SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Narrative art on Dvaravati sema stones from northeast Thailand consists primarily of jataka tales. Similarly, sema from Thaton, Lower Burma also depict jatakas and have invited comparison. Piriya Krairiksh for instance, argues that a group of Mons fled northeast Thailand from Khmer encroachment and took refuge at Thaton. He proposes that the Mons of northeast Thailand brought the sema tradition with them based on the apparent lack of Burmese forerunners. This hypothesis is problematic, as while the content of these narrative scenes are similar and at times identical, the style, composition and form of the sema from both locations differ considerably. A comparison between the narrative art on the sema from both locations illustrates that there are also various differences in terms of the mode of narrative art, the form of the sema and certain stylistic renderings. In conclusion this article shows that the sema at Thaton developed independently, drawing their inspiration from the well established Burmese tradition of carving Buddhist imagery than from those in the northeast of Thailand.