The History of Sukhothai as a Ceremonial Center: a Study of Early Siamese Architecture and Society. (Volumes I and II) (Thailand).

Abstract

From the middle of the thirteenth century until 1438 the kingdom of Sukhothai was the major political unit in what would later become central Siam, or Thailand . The city of Sukhothai, generally considered Thailand 's first "capital," was abandoned at some uncertain date. However, its ruins evidence a once-flourishing society in which many of modern Thailand 's artistic and cultural traditions are rooted. Since almost nothing is known of Thai history in Siam prior to the abrupt emergence of the Sukhothai kingdom, past studies have emphasized the assimilative nature of Sukhodayan culture, primarily its borrowings from Cambodia, Burma, India, and Sri Lanka. Understandably, studies have focused on Sukhothai's Buddhist art and culture. Not only do the city's ruins consist mostly of Buddhist monasteries, but inscriptions dating from the Sukhothai period elucidate the Buddhist view and emphasize the importance of Theravada practice. In my dissertation I have attempted to explain aspects of Sukhothai's history and culture in terms of non-Indic sources. A careful scrutiny of the inscriptional and archaeological evidence suggests that at one time Sukhothai functioned as a major ceremonial center founded on indigenous social, religious, and political traditions. However, by the end of the Sukhothai period, I suggest, the overwhelming impact of Buddhist practice had undermined the old non-Indianized structure, contributing eventually to Sukhothai's downfall in the fifteenth century. My conclusions are based largely on a chronological analysis of Sukhothai's Buddhist monuments, which reveals that at the end of the thirteenth century Buddhist architecture was still in its formative stage. Construction of the monumental Sinhalese-style stupas and large ordination halls that dominate the l and scape today was not begun until the mid-fourteenth century. On the other h and , five large step pyramids appear to derive from non-Indic sources, and the oldest, I believe, pre-date the domed stupas by as much as one century. Utilizing ethnographic as well as archaeological and inscriptional data, I have considered the pyramids' ceremonial functions, their eventual incorporation into the Buddhist framework, and their pivotal roles in Sukhothai's architectural, religious, and political history.