The Rathnakorn Islands (Thai: หมู่เกาะรัตนากร) is a sovereign country situated at the South East region. It is an island that consists of 3 big islands and over 1000 small islands, although they cannot be seen from a satellite. It has an area of 344,488 square kilometres
The country has 3 big islands; Paknam, Thendrup and Chiang Suan. The biggest island of the country is Chiang Suan. Apart from these islands, the country has over 1000 small islands surrounding the country. All of the islands are volcanic, according to the History Museum of Rathnakorn Islands at Phetchaburi. It has a population of around 95,987,002 and a population density of 315 people per square kilometres.
The country has extremely hot weathers and temperatures range from 31-39 degrees Centigrade. In the winter, temperatures range from 21-23 and cool air from the Indian Ocean brings wind to the country, In summer, the weathers are extremely hot and sometimes rain happens during the monsoon season. The country has 5 seasons: spring, summer, monsoon, autumn and winter. The summer length in Rathnakorn Island is extremely short, lasting around 25 days.
The first Brahmins from India immigrated to what was known as Ratnapura. They built settlements, temples and schools to teach the Vedas to the country. Similarly, the Ngalops of Bhutan and Tibet immigrated to Ratnapura. The nations created a ethnicity called Telephu. When the Tais of Thailand arrived, they had a war at 1845 and created an ethnicity called Pathak.
The capital city and the largest city of Rathnakorn Islands is Phetchaburi, with a population of around 8,912,416. It is located at the island of Paknam. It is the economical hub of Rathnakorn Islands and the governmental capital of the country. The second largest city is Tang Phai, with a population of 6,325,258. It is located at the island of Chiang Suan.
History[]
The Brahmins immigrated to Ratnapura and made settlements there.
The history of Rathnakorn Islands can be traced back to around 50,000 million years ago, when the volcanoes underneath the Indian Ocean suddenly erupted and rose to the surface. This also created the mountains in Rathnakorn Islands, however, because of the amount of nitrogen that had been erupted out of the volcano, the island didn't sustain life. In 1500BC, the Brahmins of India migrated from India to the island to preach the teachings of Hinduism to other countries. They built settlements, temples and schools to teach youngsters the Vedas. Although it was a cluster of volcanic islands, it surprisingly sustained life. Kurukshetra, a Brahmin, was the first king of Ratnapura and was also the most successful king of the country.
When the first Ngalops immigrated at Ratnapura, they lived in valleys, like here in the Sillchan Valley.
In 908AD, the first Ngalops of Bhutan and Tibet immigrated to Ratnapura. They were in need to spread the message of Buddhism. The Brahmins rejected the idea and shunned them off. The Ngalops lived in valleys, like the most popular Sillchan Valley in Thendrup, named after the tribe of the Ngalops. There was no governmental system and no shops, so they would go out to find what they can and bring them home. In 1013, a Brahmin king, King Rishisambhava, was bored of his culture and instead decided to convert his religion to Buddhism and built temples in the country. Rishisambhava marched to Thendrup to spread the message of Buddhism and resided there for his life. The Ngalops called him Dong Lo and was the first Buddhist monk in Ratnapura. The country was soon changed to Rath Yul, as from the Ngalops. The Brahmins and the Ngalops created an ethnic group called the Telephus.
Sriwijaya (1105-1191) was the first Indonesian king in Rathnakorn Islands. He is so respected that in nearly every Buddhist and Hindu temples, an idol of him is portrayed in there. Here is a Telephu Hindu murti of Sriwijaya, portraying him with 4 hands.
In 1125, an Indonesian farmer, Damarwulan Sri, went to the king Kamesvara to migrate him and his colleagues to Rath Yul. Kamesvara doubly rejected the idea. Furious, Damarwulan secretly migrated him and his colleagues, who were slaves under control of Kamesvara, to Rath Yul, and made settlements on Chiang Suan. When Kamesvara soon came to know about this, he went to sail to Chiang Suan. The current king of Rath Yul, Gomeshwara, decided to have war on Indonesia. But the problem was that Gomeshwara was ill at age 78 and promised to Damarwulan that if Damarwulan kills Kamesvara, he would be declared king. The Battle of Surakerawata began at 1130. It was a tough battle, however Gomeshwara succumbed to his illness and died in the battle. When Damarwulan came to know about this, furious he was, and stabbed Kamesvara to death. Damarwulan was coronated as king and was known as Sriwijaya. He was so successful that he is portrayed as a God towards others.
