Ancient kingdoms in Southeast Asia received script from the Pallava Dynasty of Southern India through trade and religious relations during the 7th century, and they used the script themselves to record documents in their languages. Therefore, the script was named »Pallava script« by palaeographers of Southeast Asia. The Pallava script was used for centuries before its form was adapted to enable easier writing. This adapted script was called »post-Pallava script«. Then, during the 10th century, this script was developed into two new scripts by ancient civilisations of mainland Southeast Asia: the so-called Old Mon and Old Khmer scripts. The Khom-thai script (or Khmer script written in the Thai style) was derived from the Old Khmer scripts of the 13th century. This script was developed and widely used in the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya Kingdoms since at least the 14th century.

The function of the Khom-thai script was to write Pali text from the Tipitaka, and as a result, each letter in the script was believed to be part of a sacred alphabet. The script has been used to write sacred acronyms and words on talismans and tattoos due to the belief that the script contains supernatural powers and will protect those who wear it from black magic and other dangers. The Khom-thai script has been used in this context since the Sukhothai Kingdom. However, the official use of the Khom-thai script in monastery affairs ceased during the reign of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn, 1868-1910 AD) because of the introduction of the Thai typewriter and the “Use Thai Alphabet” campaign. Therefore, the Khom-thai script is absent from official monastery affairs today. Nevertheless, the Khom-thai script still survives among certain groups of users who believe in the superstitious powers that connect black magic to Buddhism. This enduring usage is the script’s sacred power that protects it from vanishing even as the forces of globalisation preference sameness over difference.