Suphanburi

Suphanburi

 

one of the most ancient cities of central Thailand; its ruins are to the west of the modern city of Suphan Buri, or Thaphi Liang. Suphanburi was founded in the early centuries of the Common Era by the Mon people at the time they established the state of Dvaravati in the Menam Valley; in the tenth century, Dvaravati came under the rule of the Khmers, who held power over central Thailand. Thai tribes subsequently came into this region from the north, founding the principality of U Thong in the 12th century.

Images of Buddha, chiefly of bronze alloyed with gold and executed in the U Thong style, have been found in the ruins of Suphanburi. The U Thong style reflects the gradual establishment, between the 12th and 15th centuries, of the Thai national style that superseded the Khmer traditions in Buddhist temple sculpture. Suphanburi has not been systematically excavated.