The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient
Mon kingdom from the 7th century to the 11th century that was located in the region now known as
central Thailand. It was described by the Chinese pilgrim in the middle of the 7th century as a Buddhist kingdom named "To-lo-po-ti" situated to the west of
Isanapura (
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
) and to the east of
Sri Ksetra
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Sri Ksetra
, common_name = Kingdom of Sri Ksetra
, era = Classical Antiquity
, status = City-state
, event_start = Founding of Kingdom
, year_start = c. 3rd to 9th century CE
, date_start =
, ...
(
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
).
Dvaravati also refers to a culture, an art style, and a disparate conglomeration of
principalities
A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...
of
Mon people
The Mon ( mnw, ဂကူမည်; my, မွန်လူမျိုး, ; th, มอญ, ) are an ethnic group who inhabit Lower Myanmar's Mon State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta, and s ...
. Archaeological research over the past two decades or so has revealed the presence of a "Proto-Dvaravati" period which spans the 4th to 5th centuries, and perhaps earlier.
History
The culture of Dvaravati was based around moated cities, the earliest of which appears to be
U Thong
King U-thongThe Royal Institute. List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. ( th, พระเจ้าอู่ทอง) or King Ramathibodi I ( th, สมเด็จพระรามาธิบดีที่ ๑ ; 1314–1369) was the first king of ...
in what is now
Suphan Buri Province. Other key sites include
Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom ( th, นครปฐม, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's ...
,
Phong Tuk Phong may refer to:
Computer graphics
*Phong shading
*Phong reflection model
* Blinn–Phong shading model
*Bui Tuong Phong - creator of the Phong shading interpolation method and reflection model.
Other
*Phong-Kniang language
*Nam Phong (di ...
,
Si Thep,
Khu Bua
Khu Bua ( th, คูบัว, ) is an archaeological site 12 km southeast of the town Ratchaburi, Thailand. It dates from the 6th century Dvaravati
The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th cent ...
and
Si Mahosot, amongst others.
Legends engraved on royal urns report the following kings: Suryavikrama (673-688), Harivikrama (688-695), Sihavikrama (695-718).
A Khmer inscription dated 937 documents a line of princes of Chanasapura started by a
Bhagadatta
Bhagadatta ( sa, भगदत्त) was the son of Narakasura, and the king of Pragjyotisha. Bhagadatta was born from a limb of the asura called Bāṣkala. He was a renowned warrior, and was known to be a great friend of Indra. When Arjuna emba ...
and ended by a Sundaravarman and his sons Narapatisimhavarman and Mangalavarman.
But at that time, the 12th century, Dvaravati began to come under the influence of the
Khmer Empire and central
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
was ultimately invaded by King
Suryavarman II
Suryavarman II ( km, សូរ្យវរ្ម័នទី២), posthumously named Paramavishnuloka, was a Khmer king from 1113 AD to 1145/1150 AD and the builder of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world which he dedicated t ...
in the first half of the 12th century.
Hariphunchai survived its southern progenitors until the late 13th century, when it was incorporated into
Lan Na.
The term Dvaravati derives from coins which were inscribed in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
''
śrī dvāravatī''. The Sanskrit word ''dvāravatī'' literally means "that which has gates".
[Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., ]
Little is known about the administration of Dvaravati. It might simply have been a loose gathering of
chiefdom
A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...
s rather than a centralised state, expanding from the coastal area of the upper peninsula to the riverine region of
Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
Et ...
.
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
and
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
were significant. The three largest settlements appear to have been at
Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom ( th, นครปฐม, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's ...
,
Suphanburi, Praak Srigacha, with additional centers at
U Thong
King U-thongThe Royal Institute. List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. ( th, พระเจ้าอู่ทอง) or King Ramathibodi I ( th, สมเด็จพระรามาธิบดีที่ ๑ ; 1314–1369) was the first king of ...
, Chansen,
Khu Bua
Khu Bua ( th, คูบัว, ) is an archaeological site 12 km southeast of the town Ratchaburi, Thailand. It dates from the 6th century Dvaravati
The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th cent ...
, Pong Tuk, Mueang Phra Rot,
Lopburi
Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
, Si Mahosot,
Kamphaeng Saen
Kamphaeng Saen (, ) is the northwesternmost district ('' amphoe'') of Nakhon Pathom province, central Thailand.
History
Kamphaeng Saen was a moated centre of Dvaravati culture, dating from 410-870 CE, with the foundation of a Buddhist stupa id ...
, Dong Lakhon, U-Taphao, Ban Khu Mueang, and
Si Thep.
