Until the middle of the 13th century A.D. regions of
what today are northeast and central Thailand were under Khmer rule.
At that time, at Sukhothai, a group of independent Thai chieftains who
owed allegiance to the Khmer yoke and establish themselves as rules.
Although this Kingdom of Sukhothai (The Dawn of Happiness)
enjoyed only a brief period of independent flowering - less than 200
years before it is absorbed in 1438 by the power of Ayutthayaof the
central plains - it is regarded by the Thais as a Golden Age, the fount
of traditions still practised today.
Sukhothai and its regional towns reveal that although
the Hindu beliefs of the banished Khmer were partially retained, it
was the Buddhist faith that gave impetus to the new civilisation. The
third king of Sukhothai, Ramkhamheng, regarded by Thais as the father
of the nation and creator the Thai alphabet, records on his 1292 inscription
the abundant prosperity and religious piety of the people who flock
to numerous Buddhist Sanctuaries, both inside and outside the city walls.
While Sukhothai architecture reveals a harmonious synthesis
of various regional influences, the sculpture of the period is a unique
expression of religious vitality, abounding as it does with radiant
otherworldly images both in stucco and bronze Buddha and Hindu images,
the craftman of Sukhothai are unsurpassed.
To the uninitiated eye Sukhothai period Buddha image
may at first appear awkward and distorted. This 'distorion' is deliberate,
as sculptors did not base their images on human models but on close
and literal interpretations of mataphors from religious verse and Pali
language scriptures, which specified the many distinguishing marks or
lakshanas of the Great Being. Accordingly, the artist created images
that were intended to reflect the superhuman spiritual and comprassionate
nature of the Buddha.
Characteristically, classic Sukhothai images are seated
on a plain base, with the right hand placed near the knee, performing
the gesture of Calling the Earth to Witness or Victory over Mara, representing
the moment of Enlightenment. Soaring above the ushnisha or skull protuberance
is a Sukhothai innovation, the Thai flame, symbolising the Buddha's
radiant spiritual energy. The hairline forms a delicate V-shape at the
top of the brow. This shape is echoed by the curved sweep of the arched
eyebrows which join at the bridge of a substantial almost hooked nose,
shaped like 'a parrot's beak' according to the scriptures. Three lines
incised at the neck are also marks of the Great Being, as are the elongateearlobes
denoting the Buddha's former princely status. The shoulders of Sukhothai
images are extremely broad, and the crest inflated, as if with yogic
breath. As stipulated in the scrulptures, the arms are long and sinuous,
'like the trunk of a young elephant'. This convention is particularly
evident in the images of the Walking Buddha in the full round, a Sukhothai
innovation.
Bronze images of the Hindu gods were also cast during
Sukhothai times. In anatomical proportions they closely resemble the
Buddha images. However, the Hindu gods are crowned and wear royal attire,
being cult objects in royal court rituals performed by Brahmin priests.
