Ban Jale Ancient Town

Terrain

General Condition

Ban Jale Ancient Town is one of the three ancient towns of Yarang community. It is between the ancient city of Ban Wat and the ancient city of Ban Prawae.

Ban Jale Ancient Town is a city surrounded by ditches on three sides:the north is a narrow and deep ditch. The east relied on natural waterways, and the south was dug parallel to the geographical direction. It is a rectangular shape overlapping in the area north of the ancient city of Ban Wat. The eastern moat passes through the middle of Ban Ja Leh group of ancient sites and turns into an angle into the south moat to the west to the natural waterway.

The interior of the city is a lowland that can support water from the moat and marshes in the south in the rainy season before draining into the west and the lowlands in the north. There is a patchy upland area (Phakawadee Yookongdee and Pornthip Phanthukowit 1992 :87)

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

It is in the influence area of ​​the Pattani River Basin and the waterways secondary to Ban Don Wai and Ban Panan, which is a branch of the old Pattani River in the east. (Currently, only evidence remains to be seen as an old waterway)

Geological conditions

It is a plain formed by the deposition of sediments of the Pattani River in the Cenozoic era, which is the deposition of both river-borne sediments. (Office of Archeology and National Museum No. 10 Songkhla 1998 :13)

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Mythological age

Scientific age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

Ban Jale Ancient Town is next to the ancient city of Ban Wat to the north. It is assumed that the community was expanded from the Ban Wat community in the beginning. The city plan has a ditch surrounded on three sides:the north is a narrow and deep ditch. The east relies on natural waterways and the south dig parallel in the geographical direction The center of the city was a large pond dug into a square inside, lowered into stilts. The archaeological site is scattered to the north of the pond. Found more than 10 archaeological sites. Important elements of Ban Jale Ancient City are as follows:

- A group of 5 brick archaeological sites in the city's oval moat. Placed in the north and south, flanked in 2 lines, namely the ancient monuments No. 1 – 2, 3 and 8-9, with the moat of Ban Jale cut through, making it split into 2 areas (Ponthip Phanthukovit 2004 :2)

- A mound of brick structures spreading on the west side. Northwest and southwest of the six oval ditches.

- A large rectangular ancient pond to the northwest of the oval moat.

- Jale City Embankment on the North, East and South Sides

- Two fort-like structures on the northeastern and southwestern sides of the oval moat.

At present, the Fine Arts Department has excavated all 3 sites, namely, Chaler Archaeological Site No. 2, 3 and 8, with the following results:

Ban Jale No. 2 It is the base of a brick building without mortar that is in damaged condition. The plan is a square, 7 meters each side, with a square porthole on the east side. The southern wall is masonry similar to a rectangular support, which is assumed to be caused by later additions. Ancient artifacts obtained from the excavation include fragments of pottery, spouts, and thousands of replicas of stupa. Terracotta bricks with traces of polishing and bricks without traces of polishing (Ponthip Phanthukowit 2004 :3)

Ban Jale No. 3 It is the remains of a brick building, polished without mortar, in a damaged condition. The plan is a square shape measuring 13.5 meters, facing east and consists of 2 parts:

1. As for the square base of the building, the corners are added to form a porch at the center of the base and the four corners of the base. The east porch is large, forming a courtyard like a platform The base of the building is made up of a two-story cutting board. Received with a crystal ball garland and a row of square beads. Above it is a wooden building imitating the walls, consisting of a facing cornice, supported by small round pseudo columns and square pseudo-windows. Above the pseudo-windows are sandstone gutters and the four porch corners are adorned with a circular stupa.

2. As for the building, the layout is square, the width is 8.25 meters, the porch extends on all 4 sides in the form of a cross. The base of the building is made up of a 2-storey chopping board, followed by a crystal ball garland. Rows of square beads and a facing upside down lotus flower bed collapsed top The center of the building is a square room, 5 meters wide, with an entrance in the east. Inside there is a 1.35 meter platform, the area between the base of the building and the building is a courtyard.

