Kalaket

Kalaket is a folktale widely spread in the Isan region of Thailand, as well as in Laos. It is often claimed to be part of the Paññāsa Jātaka, which is a non-canonical Jataka collection.

Phra Chao Khun Ariyanuwat, former abbot of Wat Mahachai in Maha Sarakham Province, edited the story of Kalaket from a palm-leaf manuscript in Tai Noi script obtained from Wat Sawang Arom, Mueang Roi Et District, Roi Et Province.^[1] It was published in 1976 by Siritham Printing House, Mueang Ubon Ratchathani District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, with a length of 480 pages.^[2] At the end of this edition, it is stated that the work was composed by Somdet Ku in the city of Si Satthanakhanahut (Luang Prabang) during the reign of King Chao Chieng Thong, in Chulasakarat 1100 (1738 CE), which corresponds to the reign of King Siribounyasan.

This literary work also appears as a lullaby from the Ayutthaya period, a lakhon nok play of the central region, and in the southern region as a lullaby under the name *Ka Ket*. It has also been adapted into stage plays and films during the reign of Bhumibol Adulyadej^[3].

In the city of Varanasi, ruled by King Suriyawong, whose queen was named Kala, the king possessed the wondrous horse Manikap. When King Suriyawong went to study magic, he encountered the Garuda king and a yaksha named Kumbhand, who later became his friends. The king mastered magical arts from a hermit and then returned to rule his city.

One day, wishing to have a son to inherit the throne, the king performed a ritual petitioning Indra. Indra sent a male and a female deva to be born in the human world as husband and wife. The male deva was born to Queen Kala, and was named Prince Kalaket.

When Prince Kalaket grew up, he played in the royal stables where Manikap was kept. The prince secretly mounted the horse, which then flew into the sky, leaving the city for the Himavanta Forest. On the way, the prince met a pair of myna birds and told them to inform King Suriyawong that he would be away in the forest for three years before returning.

Prince Kalaket eventually reached the city of Phi Mon, ruled by King Phi Mon and Queen Maleethong. Staying outside the city, he heard that King Phi Mon had a beautiful daughter named Maleechan. The prince found a way to meet her in the royal flower garden, and they fell in love. At night, the prince secretly visited her. However, King Phi Mon discovered the visits and prepared a mechanical spear trap. When the prince came again, he was struck by the spear. Before dying, he told Princess Maleechan not to cremate his body, but to place it on a raft and set it adrift.

The raft floated upstream until it reached the hermitage of a hermit, who, upon discovering the body, used magic to revive the prince.

After recovering, Prince Kalaket studied magic with the hermit until he had mastered it. He then returned to find Princess Maleechan again. King Phi Mon heard of his return, and they fought, with the king ultimately defeated. King Phi Mon then ceded his city to Prince Kalaket and Princess Maleechan. They ruled for a time before returning together to Varanasi.