Past Buddha: Traces of Civilization in Thai Paintings of the Ayutthaya Period

Abstract

Past Buddha: Traces of Civilization in Thai Paintings of the Ayutthaya Period presents the essence and knowledge of art in the Ayutthaya period in relation to the paintings entitled “The Past Buddha,” portraying the background of Bodhisattvas who descended to the human world attaining perfect enlightenment, achieving Arahantship, and then reaching Nirvana before the emergence of Phra Samanakhodom Buddha (the present Buddha). The content of this article is divided into five academic sections: 1) Introduction, which is an introduction before continuing to the next issue; 2) Beliefs in the religious legends leading to the images of the past Buddha, whose main content is an introduction to the art works related to the folklore of ethnic groups, beliefs in Buddhism, and religious legends that served as inspiration for Thai past Buddha paintings; 3) Past Buddha images in Thailand; 4) Past Buddha paintings in the Ayutthaya period; 5) Conclusion, which is a summary of the essence received from the knowledge presentation of past Buddha paintings in Thai art from the Ayutthaya period.