Edited Books by Nicolas Revire
River Books & The Piriya Krairiksh Foundation, 2022
The collection of essays in this Festschrift celebrates the extraordinary scholarship of Professo... more The collection of essays in this Festschrift celebrates the extraordinary scholarship of Professor Piriya Krairiksh, the distinguished Thai art historian, on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. The most fitting way to honor our esteemed mentor and colleague, who has dedicated his career to teaching and fundamental research on Thai and Southeast Asian art and archeology, is to support further scholarship and debate on the issues in these fields. The volume gathers contributions from many of his colleagues, friends, students, disciples, and admirers in tribute to his gift to the world of his work.
The topics herein include early art and archeology, Dvāravatī, Borobodur, the Khmer and Mon civilizations, Bagan, Angkor, Ayutthaya, stoneware and porcelain, iconography, photography and contemporary culture. The list of authors is a veritable roll-call of the most eminent scholars in these fields and the lavish illustrations make it both a fitting celebration of Achan Piriya and an essential volume for all lovers of Southeast Asian art and culture.
River Books & The Siam Society, 2014
The birth of Siam has been traditionally marked by the founding of the great city-states of Sukho... more The birth of Siam has been traditionally marked by the founding of the great city-states of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya respectively. These civilisations, however, grew out of a rich milieu of cultures and traditions in the region present from as far back as prehistoric times. Whether it be the Mon Buddhism that flourished during the so-called Dvāravatī period, the architectural heritage of the Khmers or the Brahmanical and Mahāyāna stimuli of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, these varied aspects and influences came together to shape what became early Siam and today modern Thailand.
The aim of this peer-reviewed publication is to present new research and discoveries to reconstruct the historical and geographical settings, languages and cultures, religious persuasions and artistic traditions in pre-modern Thailand and its neighbouring regions. Through a large array of contributions by renowned experts, the public and academics alike will gain a richer and more multifaceted appreciation of this early history which played such a formative role in the birth of Siam.
Journal of the Siam Society (Edited Volume) by Nicolas Revire
Journal of the Siam Society, 2024
https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/pub_jss/issue/view/18038/5720
Research Articles by Nicolas Revire
Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Vol. 76, Issue 3, pp. 355–371, 2023
Inscriptions in the highly calligraphic and still undeciphered śaṅkhalipi or 'shell script' have ... more Inscriptions in the highly calligraphic and still undeciphered śaṅkhalipi or 'shell script' have been found by the hundreds in most parts of India except the far south, typically in conjunction with sites and monuments dating from around the Gupta period and succeeding centuries. To date, four specimens have also been discovered in the Indonesian archipelago, in West Java and West Kalimantan (Borneo). Another specimen of śaṅkhalipi inscription, engraved on a pillar and exceptionally ornate, was recently discovered in Thailand at the site of Si Thep, a moated early settlement in Phetchabun Province. The article reviews the historical and cultural contexts of shell-script inscriptions in India and discusses the significance of this remarkable first specimen found in mainland Southeast Asia.
Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 111, Pt. 1, pp. 57–74, 2023
This article discusses an unusual modern bronze image of the Buddha in the posture of subduing Mā... more This article discusses an unusual modern bronze image of the Buddha in the posture of subduing Māra which originated from Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast Thailand, now in the custody of the National Museum of Bangkok. This statue is unique because it is scarified all over its body with Khmer mystical letters and syllables forming Pali formulae and geometric designs. This evidently recalls the popular practice of "yantra tattooing" witnessed in Tai-Khmer cultures.
In Decoding Southeast Asian Art: Studies in Honor of Piriya Krairiksh, ed. by Nicolas Revire & Pitchaya Soomjinda, Bangkok: River Books & The Piriya Krairiksh Foundation, pp. 74–89, 2022
This essay examines a fine stone relief kept at Wat Suthat in Bangkok which originally came from ... more This essay examines a fine stone relief kept at Wat Suthat in Bangkok which originally came from Nakhon Pathom. Its style bespeaks the Dvāravatī artistic culture (seventh to eighth century CE). This narrative relief displays in two registers, moving upward, the Great Miracle at Śrāvastī in Jambudvīpa (India) and the Śākyamuni Buddha’s subsequent Dharma teaching to his mother and to the gods in Trāyastriṁśa heaven. The present essay draws on comparisons with earlier mural depictions and stone reliefs found at Ajaṇṭā and other western Indian caves in Maharashtra—dating from the turn of the sixth century CE onwards—to provide a new interpretation for depictions of the Buddha seated in bhadrāsana (i.e., with legs pendant), enthroned in majesty as the “Lord of the Universe”. Its appearance here is also politically symbolic in the temple envisioned as the nucleus of Siamese royal and divine power in the new capital of Rattanakosin.
