Propos sur Tham Phra Photisat et les cavernes bouddhiques de Thaïlande - article ; n°1 ; vol.48, pg 127-135

Jean Boisselier

Description

Arts asiatiques - Année 1993 - Volume 48 - Numéro 1 - Pages 127-135
Nowhere in the whole Indochinese Peninsula — and not in Thailand either there exists such a Rupestrian art as the one in India or China. But, on the other hand, the use of natural caves by Buddhist monks does testify of its existence during the Dvaravati period (c. VIIth-IXth centuries). First revealed by the presence of deposits of the votives tablets, the occupation of the caves also — sometimes — let to the crafting of wall sculptures of Buddhist inspiration. Varied techniques were used: direct sculpting of bas-relief, reliefs completed with stucco or even using raw clay. Today, seven of these caves are known in a region extending from Surat Thani, in the South, to Si Thep, in the North. Despite the poor state of conservation of the sculpture, these caves reveal one of the most remarkable aspects of the Dvaravati art. Discovered circa 1965, Tham Phra Pothisat (or Tham Ngam) offers a special interest because of the quality of the craftsmanship and the unusual character of the illustrated theme. Putting together the Teaching Buddha and two divinities from the Terrestrial World, Siva and Vishnu, this scene is not mentioned in the canonical texts, but some local cosmological treatises, such as the Burmese Lokapannatti, can help to understand it. By showing the contemporaneousness of some representations of the Buddha, Siva and Vishnu reunited for the first time, this scene guarantees the pertainance of those images to the Dvaravati Art. The interest for these caves of the VIIth-IXth centuries period seems to be justified by the Buddhist cosmology as much as the story of the Buddha's Life depicted.
9 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Sciences et techniques

Informations

• Publié par: Arts-asiatiques
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1993
• Nombre de lectures: 19
• Langue: Français
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Jean Boisselier

Propos sur Tham Phra Photisat et les cavernes bouddhiques de

Thaïlande

In: Arts asiatiques. Tome 48, 1993. pp. 127-135.

Abstract

Nowhere in the whole Indochinese Peninsula — and not in Thailand either there exists such a Rupestrian art as the one in India

or China. But, on the other hand, the use of natural caves by Buddhist monks does testify of its existence during the Dvaravati

period (c. VIIth-IXth centuries). First revealed by the presence of deposits of the votives tablets, the occupation of the caves also

— sometimes — let to the crafting of wall sculptures of Buddhist inspiration. Varied techniques were used: direct sculpting of bas-

relief, reliefs completed with stucco or even using raw clay. Today, seven of these caves are known in a region extending from

Surat Thani, in the South, to Si Thep, in the North. Despite the poor state of conservation of the sculpture, these caves reveal one

of the most remarkable aspects of the Dvaravati art. Discovered circa 1965, Tham Phra Pothisat (or Tham Ngam) offers a special

interest because of the quality of the craftsmanship and the unusual character of the illustrated theme. Putting together the

Teaching Buddha and two divinities from the "Terrestrial World", Siva and Vishnu, this scene is not mentioned in the canonical

texts, but some local cosmological treatises, such as the Burmese Lokapannatti, can help to understand it. By showing the

contemporaneousness of some representations of the Buddha, Siva and Vishnu reunited for the first time, this scene guarantees

the pertainance of those images to the Dvaravati Art. The interest for these caves of the VIIth-IXth centuries period seems to be

justified by the Buddhist cosmology as much as the story of the Buddha's Life depicted.

Citer ce document / Cite this document :

Boisselier Jean. Propos sur Tham Phra Photisat et les cavernes bouddhiques de Thaïlande. In: Arts asiatiques. Tome 48, 1993.

pp. 127-135.

http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/arasi_0004-3958_1993_num_48_1_1340