Phu Phrabat, a testimony to the Sīma stone tradition of the Dvaravati period

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Phu Phrabat: A Testament to the Sīma Stone Tradition of the Dvaravati Period

Phu Phrabat, located in Ban Phue District, Udon Thani Province, Thailand, stands as a unique testament to the Sīma stone tradition of the Dvaravati period (7th-11th centuries CE). This historical park, renowned for its distinctive rock formations, serves as a significant archaeological site that offers insights into the cultural practices and religious beliefs of ancient Southeast Asian societies.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The property illustrates the Sīma stone tradition of the Dvaravati period (7th-11th centuries CE). While sacred boundary markers for areas of Theravada Buddhist monastic practice vary in materials, extensive use of stones is found only in the Khorat Plateau region in Southeast Asia. Buddhism’s arrival in the 7th century led to an increase in the erection of Sīma stones throughout the region for over four centuries. The Phu Phrabat Mountain area preserves the largest corpus in the world of in situ Sīma stones from the Dvaravati period, testifying to the tradition that once prevailed in the region. The scale of Sīma stone erection and rock shelter modification has transformed the natural landscape into a religious centre, and rock paintings on surfaces of 47 rock shelters are the physical evidence of human occupation over two millennia.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (iii): Phu Phrabat preserves the largest corpus in the world of in situ Sīma stones from the Dvaravati period, with all the types of establishment patterns as prescribed in Buddhist scripture, and exhibits the majority of forms and artistic styles of this particular type of sacred boundary marker with a very clear evolutionary path. It is an exceptional testimony to the Sīma stone tradition of the Dvaravati period in a global context.

Criterion (v): The landscape of Phu Phrabat has been purposefully and extensively transformed by the erection of the Sīma stones over more than four centuries to fulfil Buddhist ceremonial functions, possibly linked to the forest monastic tradition. It is an outstanding example of land use that is representative of the Sīma stone tradition that once prevailed in the Khorat Plateau during the Dvaravati period.

Encyclopedia Record: Phu Phra Bat Historical Park

Phu Phra Bat is a historical park in Ban Phue District, Udon Thani Province, Thailand. The park's distinguishing feature is its unusual rock formations around which religious shrines have been constructed. Some formations also feature prehistoric rock paintings.

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