This book provides the most comprehensive study of the early Buddhist material and visual culture of the Khorat Plateau in Northeast Thailand and Central Laos. The images depicted on sima stones are not only evidence for some of the earliest Buddhist lineages, but also reflections of the people and their lives in the region from the 7th to the 11th centuries.

M.L. Pattaratorn Chirapravati, Visiting Professor, Nanyang Technological University

Explore the Khorat Plateau of the 7th to 11th centuries, where new forms of Buddhist organisation and practice were imagined and radiated out from Thailand’s Khorat Plateau. Guided by Murphy’s confident leadership through the art and archaeology, this landmark book offers a clear and compelling examination of a pivotal but difficult-to-study period.

Erik Davis, Professor of Religious Studies, Macalester College

Stephen Murphy blends archaeological sensibilities and data with art historical material to explore how Buddhism reshaped the Khorat Plateau in the 7th to 11th centuries. This integrative study builds a new premodern history of the region, and charts directions for future archaeological and art historical study.

Miriam Stark, Professor of Anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa