Dvaravati

Dvaravati was a Mon-speaking civilisation that emerged as an independent cultural and political sphere in the lower Chao Phraya River valley of present-day central Thailand in the late 6th century CE and flourished until around the 11th century.

Rather than a centralised state, it was a loose conglomeration of Mon principalities built around moated urban centres such as Nakhon Pathom, U Thong, Lavo (Lopburi), and Si Thep, whose elites adopted Indian models of kingship, script, and statecraft. Dvaravati served as one of the earliest and most important propagators of Indian culture and of Theravada Buddhism in mainland Southeast Asia: Pali inscriptions, distinctive stone Wheel of the Law (dharmachakra) monuments, and large Buddha images attest to a Theravada-dominant religious culture, with Mahayana and Brahmanical elements present as minor currents. Its art and Buddhist architecture, including the early structure at Wat Phra Pathom Chedi, helped anchor Theravada Buddhism in the region and made the area one of the oldest centres of the faith in the world, profoundly shaping later Thai religion and culture. From the 10th and 11th centuries Dvaravati came under increasing pressure from the expanding Khmer empire of Angkor, and the Chao Phraya valley was eventually absorbed into the Angkorian sphere, ending Dvaravati as an autonomous power while its cultural legacy endured.