Ban Ja Leh No. 3 archaeological site

Terrain

General Condition

Ban Ja Leh Archaeological Site No. 3 is one of the archaeological sites found in Ban Jale Ancient Town. Yarang ancient community The plan of Ban Jale Ancient Town is a town with a ditch surrounded on three sides:the north is a narrow and deep ditch. The east relies on natural waterways and the south dig parallel in the geographical direction Within the city, there are five brick archaeological sites in an oval moat. Ban Jale's archaeological site is 1 of 5 houses. This oval-shaped ditch will have a moat in the east cut through, making it split into 2 areas, namely, Ancient Monuments No. 1–2-3 and 8-9 (Ponthip Phanthukowit 2004) :2) Ban Ja Leh archaeological site No. 3 is on the left side of the moat.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

in the influence area of ​​the Pattani River Basin and the secondary waterway of Ban Don Wai and Ban Panan, which is a branch of the old Pattani River in the east. (Currently, only evidence remains to be seen as an old waterway)

Geological conditions

It is a plain formed by the deposition of sediments of the Pattani River in the Cenozoic era. (Office of Archeology and National Museum No. 10 Songkhla 1998 :13)

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Mythological age

Scientific age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

Ban Ja Leh Archaeological Site No. 3 is the remains of a brick building, polished, not plastered, in a damaged condition. The plan is a square shape measuring 13.5 meters, facing east and consists of 2 parts:

1. As for the square base of the building, the corners are added to form a porch at the center of the base and the four corners of the base. The east porch is large, forming a courtyard like a platform The base of the building is made up of a two-story chopping board. Received with a crystal ball garland and a row of square beads. Above it is a wooden building imitating the walls, consisting of a facing cornice, supported by small round pseudo columns and square pseudo-windows. Above the pseudo-windows are sandstone gutters and the four porch corners are adorned with a replica of a circular stupa.

2. The building has a square shape, 8.25 meters wide, with a porch extending on all 4 sides in the form of a cross. The base of the building is made up of a 2-storey chopping board, followed by a crystal ball garland. Rows of square beads and a facing upside down lotus flower bed collapsed top The center of the building is a square room, 5 meters wide, with an entrance in the east. Inside there is a 1.35 meter platform. The area between the base of the building and the building is a courtyard.

Antiques obtained from excavation can be divided into

1. Architectural artifacts such as sandstone gutter river pebbles Fire bricks of various sizes with and without polishing marks

2. Antiques other than important architectural components such as

Amulet divided according to the material as 5,816 clay amulets weighing 53,342 g. and 2 clay amulets weighing 2,000 g. These amulets are broken and damaged. The front surface shows a high relief image. The back has a hand stamped mark. The pictures shown are all related to Buddhism. There is an inscription appearing on the print. from the image format that appears on the print Can be divided into 5 forms:

(1) a single small stupa (there are 2 types, divided into low base stupa) bell There is a 7-tiered octagonal throne and tiered tiered stupa and a high base, a bell-shaped body. tiered tiered phrase)

(2) 3 replicas of the stupa (there are 3 types, divided into The high base is placed on a row of beads. Cauldron-shaped bell with 7 tiers of tiered tiers, the middle one is higher than the sides, 3 replica stupa framed in an oval-shaped frame with a pointed top, high base, slender stupa Cauldron bell Many tiered tiered tiers and three replica stupa framed in an oval frame with a spire like a curly crown. stacked high base The central stupa is higher than the sides. The central element has 7 layers of tiered tiers of tiers, and 5 tiers on the sides)

(3) Single-personal prints (there are 7 types:the Buddha standing at the top of the neck on the padtman, the Buddha sitting cross-legged on the paddama base, the Buddha sitting cross-legged on the paddama base under the Bodhi tree, flanked by the Dharmachakra on high pillars and stupa. ,The Buddha sat cross-legged on the base of the Pattama, his body was thin, flanked by a replica of the stupa, the Buddha sat cross-legged on the base of the Pattama round face The eyes are low, the crown of the Buddha image is round, the top of the Buddha head is moly-shaped, flanked by a stupa, the Buddha sits cross-legged on a pedestal under the Bodhi bush and a tiered umbrella, flanked by a replica of the stupa is the most common, and the Buddha sits cross-legged, meditating flat on the base of the padmasana under the bodhi bush and the umbrella of the stupa. A replica of the back is printed as a replica of a stupa)

