The art and architecture of India - Buddhist, Hindu, Jain (Art Ebook)

SIAM 433
Lamp'un, erected by the Mon King Dittaraja
(1120-50) [365]. The form of the principal
tower is that of a terraced pyramid, a shape that
will immediately recall the Sat Mahal Prasat at
Polonnaruwa. Probably no direct relationship
between these two buildings should be inferred,
but, rather, a common derivation from the
simplest form of the Khmer temple-mountain,
as seen in a shrine like Baksei Chamkrong. At
Lamp'un the stepped pyramidal base of the
Cambodian shrine has become the temple
proper, and the form of the tower shrine at the
summit of the Khmer prasada is suggested only
by the spire at the topmost level of the building. 4
At Wat Kukut the niches on every level of the
structure are filled with Buddha images that
represent an archaistic revival of the Dvaravati
style.
Near Chiengmai in northern Siam is a dedication
of the Thai Period, which presents us with
yet another illustration of the kind of borrowing
366. Chiengmai, Wat Chet Yot
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from foreign models that went on uninterruptedly
through every phase of Siamese architecture.
This is Wat Chet Yot, a massive brick
structure that is clearly a copy ofthe Mahabodhi
temple at Pagan [366 and 367]. It was built,
most likely, shortly after the visit paid to this
Burmese temple city by King Meng Rai in 1 290.
Ultimately, of course, the sanctuary is a replica
of the original Mahabodhi temple at Bodh
Gaya. Copying famous Indian shrines, like
the making of replicas of venerable Indian images,
was an act of merit that was believed
magically to transport to the new site, through
such imitations, something of the essence of the
Buddha attached to the prototype in India. 5
Examining the illustration of Wat Chet Yot,
we notice that the replica closely embodies the
main masses of its prototypes in the form of the
lofty basement surmounted by a central truncated
pyramidal tower with four auxiliary
turrets. The figural sculpture on the exterior was
367. Pagan, Mahabodhi temple {&<J^\s\/*fisVX