Dvaravati Period

The Dvaravati kingdom of the early Thai kingdom existed from the 6th to the 11th centuries. The Kingdom was then absorbed by the growing Lavo and Subarnabhumi Kingdoms. People used ancient Mon language but unable to exactly identify the race of the population. While the theory of Thai migration has been obsolete already.

The term Dvaravati derives from coins which were inscribed in Sanskrit with śrīdvāravatī. The Sanskrit word Dvaravati means being a gateway to the port. Thus it refers to a coastal city. In addition this name might be linked to Dvaraka, the lost city of Krishna that was submerged into the sea.

Little is known about the administration of the kingdom, or even whether it was technically a kingdom at all. It may simply have been a loose gathering of principalities rather than a centralised state. The main settlements appear to have been at Nakhon Pathom, U Thong and Khu Bua west of the Chao Phraya. Other towns like Lavo (modern-day Lopburi) or Si Thep were also clearly influenced by the Dvaravati culture, but probably were not part of the kingdom.

Dvaravati itself was heavily influenced by Indian culture, and played an important role in introducing Buddhism and particularly Buddhist art to the region.

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