The Golden Palace, Phetchaburi, where the kings lived.
In 1845, King Mongkut, the Thai king, wanted to invade Rathna Sri (Indonesian name for Rathnakorn Islands). The current king Dharmawijaya (1788-1845) declared that even if he tried to invade, then they would be in war. Thailand agreed to be in war and the War of Sangmen Street began. However, Dharmawijaya, like Goweshwara, was gravely ill and he knew that he would be dead. Despite that, Mongkut slashed his head and was the king of Rathnakorn Islands. For 156 years, there had been slavery and Rathnakorn Islands was declared as a territory of Thailand.
Arun Sishirumsaeng (1959-present) had been the prime minster of Rathnakorn Islands from 2001 till 2006. He made Rathnakorn Islands a sovereign country in 2001. He has been re-elected as prime minster at 2019.
In 24 January 2001, Arun Sishirumsaeng was elected as prime minster. He thought of the idea of independence and made a consulatation at 1 February 2001 if Rathnakorn Islands should be independent or not. Around 98% said yes and 2% said no. Sishirumsaeng travelled to Thailand to meet the prime minster, Thaksin Shinawatra, to discuss about this. Hearing about the slavery of Rathnakorn Islands, Thaksin agreed. At that time, Rathnakorn Islands was declared independent and Arun was known as the most successful minster of Rathnakorn Islands.
Districts[]
Districts of Rathnakorn Islands
Rathnakorn Islands has 13 districts. There are around 5 districts in each island, barring Thendrup. The largest district is Kampong Lekrebau, with an area of around 57,796 square kilometres. The smallest is Kampong Kanji, with an area of around 18,712 square kilometres.
| Name | Capital City | Area | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samang Lo | Phetchaburi | 23,102 | 10,212,303 |
| Bang Phai | Jiengkrak | 31,234 | 7,908,371 |
| Bang Lao | Phraya Thai | 38,765 | 5,896,430 |
| Kampong Kanji | Kampong Baloy | 18,712 | 4,398,346 |
| Bang Langlaka | Chang Kho | 19,435 | 5,476,908 |
| Hintao | Lhampong | 19,312 | 987,442 |
| Wethin | Punakha | 18,928 | 2,382,439 |
| Wattay | Thenglo | 23,486 | 657,455 |
| Phan Hao | Tung Book | 20,008 | 7,865,930 |
| Saliam Wan | Majohm | 20,900 | 6,786,809 |
| Mesamai | Muban Chanika | 21,360 | 4,500,314 |
| Kampong Lekrabau | Phu Giang | 57,796 | 25,160,984 |
| Naung Phai | Tang Phai | 31,450 | 14,563,265 |
Culture[]
Religion[]
Wat Gangesvara in Phetchaburi.
Rathnakorn Islands is mainly a Buddhist country, and more specifically, Theravada Buddhism is mainly practised. Because of this, there are many Buddhist temples in the country, and it is believed that there are over 1 million Buddhist temples in this country. Most Buddhist temples are made in the Thai architecture whilst some in Thendrup have Bhutanese and Indian architectures. The largest Buddhist temple in the country is Wat Gandong, in the East of Phetchaburi.
The Nadbogaswami Temple is the most sacred temple in Rathnakorn Islands. It is situated on the Gzongthep Valley at the hill station of Nadboga. It is dedicated to Lord Nadbogaswami, an Rathnakiri afflication of Shiva.
Rathnakorn Islands also has a large population of Hinduism, since the first Brahmins immigrated here. Hinduism makes up 30% of its population, making it the 2nd country with the largest Hindu population. There are around 500,000 Hindu temples, around 1/2 of them located at Thendrup. Majority of the Hindu temples are around 1000 years old so they are believed to be sacred. For example, the Nadbogaswami Temple in Nadboga is around 1500 years old and is sacred because it is situated in the Gzongthep Valley, home to Lord Nadbogaswami.