Arts in Southeast Asia
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PaintingMural Paintings Depicting Ramayana
The mural paintings show a combination of traditional and modern painting techniques as follows: the traditional painting techniques are demonstrated through the main characters’ dresses are similar to those in the Masked dance drama, they are showing the same dance movements, and the characters’ adornments are gilded. The modern painting techniques include the use of horizon lines and perspective, imitation of real buildings such as palaces in the Grand Palace, and depiction of real landscapes. In addition, the paintings also show ways of life of people in the Thai Royal Court and ordinary Thai people and humor through the supporting characters. There are 178 painting panels in total; and each painting comes with verse of Ramayana poetry on the lower part of the panels, 224 verses in total.
ArchitecturePhra Sri Rattanachedi
Phra Sri Rattanachedi is a bell-shaped stupa in circular plan. Its four niches which have doors leading to the inner chamber, where the relics are kept in the small golden stupa, have smaller bell-shaped stupa on the top. The stupa is on a set of pyramidal lotus-shaped pedestals with wires in round plan. Its Ballang is in square plan, surrounded by supporting pillars.
SculptureAvalokitesvara Bodhisattva
The sculpture is in the damaged condition. Only the head and upper body in ‘Tribhanga’ posture (standing body position or stance used in the traditional Indian sculpture, art and Indian classical dance forms) are left. The lower part of body is lost.The face is plump and well-crafted. The eyelids are half closed. The Unalome is visible at the forehead while head wears the triangle crown with jewelries. The hair bun on the top of the head is broken and lost, only the hair that is down to the shoulders left. The body wears many accessories such as the leather body bracelet with the chamois head on the left shoulder. This body bracelet is overlapped by a pearl body bracelet. Two necklaces, the top one is of pearls and the lower one is jewelries with flowers decorated. The jewels bracelet is also visible. Overall, this sculpture reflects the relationship between the Network of Mahayana Buddhist Kingdoms such as Pala Dynasty of India and Shailendra Dynasty of Java. However, the study by Assoc Prof Chet Tingsanchali points out the traits of the sculpture that do not exist in Java Art which means this sculpture might be crafted in Thailand.
ArchitecturePrasat Phra Thep Bidorn
Prasat Phra Thep Bidorn is a four-portico building with Prang top. The front projecting portico is in the east. The wall is decorated by tiles in Phoom Khao Bindh pattern on blue background. The cornice is decorated with Chorfah, Bairaka, Naksadung and Hanghong. A prang is on the top of the building, which is made from plaster and decorated with coloured tiles. Its four pediments display the royal coats of arms. The northern portico’s pediment displays Unalom of King Rama I. The southern portico’s pediment displays Garuda holding Nagas of King Rama II. The western portico’s pediment displays Phra Viman of King Rama III and the eastern portico’s pediment displays Phra Makamongkut of King Rama IV. The windows and doorways has Mongkut tops which are coated with gold lacquer and glass, while the sided walls show the royal coats of arms of King Rama I – V.
ArchitectureChedi Phukhao Thong
Chedi Phukhao Thong is a monumental architecture. It comprises a pyramidal ambulatory platform with a staircase projecting from the middle of all four sides and a 12-angle indented (recessed) body. The upper part of the chedi, which now tilted slightly, is composed of Buddha niches on four sides, triple rings moulding, anindented bell-shaped dome and a spire.
ArchitecturePhra Ubosot Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram
Phra ubosot is in projecting cross plan and faces the east The easterm portico is extended, while the duplicated Phra Phuttha Jinaraj is installed in the western wing. The northern and southern porticos are linked to the cloister that leads to the back of the building.The front edge of the boundary stand concrete pillars with lotus-bud-shaped echinus, which signify “Sema”, while the back of the ubosot shows through Dharmacakra Sema on a granite-carved floor tiles. The boundary floor uses pink and gray granite tiles, while the wall is a white marble.The eastern and western porticos have four marble pillars in circular plan. Beside the staircase of each side stand a pair of marble-carved lions, which Prince Naris designed and molded by Khun Sakolpradit, the royal artisan.The exterior door was embossed with Dvarapala, while the interior door was painted the same figure with golden lacquer. The windows use the same technic, however, with Mara Baek. The niches were decorated by stained glass.The roof was built in traditional Thai form with yellow corrugated tiles and Thepphanom at the eaves, which once were the roof tiles of Wat Kalayanamite that later had been coloured in China. The pediment of phra ubosot displays the important state coat of arms. The eastern portico’s pediment displays Vishnu riding Garuda which stands for Phra Krooth Pah emblem. The western portico’s pediment display Unalom in Bussabok which stands for Maha Unalom or Maha Ongkarn emblem. The northern portico’s pediment displays three-headed elephant carrying bussabok which stands for Aiyarapot emblem. The southern portico’s pediment displays Cakra which stands for Cakraroth or Dharmacakra emblem.
