Dvaravati

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The Dvaravati kingdom of the Mon people existed from the 6th to the 11th centuries. The Kingdom was then absorbed by the growing Khmer and Burmese Kingdoms, and later by the Thais migrating south.

Mon Wheel of the Law (Dharmacakra), art of Dvaravati period, c.8th century.

The term Dvaravati derives from coins which were inscribed in Sanskrit with śrīdvāravaṯī. The Sanskrit word Dvaravati means being a gateway to the port. Thus it refers to a coastal city.

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.