Dvaravati Sandstone Reclining Buddha
By admin | 28-6-2019 21:03

Dvaravati Sandstone Reclining Buddha

 This reclining Buddha image made of sandstone is the oldest and largest in Thailand. It was built in approximately the 15th century Buddhist era (10th century A.D.) about the same time as the ancient city, Mueang Sema of the kingdom of Sri Canasapura. It is in the area just outside the moat of Mueang Sema. The image is built from large blocks of red sandstone placed in layers and carved into the shape of a reclining Buddha oriented north to south. In front of the reclining image was excavated a wheel of dharma or wheel of dharma boundary stone, 1.2 meters in diameter. Around the vihara, or shrine hall, of the reclining Buddha, which is in the present Dhammachaksemaram Temple, are sandstone sema stones, or boundary stones. Thus it has been hypothesized that this area was an important Buddhist religious center for the ancient Mueang Sema.