GS2-5

Sandstone Buddha Images: Evidence of Early Ayutthaya in Present Day Bangkok

Department of Art History, Faculty of Archaeology, Silpakorn University, Thailand

During the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351-1767), Bangkok, the capital of present-day Thailand located on the rich alluvial floodplains close to the Mouth of Chao Phraya River, possibly emerged as a mixture of farming communities and a trading port. Bangkok’s Ayutthayan foundations can be observed through Buddha images carved from red sandstone that are kept in many of the old temples. These temples are located along the western canals, which were linked to the original route of the Chao Phraya River, before the construction of the shortcut canal in 1522. The ‘new’ Ayutthaya community in Bangkok was then established along this river route, together with a large bastion of forts. This area later became where the successors, Thonburi and Rattanakosin were located after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. The artistic features of the Buddha images are divided into two main groups: those with a square face influenced by Khmer art, dating to mid-14th century CE, and those with an oval face belonging to a style derived from Sukhothai art in the 15th century CE. Both styles can be assigned to early Ayutthaya art. In addition to the two styles, there are also Crowned Buddha images, belonging to the second half of the 16th century CE. Some remainders of the torso and laps with folded-legged Buddha’s in the subduing Mara or Meditation postures are also represented. The feature of flat cutting can be observed in some images. This relates to a typical carving technique of the Ayutthayan period in which several parts of carved stones would be stacked to complete a whole Buddha image. Since Bangkok is situated on floodplains, no sandstone source is available locally, and the raw materials used in Buddha statue manufacture had to be imported. The only available sources of sandstone close to Bangkok can be found in Lopburi, Saraburi, and Ratchaburi provinces.