Produced by the prestigious Guimet Museum in Paris and inaugurated by Her Highness Princess Sirindhorn on 19 March 2009 in France, this exhibition brings together for the first time in the world masterpieces from a single period of Thai history, the period known as "Dvaravati".

"Dvaravati: To the origins of Buddhism in Thailand"

Curator: Pierre Baptiste (curator for Southeast Asia for the Guimet Museum), and Thierry Zephir, (Research engineer at the Guimet Museum).

A silver coin with a Sanskrit inscription "Meritorious work of the Lord of Dvaravati" emerges from the bowels of the earth from the hands of archaeologists and an entire kingdom is revealed. Creator of the first kind of Buddhist state in Southeast Asia, the civilisation founded by the said Lord of Dvaravati is quite enigmatic on several points. With the current knowledge, it is difficult to say which city is the exact capital of this kingdom whose core is undoubtedly in the Delta of Mena: could it be Nakhon Pathom, U Thong or another city?

The exhibition brings together for the first time under one roof a collection of pieces on Buddhist art in Thailand from the 6th to the 13th century taken from several national museums. They will be studied in the light of recent archeological excavations, by Thai and international specialists, and old documents related to scientific research done in Thailand during the 1930s. This truly stunning exhibition, which has enjoyed resounding success in France, revives the ancient civilization of Dvaravati, a "Kingdom" essentially oriented toward Buddhism which - according to some - considerably influenced later Thai culture. A voyage into a never-seen-before time!

Dates: 31 July to 30 September 2009 Wednesday to Sunday from 9AM to 4PM
Venue: Bangkok National Museum, Bangkok
Admission fee: 40 THB - 20 THB for Thai citizens
Free admission for students in uniforms, monks and religious
Tickets on sale: at the venue