Religions 13(9): 771, 2022
Following the apparent chaos that ensued at Ajaṇṭā during the so-called “period of disruption” in... more Following the apparent chaos that ensued at Ajaṇṭā during the so-called “period of disruption” in the wake of King Hariṣeṇa’s death (ca. 478–480 CE), local monks and residents in the caves continued to sponsor the donation of what we term “intrusive” images after the late Walter Spink. These new donations consisted of hundreds of Buddha images, a few of which retain today painted or incised dedicatory inscriptions in Sanskrit. Many of these images represent the Buddha preaching and seated in the “auspicious pose” (bhadrāsana) on the conventional lion throne with his legs down. In this article, the author focuses on the images accompanied by inscriptions since they provide a better understanding of the reuse of consecrated caves, and of the nature of this new and brief iconographic development implemented by local Buddhist residents. The sudden appearance of Bhadrāsana Buddhas seems indeed to correlate with a rise to prevalence of Mahāyāna Buddhist practices at Ajaṇṭā during the late Middle Period.
In Early Theravadin Cambodia: Perspectives from Art and Archaeology, ed. by Ashley Thompson, Singapore: SOAS-NUS Press, pp. 231–268, 2022
This essay aims to survey the artistic, epigraphic, textual and premodern ritual evidence for the... more This essay aims to survey the artistic, epigraphic, textual and premodern ritual evidence for the emergence of the cult of past and future Buddhas in Cambodia proper and its bordering regions. It also briefly compares these lists with material from Sri Lanka and other neighbouring countries, and examines their importance in understanding the advent and uniqueness of Theravada across the region.
A recorded lecture on this topic has been given at the Sirindhorn Anthropological Center, Bangkok, in Nov. 22, 2017. It is available online here:
http://channel.sac.or.th/th/website/video/detail_news/
Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient, Vol. 107, pp. 257–301, 2021
This article presents a handful of early inscriptions recently discovered in Cambodia and Thailan... more This article presents a handful of early inscriptions recently discovered in Cambodia and Thailand, and discusses their implications for our understanding of the religious and sociopolitical landscape of “Funan”, “Zhenla”, and “Dvāravatī”. The epigraphical evidence presented here, moving back in time and from east to west, consists in: 1) a label and two stanzas inscribed in handsome seventh-century lettering (K. 1455) on the base of a standing statue of the Buddha from Angkor Borei, a site which occupied a pre-eminent position in one of the most important polities in early Southeast Asia, called Funan by Chinese sources; 2) a group of fragments found in Mueang Phaniat, Chanthaburi province, one of which mentions the seventh-century Khmer sovereign Īśānavarman I, seemingly as the then ruling king (K. 1563), adding support to the hypothesis of Zhenla’s extension into eastern Thailand during this period; and 3) an inscription with splendidly florid calligraphic lettering of a slightly earlier period that was discovered at Wat Phra Ngam in Nakhon Pathom, in central Thailand, and that mentions the city name Dvāravatī. Since that inscription (N.Th. 21) contains no discernible evidence of belonging to a Khmer polity, it has not been assigned a K. inventory number.
Arts Asiatiques, 2021
This article examines rare epigraphical evidence engraved on three inscribed Bodhisattva sculptur... more This article examines rare epigraphical evidence engraved on three inscribed Bodhisattva sculptures dated to the second half of the first millennium from Sarnath, in Uttar Pradesh, Telhara, and Bargaon, in Bihar. The inscriptions contain the heart-mantra ārolik, i.e., the three and a half syllables” connected to Avalokiteśvara and the “Lotus Family.” The fragments from Bihar probably depict a six-armed Amoghapāśa, a specific iconographic form of Avalokiteśvara, while the Bargaon inscription is the only identified occurrence in Sanskrit epigraphy of the Amoghapāśahr̥dayadhāraṇī, composed in South Asia and transmitted to East Asia in the mid-to-late first millennium. The heart-mantra ārolik is also known in esoteric and tantric Buddhist sources still preserved in Sanskrit originals or Chinese and Tibetan translations. Our study concludes on the broader implications for
the identification of Avalokiteśvara in early Indian Buddhist art.
Journal of Bengal Art, Vol. 26 (Dedicated to Claudine Bautze-Picron), pp. 579–596, 2021
This essay, offered in honour of Prof. Claudine Bautze-Picron, discusses three inscribed early me... more This essay, offered in honour of Prof. Claudine Bautze-Picron, discusses three inscribed early medieval sculptures coming from Bihar in India. Two of these sculptures depict the Buddha seated in bhadrāsana, one of which is a rare bejewelled example, both seemingly performing the Great Miracle at Śrāvastī and the teaching of the First Sermon at Sārnāth. The third image represents an elusive (Buddhist?) deity named Puṇḍeśvarī. On the basis of their donative inscriptions mentioning the name Tentadīgrāma, we can now conclusively attribute this ancient locality as the modern village of Tetrawan in the Nalanda district of Bihar.
Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 109, Pt. 1, pp. 101–118, 2021
This article develops from recent numismatic studies and discoveries made at the site of Khuan Lu... more This article develops from recent numismatic studies and discoveries made at the site of Khuan Luk Pat, in Khlong Thom district, Krabi province of Peninsular Thailand. Some of the gold coins found there are inscribed on the reverse with the name Viṣuvama in Prakrit, possibly equivalent to Viṣṇuvarman in Sanskrit, and may refer to a local Indianized ruler of the first centuries CE. This would be the earliest royal title suffixed by °varman that we know for a king in Thailand. This Vaiṣṇava name, moreover, has, to date, not been found in the rest of mainland Southeast Asia, although there are a few epigraphic occurrences ascribed to Viṣṇuvarman known in South Asia from the late 1st century BCE to the 6th century CE. In addition, and most remarkably, an inscribed seal from the 5th-6th century discovered long ago in Peninsular Malaysia contains the same name in Sanskrit, thus giving rise to speculation regarding the identity and relationship between these two Viṣṇuvarmans uncovered in the Golden Peninsula.
Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, Vol. 20, pp. 51–82, 2021
This paper reconsiders the last meal of the Buddha from the little studied perspective of 'kammic... more This paper reconsiders the last meal of the Buddha from the little studied perspective of 'kammic fluff' (kammapilotika). Although marginal in the Nikāyas, this idea is more prominent in the commentarial accounts of the Buddha's death, and suggests that the Buddha's final meal aided the Buddha, rather than directly caused his death. Additionally, we examine other evidence from some Theravāda traditions of mainland South East Asia: modern mural paintings from Cambodia and Thailand which indicate that the Buddha's death possibly resulted from a complication of a chronic peptic ulcer involving the vomiting of blood, and a little known Pali text of 'Indo-Chinese' origin, which supports this interpretation, and assumes that the Buddha's final illness was caused by the remnants of his former kamma.
In From Xiangyuan to Ceylon: The Life and Legacy of the Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian (337–422), ed. by Jinhua CHEN & KUAN Guang, Singapore: World Scholastic Publishers, pp. 351–373, 2020
In this paper, I compare and examine several legendary
traditions relating to the appearance of t... more In this paper, I compare and examine several legendary
traditions relating to the appearance of the ‘first’ icon of the living
Buddha. The legend is well known across Buddhist Asia and was
particularly influential in first-millennium China. Faxian 法顯
(ca. 337–422), the first Chinese pilgrim to travel to India in the
early 400s CE, left a fairly detailed report on this ‘first image’ of the
Buddha. The account given in his important travelogue, A Record of
Buddhist Kingdoms or Foguo ji 佛國記, states that King Prasenajit of
Kośala ordered the statue to be executed in sandalwood during the
Buddha’s lifetime at Śrāvastī, when the Lord departed on a preaching
journey. Many related legends from China, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka,
and even mainland Southeast Asia exist. But, according to this
copious literary evidence, what exactly did the ‘sandalwood’ model
look like? While these narratives may enjoy numerous variations
and additions, all versions—starting with Faxian’s—agree that the
sandalwood image was originally intended to ‘be seated’ on a throne
(還坐), despite common and later assertions that it was a standing
statue. This paper thus proposes a different interpretation for the
appearance of the first ‘enthroned’ Buddha image.
Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 107, Pt 2, pp. 63-90, 2019
A rare stele depicting the birth of the Buddha, taken from Angkor Wat in 1899 and now housed in t... more A rare stele depicting the birth of the Buddha, taken from Angkor Wat in 1899 and now housed in the Bangkok National Museum, raises issues central to the Buddhist art and civilization of Angkor. Stemming from the late 13th or the early 14th century, it draws its inspiration primarily from North Indian Sanskrit textual sources, thereby providing further evidence of the continuing dominance of that tradition in Cambodia and mainland Southeast Asia, prior to the more recent and final onset of Pali-based Buddhism (i.e. Theravāda or Theravaṁsa).
A lecture on this topic has been delivered at the Siam Society in Bangkok on 7 February 2019. It is available online here: https://youtu.be/bBLp4txtxXY
TRaNS: Trans-Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 167-205, 2018
Most scholars think that the generic name 'Golden Land' (Sanskrit, Suvarnabhumi; Pali, Suvannabhu... more Most scholars think that the generic name 'Golden Land' (Sanskrit, Suvarnabhumi; Pali, Suvannabhumi) was first used by Indian traders as a vague designation for an extensive region beyond the subcontinent, presumably in Southeast Asia. Some Pali sources specifically link Suvannabhumi with the introduction of Buddhism to the region. The locus classicus is the Sri Lankan Mahavamsa chronicle (fifth century AD) which states that two monks, Sona and Uttara, were sent there for missionary activities in the time of King Asoka (third century BC). However, no Southeast Asian textual or epigraphic sources refer to this legend or to the Pali term Suvannabhumi before the second millennium AD. Conversely, one may ask, what hard archaeological evidence is there for the advent of Buddhism in mainland Southeast Asia? This article reexamines the appropriation of the name Suvannabhumi in Thailand and Burma for political and nationalist purposes and deconstructs the connotation of the term and what it has meant to whom, where, and when. It also carefully confronts the Buddhist literary evidence and earliest epigraphic and archaeological data, distinguishing material discoveries from legendary accounts, with special reference to the ancient Mon countries of Ramaññadesa (lower Burma) and Dvaravati (central Thailand).
