Cultural Connections and Shared Origins between Cham and Dvāravatī: A comparison of common artistic and architectural motifs, ca. 7th – 10th centuries CE

This chapter contributes to our understanding of the regional connectedness of the Southeast Asian mainland by identifying networks that linked Campā with the Dvāravatī culture of central and northeast Thailand. Commonalities of decorative detail in architecture, sculpture and, in particular, sema stones are taken as evidence of direct contact between these two regions of the Southeast Asian mainland. Care is made to distinguish between shared motifs resulting from the common iconographic vocabulary originating from India, and patterns stemming from intra-regional links. In this respect, the rare quality of the artwork produced at sites in Campā and Dvāravatī indicates that the work was done by a single school of artists that travelled between them in search of patronage and employment. Routes of travel are identified on this basis, particularly those that cross the Lao Bảo pass and go through Muang Fa Daed (Kalasin province, northeast Thailand). Indeed, it is argued that Muang Fa Daed was the centre of an important intermediate territory located between Campā and Dvāravatī that had multiple and complex interactions with both, as well as the key regional centre of Champassak