The Imperial Citadel buildings reflect a unique South-East Asian culture specific to the lower Red River Valley, at the crossroads between influences coming from China in the north and the ancient Kingdom of Champa in the south.
Southeast Asia
The great civilization which evolved in the Kingdom of Sukhothai absorbed numerous influences and ancient local traditions.
Sukhothai
Founded c. 1350, Ayutthaya became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai.
Ayutthaya
Built in the 10th century, this is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia.
Prambanan Temple compounds
This image is of the major Hindu deity Shiva, who can be identified by the third eye in his forehead.
Figure of Shiva, Khmer Empire
In many Vajrayana Buddhist temples in Java the five Buddhas are arranged in a mandala with Vairocana at the center.
Bronze figure of Buddha Vairocana (Java)
Shadow puppets are popular in Java today, although the tradition dates back to the 11th century
Shadow puppet, Java
Barong processions and dances are a vital part of ceremonial life in Bali.
The Spirit of the Barong, Bali, Indonesia
The creation of a walking Buddha image is a distinctive feature of Thai art in the 13th century.
Sukhothai Walking Buddha
In the 19th century, King Rama II turned to Thailand’s protective deity, the Emerald Buddha, to stop the spread of cholera.
The Emerald Buddha and pandemics
Mỹ Sơn sanctuary (4th–13th centuries) is a sacred archaeological site in Champa, where the Chams once built more than seventy Hindu temples.
Mỹ Sơn Hindu temple complex
In the 1970s, thieves defaced the temples at Koh Ker. Numerous stone figures lost their feet—and their meaning.
The Looting of Cambodian Antiquities
This well-preserved example of patterned earthenware dates to Thailand’s earliest agricultural communities.
Ban Chiang Clay Jar
When conflict erupts in an archaeologically rich country, illegal antiquities flood the market. What can be done?
The Scourge of Looting: Trafficking Antiquities, from ...
What happens when an auction house knowingly lists looted art? Government intervention and a lawsuit halt the sale.
Sotheby’s Returns Looted 10th Century Statue to ...
The walkways and reliefs of this incredible sanctuary guide pilgrims toward higher states of consciousness.
Borobudur
This temple remains the largest religious monument in the world. Once a Hindu shrine, it is now used by Buddhists.
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