Dvaravati

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Dvaravati

See Dvaraka for the Yadava capital of the Mahabharata.

The Dvaravati kingdom existed from the 6th to the 11th centuries. The Kingdom was then absorbed by the growing Lavo

Lavo

Known as Lavo during most of its history, Lopburi province is one of the most important cities in the Thai history of Thailand. The city has a long history, dating back into the prehistory period since the bronze age of more than 3,500 years ago....
and Subharnaburi

Suphanburi

Suphan Buri is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Suphan Buri Province. It covers the whole tambon Tha Philiang and parts of the tambon Rua Yai and Tha Rahat, all within the Amphoe Mueang Suphanburi....
kingdoms. The people of the kingdom used the ancient Mon language

Mon language

The Mon language is an Austroasiatic languages spoken by the Mon people, who live in Burma and Thailand. Mon, unlike most languages in the Southeast Asian region, is not tonal language....
, but whether they were ethnically Mon

Mon people

The Mon are an ethnic group from Myanmar, living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, Irrawaddy Delta of present Burma, and along the southern Thai-Myanmar border....
is unknown. There is evidence that this kingdom may have had more than one race, including Malays

Malays

Malays may refer to:* Ethnic Malays, the ethnic group located primarily in the Malay peninsula, and parts of Sumatra and Borneo.* Malay race, a racial category encompassing peoples of South East Asia and sometimes the Pacific Islands....
and Khmer

Khmer people

The Khmer people; ; are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.2 million people in the country. Part of the larger Mon-Khmer languages ethnolinguistic peoples found throughout Southeast Asia, they speak the Khmer language....
.

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See Dvaraka for the Yadava capital of the Mahabharata.

The Dvaravati kingdom existed from the 6th to the 11th centuries. The Kingdom was then absorbed by the growing Lavo

Lavo

Suphanburi

Mon language

Mon people

Malays

Khmer people

s, South Burma, 8th century CE]]

The term Dvaravati derives from coins which were inscribed in Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
with sri
Sri

Sri, Shri, Shree, Siri or Seri is a Sanskrit title of veneration. It is an honorific stemming from the Puranic conception of prosperity and frequently used in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism....
dvaravati. The Sanskrit word dvaravati means "she with many gates " (from dvar "door gate").

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

Nakhon Pathom Province

Nakhon Pathom is one of the central Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Suphan Buri Province, Ayutthaya Province, Nonthaburi Province, Bangkok, Samut Sakhon Province, Ratchaburi Province and Kanchanaburi Province....
, U Thong

Amphoe U Thong

U Thong is the district in the western part of Suphanburi Province, central Thailand....
and Khu Bua

Khu Bua

Khu Bua is an archaeological site 12 km southeast of the town Ratchaburi, Thailand. It dates from the 6th century Dvaravati culture and was one of major cities of this kingdom....
west of the Chao Phraya. Other towns like Lavo (modern-day Lopburi

Lopburi

Lopburi is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is located about 150 km north-east of Bangkok. As of 2006 it has a population of 26,500....
) 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 India

India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
n culture, and played an important role in introducing Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal....
and particularly Buddhist art

Buddhist art

Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Gautama Buddha, 6th to 5th century BCE, and thereafter evolved by contact with other cultures as it spread throughout Asia and the world....
to the region.

It is report by ancient scriptures that people of Dvaravati regularly eats the flesh of their prisoner, a practice known as cannibalism

Dvaravati

Further reading

External links