In India and Southeast Asia: Cultural Discourses, ed. by Dallapiccola, Anna L. & Verghese, Anila, Mumbai: K R Cama Oriental Institute, pp. 279–304, 2017
This paper presents in detail a study of a particular type of representation of the Buddha, where... more This paper presents in detail a study of a particular type of representation of the Buddha, where he is shown seated in bhadrasana, i.e. posture with two legs pendant. Often, this asana is combined with the teaching “Gesture of Turning the Wheel of the Law” (dharmacakramudra). This iconographic type is commonly found in some of the oldest Buddhist and artistic cultural centers of both South and Southeast Asia during the mid-to-late first millennium CE. It must be distinguished from another common group of Buddhas in bhadrasana also found in Southeast Asia – but rarely in South Asia – showing the teaching gesture with only the right hand raised (vitarkamudra).
South Asian antecedents are well known for Buddhas in bhadrasana and dharmacakramudra; they are found in Gandhara and Sarnath as early as the fourth-fifth century CE. This iconographic type became a hallmark of the rock-cut caves of Ajanta, Ellora, Kanheri, and many other western Deccan sites in Maharashtra from the turn of the sixth century onwards; it was also adopted later in Nalanda and other Pala sites of Bihar and Bengal. On many occasions, these Buddhas are arranged as the central figure in triads and are surrounded by two standing Bodhisattvas. Several images from central Java, dateable to approximately the late eighth through ninth century, share the same iconography. The most famous Javanese example is no doubt the Buddha carved in stone enshrined at Candi Mendut, near Borobudur.
The paper traces the origins and significance of this particular iconographic type in South Asia as well as its chronological development and spread in Southeast Asia through the maritime trade routes. An explanation of the triadic arrangements that can be observed in situ in most western Deccan caves with their central shrine Buddha images in bhadrasana and dharmacakramudra will be proposed. Several iconographic parallels and stylistic similarities with Maharashtra cave sites lead me to suggest that this triadic arrangement, probably based on certain Buddhist texts, was exported to central Java from this specific region.
Indo-Asiatische Zeitschrift, Vol. 20-21, pp. 3-14, 2017
Sun worship or heliolatry in human form was certainly important in ancient Vraja (Mathura) and No... more Sun worship or heliolatry in human form was certainly important in ancient Vraja (Mathura) and Northwest
India, witnessed by the sheer number of Sun god (Aditya or Surya) images found there. From the Kushan period
(2nd-3rd centuries) onwards, these images were mostly depicted in a squatting position, a posture also adopted at times by Kushan rulers in their portraits. Solar metaphors also permeate the Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist literature of the same period. In particular, the Buddha himself is often designated in such texts by the epithet adicca- or adityabandhu, or “relative/brother/kinsman of the Sun”. This article briefly reexamines the solar symbolic aspects attached to images made during the late Kushan and early Gupta periods, roughly encompassing the 3rd and 4th centuries CE. Greatly enhancing our understanding of solar symbolism in early Buddhist art is a unique stone sculpture of the Buddha preserved in the Asian Art Museum in Berlin, shown squatting like Aditya or Surya, with a large nimbus radiating what appear to be solar rays.
Berliner Indologische Studien/Berlin Indological Studies, Vol. 23, pp. 143-156, 2017
Solar metaphors largely permeate the early Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist literature. In such texts, ... more Solar metaphors largely permeate the early Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist literature. In such texts, the Buddha is often designated by the epithet ādicca- or ādityabandhu, or “relative/brother/kinsman of the Sun.” In this paper, I present a few textual examples to define precisely how the Buddha is said to relate to the Sun, in one aspect or another.
Arts Asiatiques, Tome 71, pp. 159-166, 2016
Quelques décennies après la chute d'Angkor, Longvek a été choisie par le roi Ang Chan Ier (r. 151... more Quelques décennies après la chute d'Angkor, Longvek a été choisie par le roi Ang Chan Ier (r. 1516-1566) comme la nouvelle capitale du royaume khmer. Située à mi-chemin entre Phnom Penh et l'extrémité sud du Tonlé Sap, Longvek se trouve juste au nord de Oudong, dans les provinces de Kampong Chhnang où plusieurs monuments, fragments d'inscriptions, et sculptures préangkoriens ont été découverts. Longvek est tombée, à son tour, aux mains des Siamois en 1594.
Le célèbre temple de Wat Tralaeng Kaeng a été construit au centre de Longvek pendant cette période de la présence du roi Ang Chan. Cependant, plusieurs monticules autour du site indiquent la possibilité de fondations plus anciennes. En effet, une rare statue préangkorienne du Bouddha assis en bhadrāsana, c'est-à-dire la posture assise avec les deux jambes étendues et les pieds solidement plantés au sol, a été découverte par l'archéologue français Robert Dalet au Wat Tralaeng Kaeng au début du XXe siècle. Cette statue a également été observée in situ par Madeleine Giteau en 1970, mais déjà dans un état de délabrement certain. Après la guerre vietnamo-cambodgienne (1977-1991), les observateurs occidentaux ont rapporté la statue comme étant perdue ou volée.
