Sihinganidāna

Sihinganidāna is a chronicle that recounts the origin and enshrinement of the Phra Phuttha Sihing image. It was composed by the elder monk Mahathera Bodhiramsi in Pali between 1402–1442 CE (B.E. 1945–1985), during the reign of King Sam Fang Kaen of the Mangrai dynasty. According to the chronicle, the Phra Phuttha Sihing image was originally created in Sri Lanka around 156 B.C.E. (B.E. 700) by three Naga kings and twenty arahants. The image was later brought to Siam around 1307 CE (B.E. 1850), where it was successively enshrined in Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Ayutthaya, Kamphaeng Phet, and Chiang Rai, before returning to Ayutthaya and finally to Chiang Mai.

Later, Prince Damrong Rajanubhab continued the chronicle from Phra Bodhiransi’s original. The current version was revised and abridged by Luang Boriban Burihand (Puan Intuwong), who also added archaeological commentary.^[1]

Sihingkanithan is one of the oldest chronicles, composed in 138 verses of Pali prosody. It includes 105 verses in Pathyavatta, 10 in Todhaka, 6 in Vangsattha, 5 in Indavajira, and 2 in Malini meters. These verses often appear as dialogues, exclamations, or reflective thoughts.^[2] The text narrates in a storytelling style akin to Thai folktales, alternating between descriptive narration and dialogue, with moral teachings interwoven—such as karma, the observance of the Five Precepts, and the Seven Qualities of a Noble Person (Sappurisa-dhamma).

The chronicle is filled with miracles, sacred beings, and explanations of events, showing influence from Pali commentarial literature. Its conclusion resembles the format of Sri Lankan Pali works. Among the three known versions, each presents different details. The Cāmadevivaṃsa attributes the authorship to Phra Bodhiransi and adds that Phra Sakhon Samī invited him to write it. The Rattanapimphawong version contains further elaborations, including the purpose of the chronicle's composition.^[3]