Gān Bì

Gān Bì Kingdom
6th – 8th century
Proposed locations of ancient polities in the Menam and Mekong Valleys in the 7th century based on the details provided in the Chinese leishu, Cefu Yuangui, and others.
Religion
Buddhism
GovernmentKingdom
• 7th century
Chandavema
Historical eraPost-classical era
Today part of

Gān Bì (Chinese: 甘毕) was a medieval petty Tai kingdom mentioned in the Chinese New Book of Tang[1] and the leishu Cefu Yuangui, located east of Champa.[2] Hoshino proposes that it situated in the central Mekong Valley in modern Mukdahan province–Savannakhet province.[3]: 53–4 

Together with Xiū Luó Fēn and Gē Luó Shě Fēn, Gān Bì was grouped in a single category in the New Book of Tang and indicates that the customs of each resemble those of the others,[3]: 54  such as their kings and fortifications.[1] Gān Bì has only 5,000 elite soldiers, a much smaller number when compared to its other two brother kingdoms, which have 20,000 each.[1] Its king was named Chandavema (旃陀越摩).

However, the proposed location appears geographically too distant from its two allied kingdoms, Xiū Luó Fēn and Gē Luó Shě Fēn, situated in the Menam Valley and within the Dvaravati sphere of influence, whereas the proposed region of Gān Bì during the same period was instead strongly shaped by Champa cultural and economic influences.[4] Interestingly, the term Gān Bì sounds similar to Kosambi (Mo Suea Tob Archaeological Site in modern Kosamphi Nakhon district), mentioned in the Northern Chronicle as one of the seven polities established under the authority of Lavo's king Kalavarnadisharaja, during the peak of the Dvaravati civilization.[5]: 25 

References

  1. ^ a b c New Book of Tang, Volume 222
  2. ^ "《钦定续通志卷六百三十七》". 中国哲学书电子化计划 (in Chinese). Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b Hoshino, T (2002). "Wen Dan and its neighbors: the central Mekong Valley in the seventh and eighth centuries.". In M. Ngaosrivathana; K. Breazeale (eds.). Breaking New Ground in Lao History: Essays on the Seventh to Twentieth Centuries. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books. pp. 25–72.
  4. ^ "Savannakhet". www.laostourism.org. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  5. ^ Northern Chronicle
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