Cependant, lors d'un récent voyage sur le terrain à Longvek, nous avons retrouvé la statue de ce Bouddha résidant dans un petit sanctuaire séparé, situé sur la plate-forme moderne du Wat Tralaeng Kaeng. La statue est désormais accoutrée comme un puissant Neak Ta ou génie du terroir de la religion populaire khmère. La population locale a donné à cette statue le titre de « Lok Ta Thommareacha » (Dhammarāja), c'est-à-dire « l'ancêtre, roi du Dharma ». Cette étude de cas est une illustration fort rare, peut-être unique, de la façon dont une statue bouddhique préangkorienne a pu être affectée, transformée, voire déplacée sur un site post-angkorien, et désormais vénérée comme un Neak Ta.
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Edited Books by Nicolas Revire
The topics herein include early art and archeology, Dvāravatī, Borobodur, the Khmer and Mon civilizations, Bagan, Angkor, Ayutthaya, stoneware and porcelain, iconography, photography and contemporary culture. The list of authors is a veritable roll-call of the most eminent scholars in these fields and the lavish illustrations make it both a fitting celebration of Achan Piriya and an essential volume for all lovers of Southeast Asian art and culture.
The aim of this peer-reviewed publication is to present new research and discoveries to reconstruct the historical and geographical settings, languages and cultures, religious persuasions and artistic traditions in pre-modern Thailand and its neighbouring regions. Through a large array of contributions by renowned experts, the public and academics alike will gain a richer and more multifaceted appreciation of this early history which played such a formative role in the birth of Siam.
Journal of the Siam Society (Edited Volume) by Nicolas Revire
Research Articles by Nicolas Revire
A recorded lecture on this topic has been given at the Sirindhorn Anthropological Center, Bangkok, in Nov. 22, 2017. It is available online here:
http://channel.sac.or.th/th/website/video/detail_news/
the identification of Avalokiteśvara in early Indian Buddhist art.
traditions relating to the appearance of the ‘first’ icon of the living
Buddha. The legend is well known across Buddhist Asia and was
particularly influential in first-millennium China. Faxian 法顯
(ca. 337–422), the first Chinese pilgrim to travel to India in the
early 400s CE, left a fairly detailed report on this ‘first image’ of the
Buddha. The account given in his important travelogue, A Record of
Buddhist Kingdoms or Foguo ji 佛國記, states that King Prasenajit of
Kośala ordered the statue to be executed in sandalwood during the
Buddha’s lifetime at Śrāvastī, when the Lord departed on a preaching
journey. Many related legends from China, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka,
and even mainland Southeast Asia exist. But, according to this
copious literary evidence, what exactly did the ‘sandalwood’ model
look like? While these narratives may enjoy numerous variations
and additions, all versions—starting with Faxian’s—agree that the
sandalwood image was originally intended to ‘be seated’ on a throne
(還坐), despite common and later assertions that it was a standing
statue. This paper thus proposes a different interpretation for the
appearance of the first ‘enthroned’ Buddha image.
A lecture on this topic has been delivered at the Siam Society in Bangkok on 7 February 2019. It is available online here: https://youtu.be/bBLp4txtxXY
South Asian antecedents are well known for Buddhas in bhadrasana and dharmacakramudra; they are found in Gandhara and Sarnath as early as the fourth-fifth century CE. This iconographic type became a hallmark of the rock-cut caves of Ajanta, Ellora, Kanheri, and many other western Deccan sites in Maharashtra from the turn of the sixth century onwards; it was also adopted later in Nalanda and other Pala sites of Bihar and Bengal. On many occasions, these Buddhas are arranged as the central figure in triads and are surrounded by two standing Bodhisattvas. Several images from central Java, dateable to approximately the late eighth through ninth century, share the same iconography. The most famous Javanese example is no doubt the Buddha carved in stone enshrined at Candi Mendut, near Borobudur.
The paper traces the origins and significance of this particular iconographic type in South Asia as well as its chronological development and spread in Southeast Asia through the maritime trade routes. An explanation of the triadic arrangements that can be observed in situ in most western Deccan caves with their central shrine Buddha images in bhadrasana and dharmacakramudra will be proposed. Several iconographic parallels and stylistic similarities with Maharashtra cave sites lead me to suggest that this triadic arrangement, probably based on certain Buddhist texts, was exported to central Java from this specific region.
India, witnessed by the sheer number of Sun god (Aditya or Surya) images found there. From the Kushan period
(2nd-3rd centuries) onwards, these images were mostly depicted in a squatting position, a posture also adopted at times by Kushan rulers in their portraits. Solar metaphors also permeate the Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist literature of the same period. In particular, the Buddha himself is often designated in such texts by the epithet adicca- or adityabandhu, or “relative/brother/kinsman of the Sun”. This article briefly reexamines the solar symbolic aspects attached to images made during the late Kushan and early Gupta periods, roughly encompassing the 3rd and 4th centuries CE. Greatly enhancing our understanding of solar symbolism in early Buddhist art is a unique stone sculpture of the Buddha preserved in the Asian Art Museum in Berlin, shown squatting like Aditya or Surya, with a large nimbus radiating what appear to be solar rays.
