Dvaravati

Dvaravati refers to a culture and network of early Mon-speaking polities in central Thailand that flourished roughly from the 6th to the 11th centuries CE. The name, a scholarly designation derived from Sanskrit, is not a single unified kingdom but a collection of urban centers along the Chao Phraya valley and its tributaries. Major sites include Nakhon Pathom (where the Phra Pathom Chedi stands as an enduring monument), U Thong, Kanchanaburi, and Suphan Buri.

Religious practice was Buddhist, with influences from Indian traditions. The material culture includes brick-and-stone temples, monasteries, vihara complexes, and statuary in a style now called Dvaravati art. Inscriptions, carved on stone or metal, are primarily in Sanskrit or Prakrit using a Brahmi-derived script often associated with the Mon language; they attest to the existence of political authority, trade networks, and Buddhist institutions.

Economy and exchange: The Dvaravati centers controlled fertile plains and river routes, linking regional networks with India, Sri Lanka, and other parts of Southeast Asia through overland and riverine trade. Crafts such as stone masonry, metalwork, and bead production flourished.

Decline and legacy: By the 11th century, Dvaravati polities declined, affected by riverine changes, shifting trade networks, and the rising Khmer Empire and Tai polities. The region gradually came under Khmer influence and later Thai states. The Dvaravati archaeological record provides key evidence for early Buddhist communities in mainland Southeast Asia and laid the foundation for later Mon and Thai artistic traditions.