Thailand A wealth of art, Thai classical architecture, Sculpture, Temple Murals

For centuries, temples and palaces were the only places where Thailand’s fine art was displayed, and it is still true that they are important repositories of the country’s wealth of classical art.

Thai classical art can be divided into five main eras and several lesser ones. The five most important are Srivijaya, Khmer, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin. The first two overlapped and were actually pre- Thai. The Sukhothai era followed in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Ayutthaya era in the 15th to 18th centuries, and the Rattanakosin era from 1782 to the present.

The establishment of Sukhothai kingdom was a cornerstone in Thai history. The adoption of pure Buddhism as the national religion rather than the foregoing Khmer blend of Hinduism and Buddhism, led to the building of a new kind of Temple.

Sukhothai artisans turned to Buddhist scriptures for guidance on the forms, dimensions, and appearance of their temples and Buddha images. The results convey a sense of peacefulness which permeates Theravada Buddhism and which characterises Sukhothai period.

Chinese artisans helped Sukhothai to produce classical ceramics. Later, they introduced multi-coloured painting, lacquerwork, mother-of-pearl inlay to Ayutthaya, and at least some forms of music.

This last innovation combined with Indian mythology and a Malay tradition of drama to produce a range of musical theatre from khon classical dance drama to the popular, bawdy likae, or folk play.

The kingdom’s treasury of arts can be seen in the magnificent architecture of temples, their murals and the many styles of Buddha images; and in the classical performing arts, traditional music and folk play.

Thai classical architecture reached its peak in Ayutthaya, but much of its temples and palaces were destroyed. However, we can see it in the palaces and temples built in Bangkok after the destruction of the old city. The best place to see it is at the Grand Palace, whose plan is identical to that of the former royal palace at Ayutthaya.

Sukhothai Buddha images can be seen at Bangkok’s Wat Benchamabophit, the Marble Temple which has a 2.2-metre tall Sukhothai bronze walking Buddha and a replica of the three-metre bronze Phra Buddha Chinnaraj image from Phitsanulok. The style was developed in Sukhothai from Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist texts. Buddha images were also made with stone, brick and stucco, terracotta and wood.

Temple murals reached perfection in the early Rattanakosin period, and Bangkok’s Wat Suthat is one of the best places to see them, on plastered masonry and wooden partitions. There are other good examples at Wat Suwannaram and Wat Thong Thammachart in Thon Buri, Wat Thung Sri Muang in Ubon Ratchathani, Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai, Wat Sra Bua Kaeo in Khon Kaen, and in the South, Wat Huai Toei in Pak Phayun District, Pattani.