泰國在未建國之前，佛教已傳入泰境，西元6世紀，孟族人在此建立了墮羅缽底國（6-11 世紀），流傳上座部佛教。9-12 世紀，柬埔寨吳哥王朝興盛，信仰印度婆羅門教與大乘佛教，傳播至泰境各地。11世紀，緬甸蒲甘王朝也在此地推行上座部佛教。13世紀，泰族人建立素可泰王朝（1257-1436）接受斯里蘭卡傳來的大寺派上座部佛教，之後的王朝至今日，都以此為信仰，致力弘揚。佛像的寶冠轉變為火焰形的模樣，弓形眉毛、俯視微笑，裝飾華麗等成為泰國佛像的主要特徵。
柬埔寨從印度接受了各式各樣的文化，也受到鄰近地區的文化影響。著名的吳哥王朝（ 802-1432) 接受印度教和佛教並存，逐漸轉換成自成一格的在地化版本。蘇耶拔摩二世是吳哥王朝的開創者，將印度教的濕婆信仰帶入宮廷祭祀；12世紀，國王闍耶跋摩七世信仰大乗佛教，開創強盛的吳哥王朝，並熱衷於建築藝術。至13世紀後，因為與斯里蘭卡的往來與泰國佛教傳入，上座部佛教成為主流。吳哥王朝藝術發展出在地特有的沉穩且圓融的形式：面相方正，且嘴唇豐厚，佛像頭部帶有獨特的王冠，在溫和微笑之上增添了莊嚴感。
中文語音導覽
Before Thailand was even founded, Buddhism had already been introduced to the area. In the 6th century AD, the Mon people established the Dvaravati Kingdom here and passed down Theravada Buddhism. In the 9th-12th centuries, the Angkor Dynasty flourished in Cambodia, practicing Brahmanism and Mahayana Buddhism, which spread to all parts of Thailand. In 1044, the Burmese Pagan Dynasty also introduced Theravada Buddhism to Thailand in 11th century AD. In the 13th century, the Thai people established the Sukhothai Dynasty and received Theravada Buddhism from Sri Lanka. Later, the flowering Kingdoms all used the Theravada as their only official faith and were committed to its promotion. The main characteristics of the Thai Buddha statue are its arched eyebrows, down-cast smiling expression, flame crown and ornate decorations.
Cambodia has embraced a wide variety of cultures from India and is influenced by the culture of neighbor regions. The Angkor Dynasty (802-1432) accepted the coexistence of Hinduism and Buddhism and gradually transformed into a localized version. Suryavarman II was the founder of the Angkor dynasty, bringing the Hindu Shiva faith to the court offerings. In the 12th century, King Suryavarman VII believes in Mahayana Buddhism, pioneering the powerful Angkor dynasty, and is passionate about architectural art. After the 13th century, because of the interaction with Sri Lanka and the spread of Thai Buddhism, people began to accept the Theravada with Pali language. Angkor dynasty art developed a unique and calm form of locality: face-to-face and rich lips, with a unique crown on the head of the Buddha and with solemnly smile.
English Audio Guide
