THE HEAD OF BUDDHA IMAGE FROM WAT DHARMIKKARAJA'S DATING

Abstract

At present, there have been many scholars trying to date the head of the Buddha image from WatDharmikkaraja in Ayutthaya province. Basing on the chronicle PhongsawadanNeu, many of them dated it to the period before the establishment of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. However, the author has a different view.

According to the author's study, the head was possibly made in the early Ayutthaya period, as seen from the curving cranial protuberance and the missing finial which is presumed to be in the shape of a flame. These features are possessed by U - Thong Buddha image in Group B which is likely to have been famous in the stated period. Moreover, considering the artworks in this temple and the temple's background mentioned in literary evidence, it is possible that the head was cast around the 15th century A.D.