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Born on 8th September 1743 and
known as Boonma, Jao Phraya
Surasee, he was the younger
brother of Rama I of Siam. He
rose to great military heights
after Ayutthaya fell to the
Burmese and during the period of
reunification under King Taaksin
of Thonburi. (Predecessor to
King Rama I)
When Rama I acceded to the
throne in 1783, it was as king
of a reunified Siam
History has sometimes overlooked
Jao Phraya Surasee's
contribution to the building of
the New Siam perhaps because he
was devoted to his older
brother, Rama I, and the
collective ideals of creating a
new order in Siam.
From 1767-1782 during the
Kingdom of Thonburi, Boonma
fought along and served King
Taaksin in at least 13 battles
against internal competitors and
external enemies.
After the death of King Taaksin
in 1782 and the enthronement of
General (Jao Phraya) Chakri as
King Rama I, General Surasee was
honored and elevated by his
brother, the new king. He was
appointed Uparaja or Second King
(in modern terminology this
would be Deputy King or Crown
Prince) and continued to serve
as an able and imaginative
Supreme Commander. An aggressive
leadership style, where Forward
was his most common command,
earning him the nickname Phraya
Suea or The Tiger General from
soldiers in the field.
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Perhaps the Tiger
Generals most
illustrious battle was
in 1785, at Laadya,
Kanchanaburi, three
years after King
Bodawpaya of Burma took
over the throne when he
led 30,000 Siamese
troops against a
formidable Burmese force
of 90,000. Strategy,
again, by moving
swiftly, and with
surprise, Uparaja Jao
Phraya Surasee prevented
the Burmese settling in
and picking their own
battle position. A lack
of iron cannon balls
didn’t deter the Tiger
General who quickly
ordered balls of
hardwood to be fired
causing much havoc as
they rained down on
Burmese foot-soldiers
and cavalry. |
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This was the first war between
Burmese and Siam during the
reign of King Rama I and known
as The War of Nine Armies
Uparaja Jao Phraya Surasee, as
Deputy King and Supreme
Commander, died in 1803 aged 60
years. It is fitting to recall
that his last battle, at the age
of 59, was ousting the Burmese
from the northern city of
Chiangmai.
A statue of the Tiger General,
who gave loyal service to two
great Siamese kings, was
unveiled by His Majesty King
Bhumibol in 1979. It is situated
at Wat Mahathat (Bangkok) and
depicts a soldier, standing
tall, with a sword in each hand.
This is The Tiger General!
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Wat Chanasongkram
- Sacred Kru |
The Kru (cell of sacred amulets)
discovered at Wat Chanasongkram
was originally created by HRH
Prince Maha Surasee, (The Tiger
General), royal brother of King
Rama I the Great during the
first period of the Chakri
dynasty.
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These amulets were
created around 200 years
ago and retained in a
Kru located inside a
chedi. They were
re-discovered in
B.E.2495, when the
Abbot, Jaokun
Pradharmpitok relocated
the chedi to make room
for a new school.
The Abbot decided to
give these amulets away
to all the donors who
had supported the
construction of the new
school and other
renovation projects
within the temple.
Originally these amulets
were quite fragile and
were easily broken, as
they were made from
unbaked soil and Bailarn
leaves. Jaokun
Pradharmpitok decided to
preserve the amulets by
baking them.
Pims
There were many
different Pims (styles)
found in the Kru
including Pim Prokbhoti,
Pim Soomtaowanlui, Pim
Kang Yun, Pim Pidta,
etc.
It was said that a
policeman who was shot
was wearing one of these
amulets miraculously
escaped un-injured. As a
result, the fame of
these amulets increased
substantially.
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Phra Prok Pho (IN
STOCK) |
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