Ram Khamhaeng Inscription
inscribed stele with the earliest example of Thai script
The Ram Khamhaeng Inscription, formally known as Sukhothai Inscription No. 1, is a stone stele bearing inscriptions which have traditionally been regarded as the earliest example of the Thai script. Discovered in 1833 by the future King Mongkut (Rama IV), it was eventually deciphered and dated to 1292. The text gives, among other things, a description of the Sukhothai Kingdom during the time of King Ram Khamhaeng, to whom it is usually attributed. Scholars have also read its account of the kingdom's reach as a network of relationships rather than direct rule, and its picture of the king against Buddhist models of kingship. From the early 20th century the inscription had an immense influence on Thai historiography, which came to regard Sukhothai as the first Thai kingdom.
From the late 1980s to the 1990s, assertions that the stele was a forgery from a later date led to intense scholarly debate, which has not been definitively settled. Subsequent electron microscopy has suggested that the stele is likely to be as old as originally claimed, and most academics in the field today regard it as at least partly authentic. The inscription is widely regarded as the single most important document in Thai history, and was inscribed by UNESCO on its Memory of the World International Register in 2003.
Description and discovery
The stele is in the shape of a four-sided pillar, mostly square and 35.50 centimetres (13.98 in) wide on each side, with a rounded pyramidal top.
“Ram Khamhaeng Inscription” enters the record as inscribed stele with the earliest example of Thai script. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Khamhaeng, Inscription and inscribed can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Ram Khamhaeng Inscription” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Khamhaeng, Inscription and inscribed provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4924088. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1833, 1292 and 2003.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ram Khamhaeng Inscription”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ram Khamhaeng Inscription primary sources, Ram Khamhaeng Inscription archive and Khamhaeng research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ram Khamhaeng Inscription”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ram Khamhaeng Inscription” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.