Past Lives of the Buddha: Wat Si Chum - Art, Architecture and Inscriptions

Wat Si Chum is unique among Sukhothai temples. Inside, lining the ceiling of a dark and narrow staircase that leads to an open roof, are 86 inscribed stone reliefs depicting Jatakas, the former lives of Gotama Buddha. Their unique character and unusual arrangement have puzzled generations of scholars. In this original volume, a team of experts presents the latest evidence and new solutions. The book offers the first-ever English translation of the inscriptions, photographs of the reliefs supplemented by 19th century jataka paintings from Wat Khrua Wan, Bangkok, essays on all aspects of the temple, as well as a discussion of the significance of jatakas in international Bddhist literature, art and ideology. AUTHOR: Peter Skilling, a Sanskrit and Pali scholar, is Maitre de Conferences for the Ecole francaise dExtreme Orient, Bangkok and has been a visiting professor at Harvard and Oxford. Pattaratorn Chirapravati is Assistant Professor of Asian Art and Director of the Asian Studies Program at California State University, USA. Pierre Pichard was an architect with the Ecole Francaise dExtreme Orient for 30 years involved in conservation throughout Southeast Asia. Prapod Assavavirulhakarn is Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Eastern Languages at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. Santi Pakdeekham is a lecturer in the Department of Thai and Oriental Languages at Srinakarinvirot University. All five have published widely. 390 colour illustrations