"James B. Pruess's edition of The That Phanom Chronicle, presented in this volume gives us an important example of Buddhist historiography. In the course of introducing this work, Pruess also contributed notably to our understanding of the historical consciousness of the Lao and (now) Thai-Lao of the Middle Mekong Valley, for whom the shrine of the Buddha's Breast-bone Telic at That Phanom long has served as a symbol of their identity.
"This translation of the That Phanom shrine chronicle is an indirect product of field research on contemporary Theravade Buddhist pilgrimage in Thailand.." - from the author's preface. Very good .
Keywords: HISTORY; RELIGION; BUDDHISM; THAILAND; THE THAT PHANOM CHRONICLE: A SHRINE HISTORY AND ITS INTERPRETATION; JAMES B. PRUESS; DATA PAPER: NUMBER 104; SOUTHEAST ASIA PROGRAM; DEPARTMENT OF ASIAN STUDIES; CORNELL UNIVERSITY.