Le célèbre temple de Wat Tralaeng Kaeng a été construit au centre de Longvek pendant cette période de la présence du roi Ang Chan. Cependant, plusieurs monticules autour du site indiquent la possibilité de fondations plus anciennes. En effet, une rare statue préangkorienne du Bouddha assis en bhadrāsana, c'est-à-dire la posture assise avec les deux jambes étendues et les pieds solidement plantés au sol, a été découverte par l'archéologue français Robert Dalet au Wat Tralaeng Kaeng au début du XXe siècle. Cette statue a également été observée in situ par Madeleine Giteau en 1970, mais déjà dans un état de délabrement certain. Après la guerre vietnamo-cambodgienne (1977-1991), les observateurs occidentaux ont rapporté la statue comme étant perdue ou volée.
Cependant, lors d'un récent voyage sur le terrain à Longvek, nous avons retrouvé la statue de ce Bouddha résidant dans un petit sanctuaire séparé, situé sur la plate-forme moderne du Wat Tralaeng Kaeng. La statue est désormais accoutrée comme un puissant Neak Ta ou génie du terroir de la religion populaire khmère. La population locale a donné à cette statue le titre de « Lok Ta Thommareacha » (Dhammarāja), c'est-à-dire « l'ancêtre, roi du Dharma ». Cette étude de cas est une illustration fort rare, peut-être unique, de la façon dont une statue bouddhique préangkorienne a pu être affectée, transformée, voire déplacée sur un site post-angkorien, et désormais vénérée comme un Neak Ta.
The topics herein include early art and archeology, Dvāravatī, Borobodur, the Khmer and Mon civilizations, Bagan, Angkor, Ayutthaya, stoneware and porcelain, iconography, photography and contemporary culture. The list of authors is a veritable roll-call of the most eminent scholars in these fields and the lavish illustrations make it both a fitting celebration of Achan Piriya and an essential volume for all lovers of Southeast Asian art and culture.
The aim of this peer-reviewed publication is to present new research and discoveries to reconstruct the historical and geographical settings, languages and cultures, religious persuasions and artistic traditions in pre-modern Thailand and its neighbouring regions. Through a large array of contributions by renowned experts, the public and academics alike will gain a richer and more multifaceted appreciation of this early history which played such a formative role in the birth of Siam.
A recorded lecture on this topic has been given at the Sirindhorn Anthropological Center, Bangkok, in Nov. 22, 2017. It is available online here:
http://channel.sac.or.th/th/website/video/detail_news/
the identification of Avalokiteśvara in early Indian Buddhist art.
traditions relating to the appearance of the ‘first’ icon of the living
Buddha. The legend is well known across Buddhist Asia and was
particularly influential in first-millennium China. Faxian 法顯
(ca. 337–422), the first Chinese pilgrim to travel to India in the
early 400s CE, left a fairly detailed report on this ‘first image’ of the
Buddha. The account given in his important travelogue, A Record of
Buddhist Kingdoms or Foguo ji 佛國記, states that King Prasenajit of
Kośala ordered the statue to be executed in sandalwood during the
Buddha’s lifetime at Śrāvastī, when the Lord departed on a preaching
journey. Many related legends from China, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka,
and even mainland Southeast Asia exist. But, according to this
copious literary evidence, what exactly did the ‘sandalwood’ model
look like? While these narratives may enjoy numerous variations
and additions, all versions—starting with Faxian’s—agree that the
sandalwood image was originally intended to ‘be seated’ on a throne
(還坐), despite common and later assertions that it was a standing
statue. This paper thus proposes a different interpretation for the
appearance of the first ‘enthroned’ Buddha image.
A lecture on this topic has been delivered at the Siam Society in Bangkok on 7 February 2019. It is available online here: https://youtu.be/bBLp4txtxXY
South Asian antecedents are well known for Buddhas in bhadrasana and dharmacakramudra; they are found in Gandhara and Sarnath as early as the fourth-fifth century CE. This iconographic type became a hallmark of the rock-cut caves of Ajanta, Ellora, Kanheri, and many other western Deccan sites in Maharashtra from the turn of the sixth century onwards; it was also adopted later in Nalanda and other Pala sites of Bihar and Bengal. On many occasions, these Buddhas are arranged as the central figure in triads and are surrounded by two standing Bodhisattvas. Several images from central Java, dateable to approximately the late eighth through ninth century, share the same iconography. The most famous Javanese example is no doubt the Buddha carved in stone enshrined at Candi Mendut, near Borobudur.
The paper traces the origins and significance of this particular iconographic type in South Asia as well as its chronological development and spread in Southeast Asia through the maritime trade routes. An explanation of the triadic arrangements that can be observed in situ in most western Deccan caves with their central shrine Buddha images in bhadrasana and dharmacakramudra will be proposed. Several iconographic parallels and stylistic similarities with Maharashtra cave sites lead me to suggest that this triadic arrangement, probably based on certain Buddhist texts, was exported to central Java from this specific region.
India, witnessed by the sheer number of Sun god (Aditya or Surya) images found there. From the Kushan period
(2nd-3rd centuries) onwards, these images were mostly depicted in a squatting position, a posture also adopted at times by Kushan rulers in their portraits. Solar metaphors also permeate the Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist literature of the same period. In particular, the Buddha himself is often designated in such texts by the epithet adicca- or adityabandhu, or “relative/brother/kinsman of the Sun”. This article briefly reexamines the solar symbolic aspects attached to images made during the late Kushan and early Gupta periods, roughly encompassing the 3rd and 4th centuries CE. Greatly enhancing our understanding of solar symbolism in early Buddhist art is a unique stone sculpture of the Buddha preserved in the Asian Art Museum in Berlin, shown squatting like Aditya or Surya, with a large nimbus radiating what appear to be solar rays.
