Mandapas of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand (original) (raw)

2017, India-Thailand Cultural Interactions: Glimpses from the Past to Present, Edited by Dr. Lipi Ghosh. Delhi: Springer Singapore: 53-85.

Mandapa, a Sanskrit term, means a pillared outdoor hall or a pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture. The architecture of mandapa in Southeast Asia also shares similarities to that in India, for instance mandapas in Cambodia and Vietnam. These had a rectangular floor plan, were the site of ritual ceremonies, and were located to the front of an image shrine called garbha griha or garbha grha. However, in Sukhothai a mandapa referred to a small building enshrining a Buddha image or sometimes multiple images. Its role was parallel to an image shrine (garbha griha) of Hindu and Buddhist architecture in India and Sri Lanka. A Sukhothai mandapa or mondop was often located to the back of a vihara which corresponded to a mandapa in India where ceremonies were held. This paper aims to understand the term mandapa and compares the architecture of mandapas in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Sukhothai, Thailand. Sukhothai mondops represented a pavilion where the Buddha resided, and its function was equivalent to a gandakuti, a perfumed chamber, or a karerikuti where the Buddha dwelled in Jetavana monastery, India. The vihara to its front corresponded to a reception area. Mondop and its attached vihara of Sukhothai were also like a dhammasala or dhammamandapa in Pagan, Myanmar. The comparison of mandapas in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand will provide indigenous architectural characteristics as well as links to the history, culture, and religion of the people.