(4) Amulets of 2–3 persons (there are 2 types, namely the Buddha sitting or standing flanked by a standing Bodhisattva) There is a replica stupa and a sitting Buddha image, flanked by a sitting Bodhisattva)

(5) The amulet is made up of 4-6 persons, divided into 2 parts:the upper part is made up of 3 Buddha images sitting cross-legged, and the bottom is a Buddha flanked by Bodhisattvas.

As for the classification of the prints according to the inscriptions, they can be classified into 2 groups, which are the spell group “Yethamma” and the Kasomnai “Nirothamakhae” (Kongkaew Weeraprachak 1990 :35 -50)

Simulated stupa Found both in the central hall and outside around the building. Classified by material, 250 stupa fragments made of raw clay weighing 2,000 g and 482,157 fragments of clay stupa weighing 14,433,163 g. Some of the stupa finds inscriptions on the outer and inner bases. The stupa has a variety of styles and designs. As for the decoration of the stupa, there are both plain (no pattern) and patterned designs. The patterns on some of the replicas of the stupa are closely related to the Dvaravati pottery decorations that were popular with stamped designs, floral, figures and animals in square frames, which were influenced by Indian Gupta and Gupta art. from the patterns that appear on the replica stupa found in Yarang Scholars assume that it was influenced by Pala art, determines the age during the 15-16 Buddhist century.

Bronze Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Age around the 12th Buddhist century, 1 piece

Flat round gold leaf

From the architectural style, it is assumed that the building will be built in two periods. The brick at the base is more elaborate than the brick of the building. Originally, the upper part of the building was supposed to be able to perform the rituals later, when the conditions inside the building were not favorable, there was a brick covering the stairs up and down. From co-found artifacts such as a printing amulet (found only in the central room of the archaeological site), it is assumed that this ancient site may have been in use since the 12th Buddhist century and that it was re-used in this area during the 15th Buddhist century. 16 As can be seen from antiquities such as a replica of Palapa art, dated around the 15th-16th Buddhist century (Ponthip Phanthukovit 2004 :3-4), and the scientific age determination of ancient objects of the stupa type with an age value of 579. ±17 BP. and brick antiques age 538±15 BP. (Sommai Artist and Puangthip Kaewtubtim 1997 :15)

From excavating and renovating the ancient city of Yarang, inscriptions appeared on the ancient artifacts on the stupa and amulets. It can be divided into 3 types as follows:

1. Small stupa, or stupa, made of clay, often inscribed on the outer and inner bases.

2. Ancient stupa in the form of raw clay stupa made into reliefs, divided into 2 types:one stupa above the inscriptions and the three stupa above the inscriptions

3. Ancient artifacts in the form of amulets Made a low relief image of the Buddha sitting meditating flat above the throne in the middle, flanked by stupa on 2 sides, below with inscriptions

Characters found in Pallava language, Sanskrit language, dated in the 12th Buddhist century, texts appearing include the incantation “Yethamma” which means that any dharma is the birthplace, the Tathagata speaks of the cause and the cessation of suffering. those virtues The Great Priest usually said so, and Khasomnai "Nirodha Marakee" means in the way of extinction. By implication (of the speech) has a meaning to emphasize the principles of dharma which leads to liberation with the intention to show that the deceased Thera Continuing in the way of cessation of suffering (Kongkaew Virapaksa 1990 :35 -50)

Summarize the importance of the ancient ruins 3 It is an important archaeological site because it is the most systematic archeological site in Yarang Ancient City and is the source of scientific age. From the excavation, it was found that it was an archaeological site built in the Mahayana Buddhism religion. It is assumed that the archaeological site was built during the 12th Buddhist century until the 15th-16th Buddhist century, this stupa was restored again. from archaeological evidence Ban Ja Leh No. 3 is considered the oldest stupa in the Mahayana Buddha in Thailand.