The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

HEV!EW ARTICLES 271
of the limestone hill on the way to Bacbok, who would not marry.
She was a Thai Princess and her name was Sadong: "whom all could
worship but none could marry." The words were suddenly
illuminated with meaning. Sadong must have been the Sakti
goddess of Langasuka, and where else would a goddess live but on
top of a limestone bill?
"Where did you say your home was?" I asked the Menora
girl in some excitement.
"Near Bukit Sankalakilee in Patani," she replied.
"And where did Princess Sadoog live?"
"In the palace on top of the hill. 1 beard that when I was
a child.''
"Then where is Lakawn Suka ?" I asked, scarcely believing
that she would do anything but laugh at my naivete.
"It's just across the paddy fields," she replied. · "Of course,
you can't see anything, because it was there such a long time
ago." (pp. 149-150)
The climax of our visit to Pattani came with our exploration
of the ruined city of Yarang.. . . Now if Yarang were the site of
the ancient capital of Langasuka, we should expect to find it some
distance inland and close to a broad river. It was not unusual in
ancient times for capitals to be built well upriver because of the
danger of pirate attack. Lookouts could give warning of a
threatening fleet and many ships could be destroyed by defenders
on both banks.
On arrival at the village of Yarang ... we stopped and
scrambled up a huge earth mound littered with quantities of red
laterite bricks, and from the summit looked down into a dark
hole. We could see that the interior was brick-built and had once
been a Buddhist stupa. There were many of these ruined stupas,
we were told, scattered among rubber trees and paddy fields. All
had been broken into by thieves in search of gold and many bronze
Hindu gods and Buddhas bad been found and sold in Patani shops.
The headman did what he could to stop these thefts, but the stu pas
were so widely scattered that it was impossible to keep a guard
on them all. He was very much afraid that when the time came
for a full-scale excavation, there would be little left to discover.