Suvannaphoum

According to Buddhist tradition, Emperor Ashoka sent Theravada missionaries to Suvannaphoum the Golden Land-as early as the 3rd Century. The Kingdom fo Suvannaphoum is a product of Indian and Chinese influence, and is said to have included southern Myanmar (Bruma) and extended across the central plains that are now Thailand to eastern Cambodia. The central plains were formerly Indochina, a collective term for pre-colonial Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. That glorious era is fondly remembered to this day among the people of the North the Tai who share a common heritage enriched by Indian and Chinese influences. That is why Suvannnaphoum strikes a mystic and nostalgic chord among the Tais, a chord most resonant sans the borders.