(1316–1374?), founder of the Lan Xang kingdom of Cambodia. Fa Ngoum or Fa Ngum was born in Muang Sawa, a Lao principality located on the site of present-day Luang Prabang, and founded the Lan Xang Hom Khao (better known as Lan Xang) kingdom in Laos in 1353. Phraya Khampong, ruler of Muang Sawa and Fa Ngoum's grandfather, banished Fa Ngoum and his father, Chao Fa Ngiew, to the Khmer kingdom of Angkor in the 1320s due to his father's indiscretion with one of the grandfather's wives. Fa Ngoum subsequently married a Khmer princess, Keo Keng Nya. With the support of Angkor, Fa Ngoum returned to Muang Sawa with a Khmer army to gain control and consolidate his kingdom, Lan Xang Hom Khao—"land of one million elephants and a white parasol." The elephants symbolized military power since most battles were fought using elephants, and the white parasol symbolized royalty, particularly a Buddhist monarch. Fa Ngoum further legitimized his rule by enshrining the Prabang Buddha image as the spiritual protector of the kingdom in Viang Chan Viang Kham (present-day Vientiane). He made Xiang Dong Xiang Thong (later renamed Luang Prabang) his capital. Fa Ngoum is credited with introducing the Theravada Buddhist sect to the region when the Khmer monks who accompanied the image of the Prabang Buddha established a monastery in Lan Xang. Political turmoil ensued, and Fa Ngoum's son Oun Hueun (Sam Sene Thai, 1356–1417) succeeded the throne in 1368. Fa Ngoum died in Muang Nan in 1374 or 1375.
Further Reading
Stuart-Fox, Martin. (1998) The Lao Kingdom of Lan Xang:Rise and Decline. Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus.
This is the complete article, containing 266 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