Le célèbre temple de Wat Tralaeng Kaeng a été construit au centre de Longvek pendant cette période de la présence du roi Ang Chan. Cependant, plusieurs monticules autour du site indiquent la possibilité de fondations plus anciennes. En effet, une rare statue préangkorienne du Bouddha assis en bhadrāsana, c'est-à-dire la posture assise avec les deux jambes étendues et les pieds solidement plantés au sol, a été découverte par l'archéologue français Robert Dalet au Wat Tralaeng Kaeng au début du XXe siècle. Cette statue a également été observée in situ par Madeleine Giteau en 1970, mais déjà dans un état de délabrement certain. Après la guerre vietnamo-cambodgienne (1977-1991), les observateurs occidentaux ont rapporté la statue comme étant perdue ou volée.
Cependant, lors d'un récent voyage sur le terrain à Longvek, nous avons retrouvé la statue de ce Bouddha résidant dans un petit sanctuaire séparé, situé sur la plate-forme moderne du Wat Tralaeng Kaeng. La statue est désormais accoutrée comme un puissant Neak Ta ou génie du terroir de la religion populaire khmère. La population locale a donné à cette statue le titre de « Lok Ta Thommareacha » (Dhammarāja), c'est-à-dire « l'ancêtre, roi du Dharma ». Cette étude de cas est une illustration fort rare, peut-être unique, de la façon dont une statue bouddhique préangkorienne a pu être affectée, transformée, voire déplacée sur un site post-angkorien, et désormais vénérée comme un Neak Ta.
Stephen A. Murphy. Bangkok: River Books & The Siam Society, 2014, pp. 240-271.
This is the Chinese translation of "‘Please Be Seated (還坐)’—Faxian’s Account and Related Legends Concerning the First Buddha Image" (Revire 2020).
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此文通過漢文中法顯、玄奘等人的記錄以及其他輔助材料，
並參照其他東南亞與南亞地區的語言與實物紀錄，來考訂佛教中栴
檀佛像及其傳說的演化進程。雖然中國的版本中記載有道尊佛像是
與波斯匿王（法顯的說法）、優填王（玄奘的說法）相關，但南亞
和東南亞的版本雖然與中國的傳說有同源關係，不過其中衹提到了
波斯匿王。而且，通過不同語言與佛教傳統中記載的梳理，我們還
可以確定，首尊佛像的造型當為倚坐姿，並且腿會打開。同時，首
尊佛像的傳說也對中國影響深遠，在中國的石窟造像之中就發現很
多相關的題材與潛在影響的痕跡。
關鍵詞：栴檀佛像、藝術史、東南亞、南亞、波斯匿王、優填王
Revire, Nicolas. 2012. "New Perspectives on the Origin and Spread of Bhadrāsana Buddhas throughout Southeast Asia (7th-8th centuries)." In Connecting Empires and States. Selected Papers from the 13th Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists, Vol. 2, ed. by Mai Lin Tjoa-Bonatz, Andreas Reinecke and Dominik Bonatz (eds.), Singapore: NUS, pp. 127–143.
倚坐佛像（Skt.bhadrāsana ) 频繁出现于公元1千纪亚洲佛教造像中。其主要有两种手势，单手说法印（vitarkamudrā），或是双手说法印的变体手势——转法轮印（dharmacakramudrā or dharmacakrapravartanamudrā）。有这类手印的造像在亚洲佛教中的传播是不均衡的。虽然这种坐姿和说法印的组合经常出现在大陆、东南亚海域以及中亚和东亚，但在印度次大陆却是极其罕见的。相反，与转法轮印的组合多出现在南亚及东南亚海域北部，而在东南亚大陆和东亚都没有发现。本文主要研究施说法印的倚坐佛像，试图将其起源与印度某一重要佛像联系起来。[2]在考察南亚以外不同地区发现的这一图像时，笔者探讨唐朝时期（618～907）中亚与东亚模式在其向东南亚传播过程中扮演重要角色的可能性。7～8世纪，东南亚的本土风格似乎并没有很强的影响力，至少不足以抵挡新模式带来的影响。因此，人们可以在唐朝和丝绸之路上寻找一种可能的施说法印倚坐佛的原型，或者更准确地说，寻找到一个“缺环”来解释它随后在东南亚造像
https://www.ydylcn.com/skwx_ydyl/initDatabaseDetail?siteId=1&contentId=10274749&contentType=literature&type=%25E6%258A%25A5%25E5%2591%258A
https://www.artic.edu/authors/199/nicolas-revire
https://www.artic.edu/articles/1076/an-early-collection-of-bencharong-porcelain
https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.584
The overwhelming focus on textual or dharma studies in Buddhism, to the relative neglect of artistic production, has led to a bias in understanding the close and intricate relationships between Buddhist art (usually comprising sculptures, mural paintings, architectural facades and ornamental elements, illuminated paintings, cloth banners, and drawings in manuscripts), rituals, and the written word. The constant dialogue between material, visual, and ritual cultures should be approached in tandem. Visual culture is a significant part of Buddhism and must be treated as part of the same social, historical, and geographical contexts as texts and practices. Buddhist visual culture, including art media, graphic aids, and physical objects or monuments associated with Buddhist practices, does not merely serve to illustrate sacred texts, legends, and doctrines. In addition, the textual tradition does not always have to explain or justify the presence-or absence-of a material object such as a Buddha icon or a Buddhist painting. While visual culture studies have become increasingly important in various academic fields over the years, a critical and complete overview of the precise relationship between art, ritual, and text in the study of south and southeast Asian Buddhism has yet to be written.
