Sudeva

Sudeva
Statue of Sudeva at Wat Phra That Doi Kham.
Venerated in	Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand
Affiliation	Northern Thai
Abode	Doi Suthep

Sudeva (also known as Ruesi Vasuthep; Thai: ฤๅษีวาสุเทพ, or Sudeva Ruesi; Thai: พระสุเทวฤาษี) is a revered hermit and a central figure in the origin myths of Northern Thailand, most notably the founding of the ancient Mon kingdom of Hariphunchai (modern-day Lamphun). He is a key protagonist in the legends surrounding the celebrated Queen Camadevi, the first ruler of Hariphunchai. The famed mountain, Doi Suthep, in Chiang Mai is widely believed to be named after him.

Legends

According to the Cāmadevivaṃsa (Chronicles of Queen Camadevi) and other northern Thai chronicles, Ruesi Vasuthep was an ascetic who practised meditation in a cave on the mountain now known as Doi Suthep. The best-known legend says that Ruesi Vasuthep and another hermit, Sukkhatanta (สุกกทันตฤาษี), founded the city of Hariphunchai in the Ping River valley around the 7th century CE. The chronicles say that they selected the site and marked out the city's boundaries, which were shaped like a conch shell, a symbol associated with Hinduism.

Ruesi Vasuthep then sought a ruler for the new city. Using his clairvoyance, he identified Princess Camadevi, the daughter of the King of Lavo (present-day Lopburi). In some versions of the legend, Vasuthep had earlier found the princess as an infant abandoned in a large lotus flower on the banks of the Ping River. He raised her until she grew older, but later placed her on a raft and sent her downstream with a letter to the king of Lavo, asking him to care for her. The king accepted the request and later arranged for her to marry his son.

Statue of Sudeva at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

In another part of the legend, Ruesi Vasuthep, either alone or with Sukkhatanta, travelled to Lavo to invite Princess Camadevi to rule Hariphunchai. She accepted and travelled north with a retinue that included scholars, monks, and artisans. Her arrival is described as the beginning of the Hariphunchai Kingdom and the establishment of a centre of Mon culture and Theravada Buddhism in the region. Vasuthep is said to have remained a spiritual adviser and protector of the kingdom during her reign.

Some scholars have suggested that Vasuthep's religious background may have been connected to Vaishnavism, a tradition of Hinduism. This interpretation is based partly on the conch-shaped layout attributed to Hariphunchai, since the conch is an emblem of the Hindu deity Vishnu.

Some scholars identify Vasuthep as an Indian ascetic, while people in Chiang Mai and Lamphun traditionally identify him as a Lawa. In the legend of Pu Sae and Ya Sae, which appears in sources including The Chiang Mai Chronicle, The Original Chronicle of Chiang Mai, and the Dhamma Chronicle of Wat Nantararam, Sudeva is described as a son of the legendary giants Pu Sae and Ya Sae.

According to the Mulasasana (ตำนานมูลศาสนา, Chronicle of the Origins of the Religion), Vasudeva was ordained as a Buddhist monk with four other noblemen: Sukkhatanta, Anusissa, Phutthachadila, and Suphromma. They later decided to leave the monkhood because they considered the monastic rules too difficult to follow in their entirety. They became hermits in the Himavanta forest, where they practised asceticism and eventually attained spiritual realisation.

One day, the five hermits wanted to eat food with sour and salty flavours, which they associated with ordinary human food. They therefore left the Himavanta forest and settled in different places. Sukkhatanta Ruesi went to Lavo; Anusissa Ruesi settled in Litawanli Nakhon; Phutthachadila Ruesi stayed on Doi Chuhabanphot; and Suphromma Ruesi lived on Doi Khao Ngam in Mueang Nakhon. Vasudeva Ruesi descended to Doi Ucchubhanphata, now known as Doi Suthep.