Dvaravati Explained

Conventional Long Name:Dvaravati Kingdom
Common Name:Dvaravati
Era:Post-classical era
Year Start:6th century
Year End:11th century
Life Span:6th–11th century
P1:Mon kingdomsMon city-states
P2:Tun SunLang-chia
S1:Lavo KingdomLopburi
S2:HaripuñjayaHariphunchai
S3:SuvarnabhumiSuphanburi
Image Map Caption:Dvaravati Kingdom/culture and contemporary Asian polities, 800 CE
Common Languages:Old Mon

Dvaravati (Thai: ทวารวดี) was an ancient Mon political principality from the 6th century to the 11th century, located in the region now known as central Thailand,[1] [2] and was speculated to be a succeeding state of Lang-chia or Lang-ya-hsiu (Thai: หลังยะสิ่ว). It was described by Chinese pilgrims in the middle of the 7th century as a Buddhist kingdom named To-lo-po-ti situated to the west of Isanapura (Cambodia), to the east of Sri Ksetra (Burma),[3] [4] and adjoined Pan Pan in the South. Its northern border met Chia-lo-she-fo, which was speculated to be either Kalasapura, situated along the coast of the Bay of Bengal somewhere between Tavoy and Rangoon,[5] or Canasapura in modern northeast Thailand.[6] Dvaravati sent the first embassy to the Chinese court in around 605–616.[7]

Dvaravati also refers to a culture, an art style, and a disparate conglomeration of principalities of Mon people. 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.[8]

Dvaravati lost its importance after the rise of the Angkor in the lower Mekong basin around the 11th–13th centuries. In the 14th century, one of its main principalities, Si Thep, was almost left abandoned, while the remaining was split into the city-state confederation of Suphannabhumi in the west and the Lavo Kingdom in the east.

However, a new kingdom, Ayutthaya, was subsequently founded southward on the bank of the Chao Phraya River in 1351, as the succeeded state,[9] as its capital's full name referred to the Kingdom of Dvaravati; Krung Thep Dvaravati Si Ayutthaya (Thai: กรุงเทพทวารวดีศรีอยุธยา).[10] [11] [12] [13] All former Dvaravati principalities, Lavo, the northern cities of the Sukhothai Kingdom, and Suphannabhumi, was later incorporated to the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1388, 1438, and the mid-15 century, respectively.[14]

According to an inscription on a bronze gun acquired by the Burmese in 1767, when Ayuthia, Siam's capital at the time, fell to an invading Burmese force, the Burmese still referred to Ayutthaya as Dvaravati.[15] Several genetic studies published in the 2020s also founded the relations between the Mon people and Siamese people (Central Thai people) who were the descendants of the Ayutthaya.[16] [17]

History

The culture of Dvaravati was based around moated cities, the earliest of which appears to be U Thong in what is now Suphan Buri Province. Other key sites include Nakhon Pathom, Phong Tuk, Si Thep, Khu Bua 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 Canasapura started by a Bhagadatta and ended by a Sundaravarman and his sons Narapatisimhavarman and Mangalavarman. But at that time, the 12th century, Dvaravati began to come under constant attacks and aggressions of the Khmer Empire and central Southeast Asia was ultimately invaded by King Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century.[18] Hariphunchai survived its southern progenitors until the late 13th century, when it was incorporated into Lan Na.[19]

The term Dvaravati derives from coins which were inscribed in Sanskrit śrī dvāravatī. The Sanskrit word dvāravatī literally means "that which has gates".[20]

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 Chan Sen 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 possibly dates as far back as 200 CE.[21] 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 and parts of lowland Laos from the sixth century onward. Key sites include Mueang Fa Daet in Kalasin Province, in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, and many others.[22] [23]

Government

Little is known about the administration of Dvaravati. It might simply have been a loose gathering of chiefdoms rather than a centralised state, expanding from the coastal area of the upper peninsula to the riverine region of Chao Phraya River. Hinduism and Buddhism were significant. The three largest settlements appear to have been at Nakhon Pathom, Suphanburi, and Praak Sriracha, with additional centers at U Thong, Chansen, Khu Bua, Pong Tuk, Mueang Phra Rot, Lopburi, Si Mahosot, Kamphaeng Saen, Dong Lakhon, U-Taphao, Ban Khu Mueang, and Si Thep.[20]

Rulers

The excavation in several sites found silver coins dated the 7th century that mentioned the king and queen of the kingdom written in Sanskrit with Pallava script: śrīdvaravatīsvarapunya (King Sridvaravati, who has great merit) and śrīdvaravatīsvaradevīpuṇya (the goddess of the meritorious King Dvaravati).[24] In addition, the copper plate dating from the 6th–mid 7th centuries found at U Thong also mentions King Harshavarman (หรรษวรมัน), who was assumed by Jean Boisselier to be one of the kings of Dvaravati, while George Cœdès considered the plate was brought from the Khmer Empire, and the name mentioned might be the Khmer king as well.[25] However, the periods seem unrelated since King Harshavarman I of Khmer reigned from 910–923, 200 years later than the age of the inscription,[26] [27] and Harshavarman I's grandfather was Indravarman I,[28] [29] [30] not Isanavarman as the inscription mentioned.[25]

Moreover, the inscription found in Ban Wang Pai, Phetchabun province (K. 978), dated 550 CE, also mentions the enthronement of the Dvaravati ruler, who was also a son of Prathivindravarman, father of Bhavavarman I of Chenla, which shows the royal lineage relation between Dvaravati and Chenla. However, the name of such a king was missing.[31] The other king was mentioned in the Nern Phra Ngam inscription, found in Nakhon Pathom province, dated mid 5th – mid 6th centuries CE but the name was missing as well.

