via Thai PBS, 16 June 2023: An exhibition at the Bangkok National Museum showcases 81 Buddha images from early Thai kingdoms, charting over 1,300 years of spiritual practices, sculptural traditions, and Buddhist history.
The show, which runs until September 10, casts a gentle light on the superb carving of 81 Buddha images as well as shines a spotlight on early kingdoms such as Sukhothai, Lanna, Ayutthaya, and Rattanakosin. These kingdoms, with their own spiritual practices, sculptural traditions and royal patronage, created the images in order to contribute to Buddhism.
All the Buddhist sculptures in the exhibition are masterpieces and national treasures gathered from national museums throughout Thailand. And the stories of Buddhist sculpture in Thailand will transport visitors back to the sixth century, when Indian Buddhist art was in full bloom.
Like Buddhism itself, the Buddha sculptures arrived in what is now Thailand via ancient trade routes. Indian merchants and Buddhist monks braved the high seas to cross the Bay of Bengal to Suvarnabhumi (“Land of Gold”), where they contributed to the local economy and philosophy by connecting them to the wider world.