ArchitecturePhra Ubosot Wat Phra Sri Rattanasatsadaram
Phra Ubosot Wat Phra Sri Rattanasatsadaram is a traditional Thai brick-and-stucco architecture in rectangular plan with boundary and faces the east.The three-tiered wooden roof is decorated by blue roof tiles, with orange and yellow roof tiles at the edge line. The cornice is decorated with Chorfah, Bairaka, Naksadung and Hanghong. The floral-carved-wooden pediment is coated with gold lacquer and glass, whose centre displays Vishnu riding Garuda.The exterior wall is decorated with gold-lacquer-and-glass Phoom Khao Bindh pattern, while there are Garuda holding Naga sculptures around the pedestal. Three doorways can be found both in the front and the back, with three pairs of bronze lion figures at the front staircase. There are pillars in dodecagonal plan surrounding the ubosot in the veranda area. Its echinus is a lotus shape and brackets are supporting the eaves.
SculptureYakṣas at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha
The 12 sculptures are made of stucco with colorful glazed porcelain adornments according to Rammakian including different types of crowns, blouses, costumes, pointed sandals, etc. Their bodies were also painted according to the literary work.6 pairs of Yakṣas are as follows: 1.Suriyaphop – Intharachit 2.Mangkonkan – Wirunhok 3.Thotsakhichanthon – Thotsakhiriwan 4.Chakrawat – Atsakanmarasun 5.Thotsakan - Sahatsadecha Maiyarap - Wirunchambang
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Minaret of Masjid Kampong Kling
The Southeast Asian-styled mosques are different from Indian or Persian masjids. The mosque has a square plan with 4 pillars supporting the sloping roof with the wooden beam supporting the tile roof without any dome. Other interesting point is the minaret that has stacked body with the Chinese sloping roof at the top. The shape of the minaret is similar to Chinese pagoda. At the same time, the minaret is also look alike the Dargarh type tower in Nagapattinam in South India
Dutch Colonization Period
17th – 18th century
Architecture
ArchitectureKuti Ruesi Ban Khok Mueang
It is a rectangular diagram with an outmost laterite wall with an arch entrance or gopura in the east. Inside at the center is located the principle prasat made of laterite. Some parts have sandstone at the door frames. There is a porch at the east entrance. The other 3 entrances are false doors. On the southeastern side of the inner wall is a laterite Banalai as well. Some parts of the gopura and the Principal prasat are decorated with a gable or a lintel in Naga or Magara with Naga. It is assumed that this is the art style of the 16th – 17th century B.E. However, the decorations are not perfectly connected with the wall and the principle prasat, therefore it may be as to bring the old items attaching to the new buildings. Nevertheless, if these pieces are original then it may be assumed that there had been a religious place built around the 16th century B.E. Later, in the 18th century B.E., it was adapted to be a chapel of Arogayasala in Mahayana Buddhism.
ArchitectureWat Si Sawai
It is facing south surrounded with a rectangle laterite wall. There is an arch entrance on the south wall and next is the outer hall connected to a solid inner viharn in the north-south line. Next to that are 3prasats located in a west-east line. The central prasat is higher than the other two. The current condition shows that many constructions and modifications have been done to this site. The base is submerged into the ground and it is made of laterite. The roof was built with bricks decorated with jackfruit petals in the image of Krut Yut Naga, deities, angels, and Nagas at the frame of the gate. This is a mix of arts of Khmer and Sukhothai. In addition, there are traces of other structures such as the terraces that surround the prasat and the 3 bases that are around the principle prasat. The area between the temple wall and the inner wall has a pond behind the castle which would have been an upside-down U shape. Later the west area had been filled and a small laterite viharn appeared. In front of the small viharn appears a pagoda base and there is also another laterite base behind the temple wall in the north. Significant antiquities that were found in the temple is the Narai Bantomsin lintel, a stone slab of the standing Narai, and decorated bronze Buddha images. The age of the antiquities is around the 18th centure B.E. It is therefore assumed that this Wat Sri Sawai was first built as a religious place for Brahminism or Mahayana Buddhism. Later, when Sukhothai had power over the Khmer in the 19th century B.E., it was converted to a religious place for Theravada Buddhism.
ArchitecturePrasat Wat Chao Chan
It consists of the principle prasat in a square shape located in a center of a laterite wall in a rectangular diagram with a surface decorated with plaster. The bottom base is a set of inverted lotuses - supine lotus. There are four arches at the main building with only one entrance and one exit on the east side. The doors on the other sides are false doors. There is a room for enshrining idols at the front. Later in the Sukhothai period, this religious site had been transformed to a Buddhist temple instead by covering the surrounding area of the base that made the inverted lotuses- the supine lotus base submerged underground. A laterite viharn along with a laterite Mondop were then built in front of the prang prasat for enshrining Phra Athatharot in the north of the prang. Inside the Mondop, there are rough laterite shapes and a standing Buddha image with both hands attached to the body. The wooden roof has already collapsed, only pieces of clay tiles scattering around. Later, Fine Arts Department discovered an amulet decorated as a king made of lead and tin. When digging deeper, artifacts from the Dvaravati period such as Hariphunchai wares, glass beads, and human skeleton were found.
