อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์ศรีเทพ | |
 Khao Khlang Nok, one of the largest known ancient Dvaravati structures, 7th–8th century CE | |
 | |
| Location | Phetchabun province, Thailand |
|---|---|
| Type | Human settlement |
| Area | 4.7 square kilometres (470 ha) |
| History | |
| Founded | 4th century |
| Abandoned | 14th century |
| Periods | Ancient history |
| Cultures | Dvaravati |
| Associated with | Mon people |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1904 |
| Excavation dates | 1935 |
| Archaeologists | Damrong Rajanubhab |
| Condition | Partial restoration |
| Ownership | Public |
| Management | Fine Arts Department, entry fee |
| Public access | Yes |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | |
| Official name | The Ancient Town of Si Thep and Its Associated Dvaravati Monuments |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii |
| Designated | 2023(45thsession) |
| Reference no. | 1662 |
| Area | 866.471 ha |
| Region | Asia and the Pacific |
Si Thep Historical Park (Thai:อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์ศรีเทพ) is an archaeological site in Thailand'sPhetchabun province. It covers the ancient city ofSi Thep, a site inhabited from around the third to fifth century CE until the thirteenth century, spanningcultural periods from late prehistory, throughDvaravati, to the golden age of theKhmer Empire. Si Thep was one of the largest known city-states that emerged around the plains ofcentral Thailand in the first millennium, but became abandoned around the time the Thai-speaking cities ofSukhothai and laterAyutthaya emerged as new centres of power in theChao Phraya River basin.[1]
The site gained the attention of modern archaeology in 1904 following surveys by PrinceDamrong Rajanubhab, and it was listed as anancient monument in 1935. TheFine Arts Department has undertaken continued study and excavations of the site, which has also been studied by archaeologists PrinceSubhadradis Diskul,H. G. Quaritch Wales andJean Boisselier, among others.[1]
As per historical evidence found on the site, Si Thep was possibly the center of theDvaravatimandalas.[2][3] Viaroyal intermarriage, it was also considered thesister city ofSema [fr], the capital of the neighboring state,Canasapura, located eastward on the opposite side of theDong Phaya Yen Mountains in theMun River basin.[3] Some scholars believe Si Thep wasAyojjhapura, the predecessor toAyodhya, mentioned in the Pali chroniclesRatanabimbavamsa [th] andJinakalamali.[4][5]: 51
Si Thep was listed as ahistorical park in 1984 and was proposed as a tentative UNESCOWorld Heritage Site by Thailand in 2019.[6] On 19 September 2023, it was inscribed on the World Heritage List asThe Ancient Town of Si Thep and Its Associated Dvaravati Monuments. It is Thailand's first successful cultural World Heritage Site nomination sinceBan Chiang in 1992.[7][8]
Si Thep was developed from a prehistoric farming village in the Pa Sak valley approximately 2,500–1,500 years ago.[9] In the first archaeological phase (c. 4th–5th century CE), the early settlement of Si Thep occupied the inner town and there was a burial tradition with offerings related to India and communities to the central region and Moon River basin to the northeast.[10]
The second phase of occupation (c. 6th–8th century CE) was characterized by the expansion to the outer city. As the monarchy emerged,Vaishnavism took an important role in Si Thep's society, with relationships to India,Funan,Chenla, andDvaravati cultures.[10] Si Thep was an urban Dvaravati culture center since the 6th century CE, and one of the earliest communities in Thailand that made contacts with India, attested in stone inscription K 978, written inSanskrit withPallava script dated to the 6th century CE. So, Si Thep was developed into an early state along with other early Southeast Asian states like Funan, Chenla, andSri Ksetra.[11]Charles Higham reports of a 7th-century Dvaravati inscription from Si Thep that states, "In the year...a king who is nephew of the great King, who is the son of Pruthiveenadravarman, and who is great as Bhavavarman, who has renowned moral principles, who is powerful and the terror of his enemies, erects this inscription on ascending the throne." A moat enclosed 4.7 square km, while the Khao Klang Nai structure (Thai:เขาคลังใน) dates from the 6th to 7th century.[12]: 303, 308–309
This phase (c. 8th–10th century CE) was the most prosperous. An irrigation system was developed, andMahayana Buddhism influenced art as relationships with India,Dvaravati and northeastern cities continued. Si Thep,Sema [fr], andLopburi sites controlled the routes in the region.[10] The growth of Si Thep led to the establishment of its neighboring city, Tha Rong (Thai:ท่าโรง), located 20 kilometers northward on the bank of thePasak River, which was later renamedWichian Buri during the reign of KingNangklao ofRattanakosin.[13] Via Buddhism, several historical evidences supports the connection between Si Thep and another group ofDvaravati-influencedpolitical entities in presentNortheast Thailand,Wen Dan.[14]: 91–92
During this era, Si Thep, together withLavo, was the center of themandala-style state,Dvaravati; however, due to the weather-induced migration or the pandemic, Si Thep lost its prosperity, and Lavo became the only center of power in the area until it fell under Khmer hegemony during the 10th to 11th centuries.[15]
During this phase (c. 11th–13th century CE),Shaivism was a great influence in Si Thep atAngkorian times, and Si Thep had relationships withPhimai inMun River basin asSema [th] ceased to control the routes. Due to Jayavarman VII's policy, Si Thep lost importance and was almost abandoned around the 14th century.[10]Prang Song Phi Nong and Prang Si Thep were built in the 11th to 12th centuries.[12]: 303, 308–309
After the decline of Si Thep in the 14th century, a new kingdom,Ayutthaya, was subsequently founded southward on the bank of theChao Phraya River in mid-14th CE, as the succeeded state,[2] as its capital's full name referred to themandalas ofDvaravati;Krung Thep Dvaravati Si Ayutthaya (Thai:กรุงเทพทวารวดีศรีอยุธยา).[16][17][18][19] The connection between the ancientMon people, the predominant population of theDvaravati, and the present-day Thai people in central Thailand, who are the inheritors of Siamese's Ayutthaya, was established in several genetic studies performed in the 20th century.[20]
TA-HTAUNG TA_YA HNIT-HSE SHIT-KHU DWARAWATI THEIN YA - 1128 year (= 1766 A.D) obtained at the conquest of Dwarawati (= Siam). One may note that in that year the Burmese invaded Siam and captured Ayutthaya, the capital, in 1767.
Ayutthaya, they still named the kingdom after its former kingdom as "Krung Thep Dvaravati Sri Ayutthaya".
15°27′58″N101°09′02″E / 15.46611°N 101.15056°E /15.46611; 101.15056
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