Dvaravati

The Dvaravati (Thai: ทวารวดี, rtgs: Thawarawadi) period lasted from the 6th to the 13th centuries. Dvaravati refers to both a culture and a disparate conglomerate of principalities.

History

The Mon Kingdom of Dvaravati, which may have existed as early as the fifth century, was controlling the Buddhist sites of Phra Pathom and Phong Tuk by at least the seventh century; legends engraved on royal urns report the following kings: Suryavikrama (673-688), Harivikrama (688-695), Sihavikrama (695-718). A Khmer inscription dated 937 documents a line of princes of Chanasapura started by a Bhagadatta and ended by a Sundaravarman and his sons Narapatisimhavarman and Mangalavarman. But at that time, the 10th century, Dvaravati began to come under the influence of the Khmer Empire and central Thailand was ultimately invaded by King Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century.Hariphunchai survived its southern progenitors until the late 13th century AD when it was incorporated in the Lanna Kingdom. The people of the region used the Mon language, but whether they were Mon people is unknown. There is evidence that these principalities may comprise many cultural groups of people, including Malays and Khmer people. The theory of Thai migration into Dvaravati has been refuted and is now known to have happened much later.