Public lecture delivered at the Art Institute of Chicago on 15 February 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvUX6xub2Zo
https://thesiamsociety.org/activity/the-ring-collection-of-bencharong-in-chicago/
Conference by Nicolas Revire – University of Paris 3-Sorbonne nouvelle, Campus Nation, Wednesday 18 October 2023 – 12.00-14.00, room C 434.
https://grei.fr/en/conference-by-nicolas-revire-campus-nation-wednesday-18-october-2023-12-00-14-00/
The lecture has been repeated in Thai (with English PowerPoint) at Chiang Mai University on Sept. 13, 2019. It is available online here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-xSarrYTag
http://www.yosothor.org/lectures/21.-Nicolas-Revire.html
The famous temple of Wat Tralaeng Kaeng was built at Longvek’s center during this period of King Ang Chan’s presence. However, several mounds around the site indicate possible earlier foundation remains. Indeed, a rare Pre-Angkorian image of the Buddha seated in bhadrāsana, that is, the sitting posture with two legs extended and the feet firmly planted on the ground, was discovered by French archaeologist Robert Dalet at Wat Tralaeng Kaeng in the early twentieth century. It was also observed in situ by Madeleine Giteau in 1970 but already in a dilapidated state. After the Cambodian-Vietnamese War (1977-1991), western observers reported the statue lost or stolen.
However, on a recent field trip to Longvek, I rediscovered the Buddha image residing in a separate shrine located on the platform of Wat Tralaeng Kaeng. The statue is now in the guise of a powerful Neak Ta, i.e., a so-called land spirit or guardian deity of folk Khmer religion. The local population has given the statue in this incarnation the title Lok Ta Thommoreach (Dhammarāja), namely “the ancestor, King of Dharma”. This case is a rare, perhaps unique, illustration of how a Pre-Angkorian Buddhist statue has been appropriated, transformed, possibly displaced, and later enshrined as a Neak Ta in a post-Angkorian site.
http://www.persee.fr/doc/arasi_0004-3958_2008_num_63_1_1664
(The complete dissertation can be accessed in two volumes through this link:
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01552082)
A short documentary on Khmer heritage in Isan, Thailand, for French TV channel ARTE (with French and Thai soundtracks)...
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I have observed an increasing tendency in recent years with low-cost airlines, particularly Air Asia, to leave earlier than the scheduled departure time, intentionally leaving behind any unfortunate passengers who do not happen to arrive at the departure gate well in advance of the boarding time. The reason for flights departing early seems inexplicable to me, but perhaps some airlines merely try to ensure their flights statistically arrive on time or ahead of schedule so that they can claim to never be late.
On May 7th, 2019, I missed a flight and was left behind precisely due to this unethical practice. I held a confirmed reservation on Air Asia flight QZ 252, scheduled to depart from Jakarta at 16.30, bound for Bangkok. Having already checked in online, I arrived at the boarding gate, in strict accordance with the directions shown on the boarding pass, some 25 minutes prior to departure (16.05), only to be told that, not only had all boarding been terminated, but that the aircraft had already departed some 30 minutes ahead of its scheduled departure.
I was utterly bewildered. I stood there speechlessly trying to comprehend the situation. I had received no prior notification of the shift forward in departure time. Moreover, Air Asia ground staff, far from offering any courteous explanation, instead insisted that the error had been mine alone, in that I had failed to arrive at the boarding gate in time. They refused to accept any responsibility, simply suggesting that I take the next flight, departing the following day, more than 15 hours later. I later realized that they also had altered the time I actually arrived at the gate in their computer system in order to default me into their rules about punctuality.
Adding insult to injury, I was offered neither a refund nor any compensation from Air Asia. As a result, I was obliged to incur, not only all the associated costs involved in spending a further night in Jakarta, but also all the additional costs involved in the issue, and purchase, of a fresh ticket.
This is actually the second time I have missed a flight in recent months due to departures prior to the scheduled time, both instances at the Jakarta airport. And, based on what I heard, I am not the only person to whom this has happened.
I might add that, as a senior lecturer at Thammasat University, this failure to depart at the scheduled time, caused me to miss an important meeting in Bangkok as well as a student examination scheduled for May 8th, 2019.
With all due respect, Mr Tony Fernandes, CEO of Air Asia, apparently the company motto of “Now everyone can fly” is not entirely accurate.
https://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/your_say/30369258