RELIVING DAYS OF GLORY

While perusing an old ancient black manuscript that had been found in the archives of the Phetchapura Hall of History in Phetchabun recently, Parinya Sanyadej's heart suddenly skipped a beat. As a lecturer at the Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep campus specialising in ancient weapons, he quickly realised that he had stumbled upon what was by far the most complete verse version of a Tamra Pichaisongkram (art of war handbook) ever found outside the capital.

 

"Experts in the Fine Arts Department said the book is authentic and that it was used in real wars. It dates back to around the Second or Third Reign,'' says Col Amnat Pooksrisuk, an army expert on art of war books. ``The book was written in the capital for use in Phetchabun. Its maps and context were specific to Phetchabun.''

To him, Phetchabun's art of war book is very important since it is the most complete version ever found outside Bangkok, was really used and has beautiful illustrations on very good condition.

"The wonderful thing is that this book, in excellent condition, was discovered upcountry. It's a rare find indeed, like the kouprey [a forest ox],'' Mr Parinya adds.

Written in verse and filled with illustrations, this ancient book has 37 double pages. The first page contains a painting of a round tortoise shell for inserting auspicious times for wars. On the next page are colourful paintings of a Thai-style pavilion and a yellow cassia (chaiyapruek) tree _ the name of the tree in Thai symbolises victory.

The following pages contain beautifully penned verse summarising everything about pichaisongkram, including a battlefield strategy called sihachak, and tables for arranging troops in eight directions. The rest describes the yi sip-et kolsuek (21 war strategies), essential knowledge for ancient Siamese warriors.

"I've never seen any art of war book with a single poem to define the word `pichaisongkram' like this one. Not even the revised version from the reign of King Rama III,'' notes Col Amnat, who teaches at the Army's Institute of Army Academics and has studied art of war books worldwide.

The army expert quotes Kongkaew Veeraprachak, an expert on ancient languages at the Fine Arts Department's Office of National Library, as reaffirming the authenticity of the book.

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On Jan 10, Ms Kongkaew and Jatuporn Sirisamphan, head of the Office of the National Library's handwritten characters and inscriptions division, led a team of experts to examine the book, which was, and still is, being kept at the Phetchapura Hall of History in Phetchabun. The book was donated by Mawin Promboon, whose family had the book for generations.

Following hours of reading and comparing words and illustrations in this book with those in other war books, Ms Kongkaew concluded that the book was indeed authentic and that it dated to around the 18th century.

"Given that the book is clearly very old, that it was really put to use and that the written characters are of the early Bangkok period, this book must have been created sometime between the First and Third Reigns,'' she said during the examination.

 

According to her, books in the past were written from memory, or by copying other books. She also suggested that this art of war book had been written in the capital and then sent to the old city.

"This art of war book must have belonged to army leaders and [must have been] written for their study of pichaisongkram,'' Ms Kongkaew noted.

According to Mr Parinya, a complete set of Siamese art of war books usually  consists of at least three volumes _ one on troop arrangements, one on war strategies and tactics and one on astrology. The Phetchabun version comes in two volumes: One on troop arrangements and the other on war strategies.

 

"When I first saw the book, I was stunned. Traces of written, erased and rewritten characters and numbers mean the book was put to real use. Erasable parts were written in chalk while non-erasable sections were written in ink and crayon,'' the expert says.

He believes that the book is historically significant for its use in the fort city of Phetchabun and for bearing the title and position of its user, Phraya Phetcharatburi, a title reserved for the governor of Phetchabun in the old days.

The book contains circular maps indicating points and distances between Phetchabun and 25 alliance cities, including Phitsanulok and Sukhothai, so that soldiers would know where to gather, march to and retreat to. The maps also reflected the dynamics of Phetchabun, following fires, floods and relocations.

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According to him, there is historical evidence that the first royal version of Siamese books of war was compiled on the orders of King Ramathibodi II  (1491-1529) of the Ayutthaya period. Later, those books were updated to be practical for wars in the reign of King Naresuan the Great (1590-1605).

Those art of war books were scattered amidst the ensuing chaos following the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. Fortunately, some of them were copied and preserved for future use.

During the early Bangkok period, art of war books were compiled and revised several times. The last official revision, which was done during the reign of King Rama III (1824-1851), was used until the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910), when the Thai military shifted to Western-style art of war books.

Compared to the Phetchabun version, the King Rama III revision was colourfully illustrated but hardly ever used, while the Phetchabun version shows signs of actual use during real wars, Mr Parinya points out.

According to Col Amnat, there are 212 books on the old Siamese approach to the art of war in the National Archives, most of which are written in verse. However, only a few have illustrations.

"Three of them were published for study. The Phetchabun version is the fourth. It's so rare.''

The 21 war strategies in this war book date back to the pre-Ayutthaya era, while some guidelines date back to as far as the Sukhothai period. Col Amnat, who has studied war books worldwide, notes that the strategies were not borrowed from somewhere else, not even India. For him, the proof lies in the Wat Srichoom inscription, which mentions the troop arrangements at the battle between King Ramkhamhaeng of the Sukhothai period and King Samchon. War tactics are also mentioned in Lilit Yuan Phai, a piece of 15th century Thai literature.

Both Col Amnat and Mr Parinya agree that all Siamese books of war are almost identical in terms of content because they were all written in the capital with official approval.

The books are also a mirror of the social attitudes and beliefs up to the reign of King Rama VI, who performed the symbolic tadmai khomnam (plant slashing) and wang phlabphla chai (victory pavilion construction) ceremonies at Sanam Luang to ensure victory over the enemy when he declared Siam's participation in World War One.

Both Mr Parinya and Col Amnat agree that these books should not just be archived as antique documents but that they should be studied more in a bid to conserve an area of wisdom that is not only traditional but also applicable to various aspects of life, even the conduct of modern business.

"Our Tamra Pichaisongkram have their own identity, uniqueness and clarity that is truly Thai in every sense of the word,'' the colonel says proudly.