Typological Analysis of Terracotta Votive Stupa Fragments from Ban Jale Monument No. 3, Yarang Ancient City, Pattani

Sornsawan Dumrongrittamatt

The objective of this study is to analyse the typology of terracotta votive stupa fragments discovered at Yarang Ancient City, located in Pattani Province, Thailand. Previous scholars have proposed a preliminary typology of stupa forms encompassing both plain and decorated votive stupas from the overall findings at the ancient complex. Expanding upon this foundation, this study narrows its scope to the unanalysed decorated votive stupa samples from Ban Jale Monument No. 3, which are preserved at the 11th Regional Office of Fine Arts, Songkhla, allowing for deeper analysis of typology, production techniques and the identification of diverse regional artistic influences. The results from typological analysis regarding decorative motifs on the fragments reveal that the motifs can be classified into seven distinct categories: images of the Buddha, divine and human figures, stupa representations, faunal images, ornamental motifs, architectural imitations, and sketch-like designs. Individual motifs frequently appear in combination, with multiple decorative elements integrated within a single fragment. These motifs reflect artistic influences associated with the art of North India, Sri Lanka, Dvaravati in central Thailand, ancient Kedah, West Java and Bali. Furthermore, they indicate religious beliefs tied to Mahayana Buddhism and the Cetiyavada (Caityaka) tradition. The findings suggest that such beliefs and artistic influences were widely practised and disseminated across the southern Thai - Malay Peninsula which linked to the ancient trade and cultural networks during the 7th to 8th centuries AD.