Dvaravati art


Dvaravati art is a form of artistic work originating from Mon. Dvaravati flourished from the Dvaravati Mon ancient artifacts are in present-day Thailand and Burma, Mon states to the west in southern Myanmar and with the Mon state in northern Thailand. Dvaravati experienced political domination by neighbouring peoples on three occasions: in the 10th century, when the Burmese conquered the Mon state of Thaton west of the Tenasserim Yoma; from the 11th to the 13th century, in the late 13th century, when Dvaravati was absorbed by the Thai empire.

History

file:Large-5d6e38b2567c4.jpg|thumb|In Thailand now, Ku Bua,, 650-700 C.E. Sculpture with influences from India. Three musicians in right are playing a 5-stringed lute, cymbals, a tube zither or bar zither with gourd resonator.
Dvaravati art came into form around the 6th century by the Mon communities as part of numerous minor kingdoms that existed in Thailand Now. Surrounding geography proved treacherous for travel and thus provided a fair amount of isolation for the individual kingdoms. Isolation enabled development of a highly sophisticated and distinct Mon-Dvaravati style.

Influence

Dvaravati itself was heavily influenced by Indian culture though the process of cultural diffusion over several centuries starting from the Christian 5th century, and played an important role in introducing Mahayana Buddhism and particularly Buddhist art to the region.

Architecture

Archaeological research and restoration have indicated that Buddhist monuments of the Dvaravati style exhibited contemporary art of Gupta temple-architecture with many constructed with open-air structures. Chief among the architecture is the stupa style architecture.
There are four major categories:
  1. chedi with terrace in each story
  2. stupa with a square base
  3. stupa with a square base and a central part
  4. stupa with a square base and 5 terraces.
The temple complex at Wat Phra That Hariphunchai, dating to the 9th and 11th centuries, is a pristine example of Dvaravati architecture.
Phra Pathommachedi is a wat dating to the 12th century that exemplifies the architecture.

Art

Various pottery excavated from former Dvaravati sites in central Thailand exhibit the sophistication and complexity of Dvaravati art.
Many Buddha statues were created with Dvaravati style. Some Buddha statues have mudras and others have katakahasta mudra, both of which have evolved before 800 CE. Buddha statues are common artefacts.

Pottery

There are various kinds of Dvaravati pottery.
  • Dish on stand;
  • Carinated pot
  • Shallow cup
  • Spouted bowl
  • Globular pot
  • Jar with spout

Museums

Artifacts have been collected over the years. Many pristine examples of artifacts can be found in Thai museums such as the Phra Pathommachedi National Museum in Nakhon Pathom city and the Prachinburi National Museum in Prachinburi, Prachinburi, Thailand.