Chedi at Wat Keo, Chaiya, Suratthani
M.C. Subhadradis Diskul’s 1980 article in the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (Vol. 53, No. 2) reports on the Thai Fine Arts Department’s 1976 and 1979 excavation and restoration of a brick chedi at Wat Keo, Chaiya, Suratthani, arguing that the monument represents a rare syncretic fusion of Cham, Indonesian, and Dvaravati architectural traditions dating no earlier than the mid-ninth century A.D.
Summary
The chedi is a 12-metre-high brick structure on a square redented base of 24 metres per side, containing four chambers oriented to the cardinal directions, each with a porch and green sandstone lintels, door-jambs, and sills (p. 1). Diskul identifies three distinct construction phases visible in the masonry: the central body uses vegetable mortar (lime and sugar-cane juice) characteristic of Cham and Khmer architecture, while the upper and lower bases employ clay mortar with a Dvaravati brick-and-vacant-space pattern (p. 1). The double pilasters at the corners of the eastern facade, each with a central depression, are attributed to the Cham Dong-duong style of the mid-ninth century, while the four-chamber layout echoes central Javanese shrines such as Candi Kalasan and Candi Sewu (p. 1).
The excavation yielded a range of sculptural material spanning multiple periods and traditions. The most significant find is a 69 cm red sandstone seated Buddha in the attitude of subduing Mara, carved in high relief with a back slab, whose double vajra on the pedestal and half-Indian, half-Chinese lions suggest an original Mahayana Vajrayana dedication later converted to Theravada (pp. 3–4). Professor Jean Boisselier dated this statue to the tenth century A.D., later than the chedi itself (p. 4). Hindu objects—a Sivalinga and two seated Ganesa statuettes—were also recovered from the eastern chamber, indicating a period of Buddhist-Hindu syncretism at the site (p. 4).
Diskul further examines the relationship between the chedi and the Sanskrit inscription no. 23 from Wat Sema Muang, which records that the king of Srivijaya built three brick prasats in 775 A.D. to honour Padmapani, the Buddha, and Vajrapani. While some Thai scholars have identified the chedi at Wat Keo as one of these three, Diskul notes the stylistic dating of the monument is inconsistent with that early date, and the excavation revealed no evidence of a pre-existing Srivijayan terrace as proposed by H. G. Quaritch Wales (p. 4).
Key Findings
- The chedi’s central body is built with vegetable mortar (lime and sugar-cane juice), a technique associated with Cham and Khmer construction, while the bases use clay mortar in the Dvaravati tradition (p. 1).
- The four-chamber layout, one per cardinal direction, parallels central Javanese shrines (Candi Kalasan, Candi Sewu) and distinguishes the monument from Khmer or Cham structures, which typically have a single east-facing chamber (p. 1).
- A red sandstone seated Buddha (69 cm) with a double vajra on its pedestal and Cham Dong-duong stylistic features is the only specimen of Buddhist sculpture displaying Cham art ever discovered in Thailand; Boisselier dates it to the tenth century A.D. (p. 4).
- Hindu objects (a Sivalinga and two Ganesa statuettes) found in the eastern chamber demonstrate that the site was at one time syncretic for both Buddhism and Hinduism (p. 4).
- Multiple red sandstone Buddha images of the Ayudhya period (sixteenth–seventeenth centuries) confirm at least one major restoration of the chedi during that era (pp. 1–3).
- The excavation found no evidence of a pre-existing Srivijayan terrace beneath the chedi, contradicting Quaritch Wales’s hypothesis (p. 4).
Conclusion
Diskul concludes that the chedi at Wat Keo is a unique monument in Thailand combining Cham, Indonesian, and Dvaravati architectural elements, with a construction date no earlier than the mid-ninth century A.D. based on the Cham Dong-duong pilaster style. The presence of the double vajra and the later removal of its handle suggest an original Vajrayana Mahayana dedication subsequently converted to Theravada, while the Hindu finds point to an earlier or concurrent phase of religious syncretism at the site.
Context
- The article serves as a field report on the Thai Fine Arts Department’s conservation work, making it a primary source for the monument’s condition prior to and following the 1976 and 1979 interventions.
- The discussion of the Srivijayan inscription no. 23 and its contested attribution to Chaiya sites connects this local monument to broader debates on early Srivijayan presence in the Malay Peninsula.