SculptureTap Lang ThalaBoriwat (ThalaBoriwat Lintels)
The lintel was damaged and was broken into two pieces and they were carved into images of Magaras facing each other and spitting out curved circles. Inside the curve is plain with no decoration but the edges on the top and bottom of the curve are decorated with rosaries. Under the circle, a garland pattern and the pattern of the garland with triangular leaf pattern inside were carved; the middle bunch of the garland is the largest. The area where each side of the curve converge appears an image of Krut Yut Naga inside a coin-shaped circle. The Krut has a human face and only the face and the body of the Krut are exposed.
ArchitecturePrasat Khao Noi
The layout of Prasat Khao Noi consists of 3 brick buildings located in the north-south line. The northern and the southern ones have already collapsed, only the central one remains intact. The northern and the central prasats are on the same base but the northern prasat was extended outward. The southern prasat is on a base with the same height but slightly apart with only a connection by a brick base on the back. It can be seen that the construction of these 3 buildings are not in alignment which is similar to the construction of the prasats in Mueang Phra Nakhon of Khmer, which is not very organized.The north side of the prasat has a rectangular layout. There is only one entrance and one exit on the east side. The doors on the other sides are false doors. The entrance was extended so the diagram of the building is deep. The room’s diagram is rectangular with a curved hole on each side.The central prasat is a brickwork in a square plan extended with twelve wooden corners. There is only one entrance and one exit on the east side. The doors on the other sides are false doors. Inside is a room with different length on each side. The prasat on the southern side is a rectangular building on a brick base with the building made up of walls. There is a porch on the east entrance and the diagram inside the building is rectangular as well.
SculptureThe lintel from the middle Prasat Khao Noi
There are two Magaras engraved on both ends facing inward, spitting out four arc circles. It looks like there is a figure riding on top of the Magara and the bottom of the Magara has a base to support it. In the center and crescent areas where the curved patterns meet, there is an oval pattern or a three coin-shaped circle pattern. There are patterns of beads all around the edges of the curved circles. At the edges of the coin-shape circle pattern are both rosary and curled leaf patterns. Inside each coin-shaped circle engraved a deity on a vehicle while at the center within the curved patterns engraved four flower petals. Above the curved pattern, there is an upright leaf pattern and the bottom part of the curve engraved in garland patterns and inside each garland is a wavy leaf; they are the same size. The aforementioned details can be compared to the 7th Prasat Sombor Prikuk on the south.
ArchitecturePrasat Ku Phanna
It consists of the principle prasat in a square shape located in a center of a laterite wall in a rectangular diagram. The top part of the prasat has already collapsed. There is only one entrance and one exit on the east side. The doors on the other sides are false doors. The entrance and exit door was made into a long room with the porch in the front. The southeastern area of the principle prasat only appears the base of Banalai or repositories for scriptures made of laterite in a rectangular diagram. At the center of the east laterite wall appears an arch door or gopura in a cross-shaped square. Outside the wall on the northeastern side, there is a rectangular pond made of laterite as well.
ArchitecturePrasat Phanom Wan
Located in a square diagram facing east. The group of principle Prasats are consisted of the principle prasat, Antrala, and Mondop; they are on the same base.The diagram of the principle prasat is square with corners. There are porches and gates in all four directions. The porch in the east is connected to Antrala which is the insulator or porch, which forms a passage to the Mondop at the front. The Mondop has a rectangular diagram. There are gates in all four directions just like the principle prasat. The roof is in a curved-shape. All of them are surrounded with the curved outer wall that have gopuras in all four directions. Each corner of the curved outer wall appears a small square-shaped arch with an entrance and a gate that connects to both sides of the gopuras. In the south of the principle prasat in the curved outer wall area, there is a smaller prasat called Prang Noi. It is a diagram with additional corners. The base was made of laterite. The part of building was made of sandstone. There is only one entrance and one exit in the east. The doors on the other sides are false doors. Nowadays the top has already collapsed. The building of the prasat has not been decorated yet, only the castle-shaped outline can be seen. From the aforementioned characteristics, it is assumed that this Prang Noi is likely to be in the 16th century B.E. onwards. Inside the Prang Noi also enshrined the Buddha's sandstone footprint. In addition, several bases of brick building surrounding the principle prasat were found inside the curved outer wall.
