It is said that the first Kedahan ruler to convert to Islam was Phra Ong Mahawangsa. Phra Ong Chao is actually a title of a lesser class of the Thai princes or princesses. Mahawangsa is taken from the historical poem from the Pali language, Mahavamsa. Mahavamsa is considered to be an important text of the Theravada Buddhism tradition. Mahavamsa is not a religious text but a chronicle of ancient kings of Sri Lanka. Theravada Buddhism until today is the official religion of Thailand. Pali is the official language of Buddhist canonical texts. It is believed to be originated from Maghada, modern-day Bihar in India.
Why he has a Siamese title? Was it fashionable at that time for Kedahan rulers to have a Siamese title like the Malay rulers today who bear the Arabic titles of Sultan? Or was he, Phra Ong Mahawangsa was a ruler originated from Siam.
Why he has a Siamese title? Was it fashionable at that time for Kedahan rulers to have a Siamese title like the Malay rulers today who bear the Arabic titles of Sultan? Or was he, Phra Ong Mahawangsa was a ruler originated from Siam.
When he was converted to Islam, he adopted the name Sultan Muzzafar Shah. Shah is Persian for king while Muzzafar is a favourite Indian Muslim name. He must be converted by the Indian Muslims. He could also be converted by the Persians as well. The Muslim invader to northern India was known as Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi who invaded India a century earlier. He was a Central Asian Turk but it was common for the Muslim Central Asian Turks to adopt Persian names and lifestyle then. But Kedahans or any Muslim Malay in the Malay Archipelago are from the Shafie madhab (school of thought) which convince me that he was converted either by the Southern Indian Muslims or the Yemenites.
Not much is known about the languages used in the Old Kedah kingdom and the Langkasuka kingdom. Did they speak an Indo-Chinese language which is related to modern Thai? Or they spoke a dialect of Malay?
Anyway it is common if we observe the history through times in any place in the world that the ruling class of a nation to come from another ethnicity. For example, the House of Windsor in England was originated from Germany, Catherine the Great of Russia is actually a German and not a Russian, some kings of England were Normans from France and not at all Anglo-Saxons (Medieval English).
Not much is known about the languages used in the Old Kedah kingdom and the Langkasuka kingdom. Did they speak an Indo-Chinese language which is related to modern Thai? Or they spoke a dialect of Malay?
Anyway it is common if we observe the history through times in any place in the world that the ruling class of a nation to come from another ethnicity. For example, the House of Windsor in England was originated from Germany, Catherine the Great of Russia is actually a German and not a Russian, some kings of England were Normans from France and not at all Anglo-Saxons (Medieval English).
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