018|publisher=iUniverse }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/thailand/history-haripunjaya.htm|title=Thailand - 799–1292 - Hariphunchai / Haripunjaya Period|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref> A few years later, her son Prince Anantayot founded Khelang Nakhon (modern [[Lampang]]), playing a significant role in the history of the Hariphunchai Kingdom.<ref>{{citation|url=https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/abc/article/view/206630|title=Music Composition Queen Chamdevi Suite|date=June 24, 2020|access-date=March 3, 2021|author=Chattiya Khieti-navy|author2=Bussakorn Binson|author3=Kumkom Pornprasit}}</ref>{{rp|28}}

After the year 1000 CE, the Dvaravati Mon people faced constant pressure from [[Tai peoples|Tai]] migrations from the north and [[Khmer people|Khmer]] invasions from the east.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Golden Peninsula: Culture and Adaptation in Mainland Southeast Asia|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|date=1994|author=Charles F. Keyes|isbn=082481696X}}</ref>{{rp|75,76}} Many Dvaravati Mons fled to join other Mon civilizations in the present-day Lower Myanmar, while their descendants, the [[Nyah Kur people]], still reside in Northeastern Thailand. Despite the pressure from the [[Northern Thai people]], the Hariphunchai kingdom managed to survive as a Mon outpost in Northern Thailand.

[[File:Myazedi-Inscription-Mon.JPG|thumb|234x234px|[[Myazedi inscription|Myazedi Inscription (AD 1113)]] in Mon language in [[Bagan]]. One of the oldest surviving stone inscriptions in Myanmar.|alt=]]
In 1057 CE, King [[Anawrahta]] of the [[Pagan Kingdom]] conquered the [[Thaton Kingdom]] of the Mon people in Lower Burma.<ref name="Coedes"/> The Mon culture and script had a significant influence on the [[Bamar people|Bamar]], bringing the Mons under Bamar control for the first time. Despite this, the Mon remained a majority in Lower Burma.{{sfn|Harvey|1925|page=307}}<ref>{{cite book | last=Htin Aung | first=Maung | title=A History of Burma | url=https://archive.org/details/historyofburma00htin | url-access=registration | publisher=Cambridge University Press | location=New York and London | year=1967}}</ref>{{rp|32,33}}

On one hand, the Hariphunchai Kingdom of the Mon prospered during the reign of King Aditayaraj in the early twelfth century. He is said to have fought wars with [[Suryavarman II]] of [[Angkor]] between 1113 and 1150 CE<ref name=Coedes>{{cite book|last= Coedès|first= George|author-link= George Coedès|editor= Walter F. Vella|others= trans. Susan Brown Cowing|title= The Indianized States of Southeast Asia|year= 1968|publisher= University of Hawaii Press|isbn= 978-0-8248-0368-1}}</ref>{{rp|161,195}} and constructed the [[Wat Phra That Hariphunchai|Hariphunchai stupa]]

In 1289, [[Mangrai]] also known as ''Mengrai''{{efn|The name "Mangrai" is the historical name used in most modern scholarly applications. "Mengrai," which was popularized by a 1907 publication, is more commonly found in popular usage. It is important to note that "Meng" is the Thai Yuan ethnonym for the Mon people}} was visited by merchants from the Mon kingdom of [[Haripunchai]]. Hearing of the wealth of that kingdom, he determined to conquer it, against the advice of his counselors.<ref name="Wyatt-Thailand">Wyatt, D. K. Thailand, A Short History, p. 35–38, Bangkok 2003</ref> As it was thought impossible to take the city by force, Mangrai sent a merchant named Ai Fa as a [[mole (espionage)|mole]] to gain the confidence of its Phaya Yi Ba. In time, Ai Fa became the Chief Minister and managed to undermine the King's authority.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dl.kids-d.org/handle/123456789/1135|title=Chiang Mai : Nop Buri Si Nakhon Ping|author=Ministry of Education|date=1 January 2002|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref>{{rp|38}}<ref>{{cite book|author=Janos Jany|page=288|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-RHcDwAAQBAJ&q=Hariphunchai+ai+fa&pg=PA288|title=Legal Traditions in Asia: History, Concepts and Laws|date=8 April 2020|publisher=Springer |isbn=9783030437282|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref> In 1292, taking advantage of discontent among the people, Mangrai defeated the Mon kingdom of Haripunchai and added it to his [[Lanna Kingdom|kingdom]].<ref name="roler"/>{{rp|196}} Phaya Yi Ba, the last king of Hariphunchai, was forced to flee south to [[Lampang]].<ref name=Coedes/>{{rp|208–209}} A few years later, Phaya Yi Ba's son, King Boek of [[Lampang]], attacked [[Chiang Mai]] with a large army. King Mangrai and his second son, Prince Khram, led the defence against the Lampang army. Prince Khram defeated King Boek in personal combat on elephant-back at Khua Mung, a village near Lamphun. King Boek fled by way of the Doi Khun Tan mountain range between Lamphun and Lampang, but he was caught and executed.<ref name="Wyatt-Thailand"/> King Mangrai's troops occupied the city of Lampang, and Phaya Yi Ba was made to flee further south, this time to [[Phitsanulok]]. The Mon culture was integrated into [[Lan Na|Lan Na culture]]. The Lan Na adopted the Mon script and religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/34506710/544360.pdf|title=Traditional Thai historiography and its nineteenth century decline|access-date=26 February 2021|author=Winai Pongsripian}}</ref>{{rp|29,30}}<ref name="dv1">{{cite web|url=https://pathsunwritten.com/thailand-dvaravati-culture/|title=Cultural Profile: Dvaravati, Ancient Thailand's Lost Civilization|author=Benjamin|date=4 August 2020|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="lpw">{{cite web|url=http://www.lamphun.go.th/en/information/aboutus/9/history-of-lamphun-province|title=History of Lamphun Province|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref>