Jinakalamali

Jinakālamālī (Burmese: ဇိနကာလမာလီ; Thai: ชินกาลมาลีปกรณ์; RTGS: Chinnakanmalipakon; lit. 'The Sheaf of Garlands of the Epochs of the Conqueror') is a Chiang Mai chronicle that covers mostly about religious history, and contains a section on early Lan Na kings to 1516/1517. Similar period Pali chronicles include the Chamadevivamsa and the Mulasasana.^[1]: 136 Originally written in Pali by a Buddhist monk, it may, be argued that the book was written in 1516."^[2] As part of the literary renaissance under the Thai king Rama I, which included the collection and restoration of texts after the fall of Ayutthaya, a copy was made in 1788 of an original Ayutthaya manuscript.^[3] The chronicle was referenced by later Burmese chronicles, most notably Maha Yazawin, the standard chronicle of Toungoo Dynasty.^[4]

Jinakālamālī

Author	Ratanapañña Thera
Language	Pali
Series	Burmese chronicles, Chiang Mai chronicles
Genre	Chronicle, History
Publication date	1527 (claimed) 1788 (earliest extant copy in Khmer)
Publication place	Lan Na
Published in English	1968

The oldest extant manuscript of 1788 is in Khom Thai Script, "a variant of the Khmer script used in Thailand and Laos, which is used to write Pali, Sanskrit, Khmer, Thai and Lao (Isan)."^[5] From this version copies with some subsequent revisions were made. It was translated into English in 1968 by N.A. Jayawickrama.^[6]

The chronicle touches upon the history of Myanmar describing the conquests of King Anawrahta of Pagan Dynasty. The author credits Anawrahta's role as a great Buddhist king into bringing Theravada Buddhism to present-day northern Thailand. It is the first historical text of Southeast Asia to mention Anawrahta's conquest of a kingdom held by one King Manuha of Thaton Kingdom.^[4]

Copies

The Jinakalamali has been copied and passed down through many editions. There are 11 editions found, 10 in Khmer script and 1 in Mon script.^[7]

• Edition 1 is the palm leaf manuscript that is assumed to be the oldest. Produced in the late Ayutthaya period, it is called the "original palm leaf", with bundles 1-2, 4-5, but no bundle 3. It is currently kept at the National Library.
• Version 2, the "original teacher's version" palm leaf, was originally at the Phra Monthian Tham Hall in the Grand Palace. It is currently kept at the National Library.
• Version 3, the "golden version" palm leaf, is at the Phra Monthian Tham Hall.
• Version 4, the "rongsong version" palm leaf, is a copy of the "golden version", kept at the National Library.
• Versions 5-7, the "long-red version" palm leaf, "royal water pouring version" (written during the reign of King Rama III), and "thong noi version" (only bundle 3 remains) are at the Phra Monthian Tham Hall.
• Versions 8-10 are duplicate palm leaf versions, with serial numbers: Rod Nam Dam Tho Edition 2, Long Chad Edition 2 and Long Chad Edition 3
• Edition 11 Mon Language Edition is assumed to have been created in 2321 during the Thonburi period. Complete with volumes 1-6.