Page 141 - Index Pottery of Dvaravati Period - Professor Emerita Dr.Phasook Indrawooth

Summary | 126

Besides spouted vessels, various types of pottery excavated from Dvaravati

sites show close affinities to Indian prototypes. The prominent ones are lamps, i.e.
small shollow bowls used as lamps (plsรูปที่ 27, รูปที่ 34, รูปที่ 35, รูปที่ 36, รูปที่ 37,

รูปที่ 55, figs.ลายเส้นที่ 14, ลายเส้นที่ 15) and spouted bowls used as lamps (pls.รูปที่ 47,

รูปที่ 48, รูปที่ 52 figs.ลายเส้นที่ 20, ลายเส้นที่ 21). The shallow bowls with or without
pinched mouth for wick are Indian in origin This type appeared in India since

Chalcolithic period and became popular in Madhya Pradesh (central part), the cradle
land of ancient Indian cilization during 1,600 – 1,300 B.C. and has been used

continuously up to the Gupta (300 - 500 A.D.) and post Gupta period (600 - 800 A.D.)

mostly in the western part of India. Despite small bowls with or without pinched for
wick, other types i.e. small bowl on stand small bowl with vertical handle (hollow

handle) (fig.ลายเส้นที่ 14 no.7) appeared in India and outside India from early period.
Most of these lamps were usually hand made, but wheel throwing method is noticed

in some specimens. Like spouted pots, this type of lamp has been reported from

various Dvaravati sites in central, northeastern and southern parts of Thailand, and also
from Baikthano in Burma.

Another type of lamp, bowl shaped lamp with spout for wick (pls. รูปที่ 47 - รูป

ที่ 52, figs. ลายเส้นที่ 20, ลายเส้นที่ 21), this type has been excavated from various
Dvaravati sites in central Thailand. It is usually called “Roman lamp”, supposed to be

the local imitation of a bronze Roman lamp unearthed at Pong Tuk, Kanchanaburi
Province. Some people believe it to be derived from the south Indian prototype during

Andhra period (300 B.C. - 300 A.D.). In fact, this type of lamp is not Indian origin, but it

gained its popularity in the north-western and southern parts of India in the early
Christian era when the Indian potters copied it from Hellenistic prototype. In India, this

type appears in various forms, i.e. bowl shaped lamp with spout, a squat vase with
animal headed spout, sometimes it is rectangular in shape with human headed spout.

Spouted lamps have been produced in India along with other types (shallow bowls

used as lamps) for a long period, especially in the northwestern part of India, continued
to the early medieval period (800 - 900 A.D.). Thus, we can come to conclusion that

the bowl-shaped lamp with spout was introduced to Dvaravati people along with other

type (small shallow bowl used as lamp) by the Indian people from the north-western
& southern part of India. These two different types of lamps have been found side

by side from most Dvaravati sites in central Thailand, but the spouted lamps seem

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