[
The traditional chronology of Dvaravati is mainly based on the Chinese textual account and stylistic comparison by art historians. However, the results from excavations in Chansen and Tha Muang mound at U-Thong raise questions about the traditional dating. Newly dated typical Dvaravati cultural items from the site of U-Thong indicate that the starting point of the tradition of Dvaravati culture may possibly date as far back to 200 CE.] Archaeological, art historical, and epigraphic (inscriptions) evidence all indicate, however, that the main period of Dvaravati spanned the seventh to ninth centuries. Dvaravati culture and influence also spread into Isan
Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...
and parts of lowland Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
from the sixth century onward. Key sites include Mueang Fa Daet in Kalasin Province
Kalasin ( th, กาฬสินธุ์, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''), located in upper northeastern Thailand, also called Isan. The province was established by the Act Establishing Changwat Kalasin, BE 2490 (194 ...
and Mueang Sema in Nakhon Ratchasima Province.
Art
thumb , Thailand, Ku Bua, (Dvaravati culture), 650-700 C.E.. Three musicians in right are playing (from center) a 5-stringed lute, cymbals, a _or_bar_zither">tube_zither_or_bar_zither_with_gourd_resonator..html" ;"title="bar_zither.html" ;"title="tube zither or bar zither">tube zither or bar zither with gourd resonator.">bar_zither.html" ;"title="tube zither or bar zither">tube zither or bar zither with gourd resonator.
Dvaravati itself was heavily influenced by Indian culture, and played an important role in introducing Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
and particularly Buddhist art
Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, an ...
to the region. Stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
motifs on the religious monuments include garuda
Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda ...
s, makara
''Makara'' ( sa, मकर, translit=Makara) is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn.
Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, a ...
s, and Nāga
The Nagas (IAST: ''nāga''; Devanāgarī: नाग) are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...
s. Additionally, groups of musicians have been portrayed with their instruments, prisoners, females with their attendants, soldiers indicative of social life. Votive tablet
An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude ...
s have also been found, also moulds for tin amulets
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...
, pottery, terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, a ...
trays, and a bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
chandelier, earrings
An earring is a piece of jewelry attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear (except in the case of clip earrings, which clip onto the lobe). Earrings have been worn by people in different civilizations ...
, bells and cymbals
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
*Robert L. Brown, ''The Dvaravati Wheels of the Law and the Indianization of South East Asia''. Studies in Asian Art and Archaeology, Vol. 18, Fontein, Jan, ed. Leiden and New York: E. J. Brill, 1996.
*Elizabeth Lyons, “Dvaravati, a Consideration of its Formative Period”, R. B. Smith and W. Watson (eds.), ''Early South East Asia: Essays in Archaeology, History and Historical Geography,'' Oxford University Press, New York, 1979, pp. 352–359.
*Dhida Saraya, ''(Sri) Dvaravati: the Initial Phase of Siam's History'', Bangkok, Muang Boran, 1999,
*Swearer, Donald K. and Sommai Premchit. ''The Legend of Queen Cama: Bodhiramsi's Camadevivamsa, a Translation and Commentary''. New York: State University of New York Press, 1998.
*สุรพล ดำริห์กุล, ''ประวัติศาสตร์และศิลปะหริภุญไชย'', กรุงเทพฯ: สำนักพิมพ์เมืองโบราณ, 2004, .
* Pierre Dupont, ''The Archaeology of the Mons of Dvāravatī,'' translated from the French with updates and additional appendices, figures and plans by Joyanto K.Sen, Bangkok, White Lotus Press, 2006.
* Jean Boisselier
Jean Boisselier (26 August 1912 – 26 February 1996) was a French archaeologist, ethnologist, and art historian. He was a specialist on Khmers and a researcher focused on Buddhist thought and iconography. As a member of the École frança ...
, “Ū-Thòng et son importance pour l'histoire de Thaïlande tNouvelles données sur l'histoire ancienne de Thaïlande”, ''Bōrānwitthayā rư̄ang MỮang ʻŪ Thō̜ng,'' Bangkok, Krom Sinlapakon, 2509 966
Year 966 (Roman numerals, CMLXVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* 23 June - Arab-Byzantine Wars, Byzantine-Arab War: Arab-Byzantine ...
pp. 161–176.
* Peter Skilling, "Dvaravati: Recent Revelations and Research", ''Dedications to Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra on her 80th birthday,'' Bangkok, The Siam Society, 2003, pp. 87–112.
* Natasha Eilenberg, M.C. Subhadradis Diskul, Robert L. Brown (editors), ''Living a Life in Accord with Dhamma: Papers in Honor of Professor Jean Boisselier on his Eightieth Birthday,'' Bangkok, Silpakorn University, 1997.
* C. Landes, “Pièce de l’époque romaine trouvé à U-Thong, Thaïlande”, ''The Silpakorn Journal,'' vol.26, no.1, 1982, pp. 113–115.
* John Guy, ''Lost Kingdoms: Hindu Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast,'' New York and Bangkok, Metropolitan Museum of Art and River Books, 2014, p. 32.
* Wārunī ʻŌsathārom. ''Mư̄ang Suphan bon sēnthāng kan̄plīanplǣng thāng prawattisāt Phutthasattawat thī 8 - ton Phutthasattawat thī 25'' (History, development, and geography of the ancient city of Suphan Buri Province, Central Thailand, 8th-25th B.E.), Samnakphim Mahāwitthayālai Thammasāt, Krung Thēp, 2547.
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