The following is a list of rulers of Dvaravati.

Order Name Reign Note
RomanizedThai
colspan=5
01 Chakravantin จักรวรรตินUnknown Also father of Prathivindravarman
02 Prathivindravarman ปฤถิวีนทรวรมัน?–550Also father of Bhavavarman I of Chenla
03 Unknown 550–?Son of Prathivindravarman
04 Unknown 6th century
05 Isanavarman อีสานวรมัน late 6th century
06 Harshavarman หรรษวรมัน late 6th–mid 7th centuriesUnrelated to the Ankorian king, Harshavarman I
07 Suryavikrama673–688
08 Harivikrama688-695
09 Sihavikrama695-718
colspan=4
10 Vap Upendraวาป อุเปนทร949-?Ancestor of Rajendravarman II of Ankor[32]

Art

See main article: Dvaravati art. Dvaravati itself was heavily influenced by Indian culture, and played an important role in introducing Buddhism and particularly Buddhist art to the region. Stucco motifs on the religious monuments include garudas, makaras, and Nāgas. Additionally, groups of musicians have been portrayed with their instruments, prisoners, females with their attendants, soldiers indicative of social life. Votive tablets have also been found, also moulds for tin amulets, pottery, terracotta trays, and a bronze chandelier, earrings, bells and cymbals.[20]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Dvāravatī: The Earliest Kingdom of Siam (6th to 11th Century A.D.). Duke University Press. The Journal of Asian Studies. 1970. Stanley J. O'Connor. 29. 2. 28 April 2024. https://archive.org/details/dvaravati-the-earliest-kingdom-of-siam-6th-to-11th-century-a.-d..
  2. Web site: The Ai-Lao and Nan Chao/Tali Kingdom: A Re-orientation. Grant Evans. 2014. 21 January 2024. 14 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230314023113/https://thesiamsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/JSS_102_0j_Evans_TheAiLaoAndTheNanChaoTaliKingdom.pdf.
  3. Book: Cœdès, George. The Indianized states of Southeast Asia. 1968. 0-7081-0140-2. Honolulu. 961876784.
  4. Book: Indrawooth, Phasook. Dvaravati: Early Buddhist Kingdom in Central Thailand.
  5. The Martaban Trade: An Examination of the Literature from the Seventh Century until the Eighteenth Century. Pamela Gutman. 27 April 2024. 2 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231002124650/https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/98a37c19-6fd9-4b71-bd4f-9287bff09cc2/content. Asian Perspectives. 2002. 40. 1. University of Hawaiʻi Press.
  6. Web site: ทวารวดี ในบันทึกของจีน. ศิริพจน์ เหล่ามานะเจริญ. 4 February 2022. 28 April 2024. th. Matichon. 28 April 2024. https://archive.today/20240428165555/https://www.matichonweekly.com/column/article_512802.
  7. The Khmer Empire and the Malay Peninsula. 1950. Lawrence Palmer Briggs. The Far Eastern Quarterly. Duke University Press. 9. 3. 10.2307/2049556. 256–305. 2049556 . 26 April 2024. https://archive.org/details/briggs1950. subscription.
  8. Murphy. Stephen A.. October 2016. The case for proto-Dvāravatī: A review of the art historical and archaeological evidence. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. en. 47. 3. 366–392. 10.1017/s0022463416000242. 163844418 . 0022-4634.
  9. Web site: หลักฐานฟ้อง! ทำไมจึงเชื่อได้ว่า "ศรีเทพ" คือศูนย์กลางทวารวดี. 13 December 2023. 14 December 2023. th. www.silpa-mag.com. 14 December 2023. https://archive.today/20231214073935/https://www.silpa-mag.com/history/article_123335.
  10. Boeles . J.J. . 1964 . The King of Sri Dvaravati and His Regalia . Journal of the Siam Society . 52 . 1 . 102–103 . 13 April 2023.
  11. PhD . Pongsripian . Winai . 1983 . Traditional Thai historiography and its nineteenth century decline . University of Bristol . 21. 13 April 2023.
  12. Blagden . C.O. . 1941 . A XVIIth Century Malay Cannon in London . Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society . 19 . 1. 122–124 . 41559979 . 13 April 2023. TA-HTAUNG TA_YA HNIT-HSE SHIT-KHU DWARAWATI THEIN YA - 1128 year (= 1766 A.D) obtained at the conquest of Dwarawati (= Siam). One may note that in that year the Burmese invaded Siam and captured Ayutthaya, the capital, in 1767..