Antiques from excavation, including sandstone gutter river pebbles Fire bricks of various sizes, both with and without polishing rounds. 5,816 pagodas, 250 pagodas, 482,157 pagodas, 2 earthen pagodas, bronze Avalotikesara Bodhisattvas. 1 piece each and a flat round gold leaf, etc. From the architectural style, it is assumed that the building should be built in two periods. The brick at the base is more elaborate than the brick of the building. The upper building should be able to perform the ritual later when the conditions inside the building are not favorable, so the stairs are covered with bricks. From co-found artifacts such as a printing amulet (found only in the central room of the archaeological site), it is assumed that this ancient site may have been in use since the 12th Buddhist century and that it was re-used in this area during the 15th Buddhist century. 16 As can be seen from antiquities such as stupa replicas of Pala art, dated around the 15th-16th Buddhist century (Ponthip Phanthukovit 2004 :3-4), with the result of calculating the scientific age of stupa-type objects obtained Age value 579±17 B.P. and brick antiques age 538±15 B.P. (Sommai Artist and Puangthip Kaewtubtim 1997 :15)

Ban Jale No. 8 It is the base of the building with a square plan overlapping 2 floors facing west. There are 3 components:

1. The base of the building is a square shape of bricks without mortar, size 14 meters per side. It is a 2-storey base supporting the wall that is decorated with small rectangular pseudo columns that mimic wooden buildings on all 4 sides.

2. The castle has a rectangular plan with the size of 8 meters per side as the innermost building. It has a portico that extends to the east like an altar. The center of the building was a square room, 5 meters wide on each side, but there was no way to enter the ritual. Found a round stone pillar in the middle.

3. Hall building Added to the front on the west side, with a width of 8 meters on each side, connecting to the middle building for a royal courtyard. There is a square pedestal for placing a bull sculpture made of red sandstone.

Antiques from the excavation of Ban Ja Leh No. 8, such as the bronze Bodhisattva's head, earthenware, and kiln-shaped clay pot lid. Cow sculptures made of red sandstone, candlesticks, clay vases, fragments of replica stupa, etc. (Phakawadee Yookongdee and Pornthip Phanthukowit 1995 :266 -268)

From excavating and renovating the ancient city of Yarang, inscriptions appeared on the ancient artifacts on the stupa and amulets. It can be divided into 3 types as follows:

1. Antique artifacts of the type of small stupa or stupa made of clay, often appearing inscriptions on the outer and inner bases

2. Ancient artifacts of the stupa type raw clay to make a low relief, divided into 2 types:a single stupa above the inscriptions and three stupa above the inscriptions

3. Antique amulet type Made a low relief image of the Buddha sitting meditating flat above the throne in the middle, flanked by stupa on 2 sides, below with inscriptions

Characters found in Pallava language, Sanskrit language, dated in the 12th Buddhist century, texts appearing include the incantation “Yethamma” which means that any dharma is the birthplace, the Tathagata speaks of the cause and the cessation of suffering. those virtues The Great Priest usually said so, and Khasomnai "Nirodha Marakee" means in the dead, implied (of the speech) meaning to emphasize the principle of Dharma. which leads to liberation with the intention to show that the deceased Thera Continuing in the way of cessation of suffering (Kongkaew Virapaksa 1990 :35 -50)

Summarizing the importance of the ancient city of Ban Jale The ancient town of Ban Ja Leh, the city plan is surrounded by a moat on three sides. Evidence of more than 10 archaeological sites. From archaeological evidence, it is assumed that Ban Ja Leh area may have been a center of Buddhism since the 12th Buddhist century and developed to be the center of Mahayana Buddhism during the 14th-16th Buddhist centuries. To build and worship a stupa, which is considered the oldest stupa in Mahayana Buddhism in Thailand. use of urban space Areas may be divided according to activities and beliefs. The construction of the ancient site in a north-south orientation and an oval moat surrounding the brick Buddhist site reflect the zoning of the Buddhist site with a hydrosema, perhaps the oldest site in Thailand. The large ponds may be used for consumption, consumption or ceremonies in the city. As for the difference in the direction of facing the ancient monuments, such as Ban Ja Leh archaeological site, number 3, the stupa faces east. and Ban Ja Leh No. 8, facing west, may reflect the belief-based construction or the convenience of transportation. From the survey, the pottery found around the pond, roughly defined in the 18-22 Buddhist century, is evidence that it may have been used in the ancient city of Ban Ja Le in later times.