  13. JARUDHIRANART . Jaroonsak . THE INTERPRETATION OF SI SATCHANALAI . Silpakorn University . 2017 . 13 April 2023. Ayutthaya, they still named the kingdom after its former kingdom as "Krung Thep Dvaravati Sri Ayutthaya".. 31. Thesis .
  14. Web site: Synthesis of Suphannabhume historical Knowledge in Suphanburi Province by Participatory Process. 2017. 8 January 2023. th. ฉันทัส เพียรธรรม. Nakhon Ratchasima College. 16 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170916111127/http://journal.nmc.ac.th/th/admin/Journal/2560Vol11No1_724.pdf.
  15. Web site: Bronze Gun - 12-pounder bronze Siamese - about early 18th century. 20 February 2024. Royal Armouries. 20 February 2024. https://archive.today/20240220034748/https://royalarmouries.org/collection/object/object-33865.
  16. Reconstructing the Human Genetic History of Mainland Southeast Asia: Insights from Genome-Wide Data from Thailand and Laos. 2021. Mol Biol Evol. 38. 8. 3459–3477. 33905512. 10.1093/molbev/msab124. Wibhu. Kutanan. Dang. Liu. Jatupol. Kampuansai. Metawee. Srikummool. Suparat. Srithawong. Rasmi. Shoocongdej. Sukrit. Sangkhano. Sukhum. Ruangchai. Pittayawat. Pittayaporn. Leonardo. Arias. Mark. Stoneking. 8321548 .
  17. New insights from Thailand into the maternal genetic history of Mainland Southeast Asia. 10.1038/s41431-018-0113-7. 2017. 19 January 2024. Wibhu Kutanan, Jatupol Kampuansai, Andrea Brunelli, Silvia Ghirotto, Pittayawat Pittayaporn, Sukhum Ruangchai, Roland Schröder, Enrico Macholdt, Metawee Srikummool, Daoroong Kangwanpong, Alexander Hübner, Leonardo Arias Alvis, Mark Stoneking. European Journal of Human Genetics. 26 . 6 . 898–911 . 29483671 . 5974021 . 18 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240118231746/https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/162610v1.full. 21.11116/0000-0001-7EEF-6. free.
  18. Web site: The Metropolitan Museum of Art . The Mon-Dvaravati Tradition of Early North-central Southeast asia. 2009-12-15.
  19. [David K. Wyatt]
  20. Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd.,
  21. Glover, I. (2011). The Dvaravati Gap-Linking Prehistory and History in Early Thailand. Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, 30, 79-86.
  22. Murphy. Stephen A.. 2013. Buddhism and its Relationship to Dvaravati Period Settlement Patterns and Material Culture in Northeast Thailand and Central Laos c. Sixth–Eleventh Centuries AD: A Historical Ecology Approach to the Landscape of the Khorat Plateau. Asian Perspectives. 52. 2. 300–326. 10.1353/asi.2013.0017. 1535-8283. 10125/38732. 53315185 . free.
  23. News: Dvaravati art in Isan. Pichaya Svasti. 2013. March 13, 2021. Bangkok post.
  24. Web site: จารึกเหรียญเงินทวารวดี (เมืองดงคอน 3). th. 8 November 2023. sac.or.th. 8 November 2023. https://archive.today/20231108034715/https://db.sac.or.th/inscriptions/inscribe/detail/709.
  25. Web site: จารึกแผ่นทองแดง. 8 November 2023. th. 8 November 2023. https://archive.today/20231108041106/https://www.finearts.go.th/storage/contents/2020/12/detail_file/7o1sPjHLQN6IgfFe5FwiM4ZBMG3L3kRvproWoRNy.pdf. finearts.go.th.
  26. http://www.historycooperative.org/cgi-bin/justtop.cgi?act=justtop&url=http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ahr/107.4/br_35.html "Book Review: Voices from S-21"
  27. https://archive.today/20070813050106/http://www20.sbs.com.au/podcasting/index.php?action=feeddetails&feedid=3&id=9182 SBS French program
  28. Bhattacharya, Kamaleswar (2009). A Selection of Sanskrit Inscriptions from Cambodia. In collaboration with Karl-Heinz Golzio. Center for Khmer Studies.
  29. Some Aspects of Asian History and Culture by Upendra Thakur. Page 37.
  30. Book: Saveros, Pou. Saveros Pou. Nouvelles inscriptions du Cambodge. Tome II et III. fr. 2002. EFEO. Paris. 2-85539-617-4. Pou2002.
  31. Web site: จารึกบ้านวังไผ่. db.sac.or.th. th. 19 December 2023. 31 October 2023. https://archive.today/20231031152953/https://db.sac.or.th/inscriptions/inscribe/detail/529.
  32. Web site: Evidences of Governors and Aristocrats' Existences in Dvaravati Period. th. 2020. 19 December 2023. Supitchar Jindawattanaphum. Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University.

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