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Ref ID: 25463
Ref Type: Book Section in a Series
Authors: Tan, Noel Hidalgo
Taçon, Paul S. C.
Title: Rock art and the sacred landscapes of mainland Southeast Asia
Date: 2014
Source: Rock art and sacred landscapes
Place of Publication: New York
Publisher: Springer
Abstract: Across mainland Southeast Asia, rock art sites often coexist with sacred shrines and temples of Buddhism and Hinduism. We examine the coexistence of rock art with religious shrines in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. The rock art of Southeast Asia has rarely been directly dated, but most of them are thought to be from the prehistoric period. The introduction of Buddhism and Hinduism in the early Christian Era (CE) reconfigured these painted landscapes for their own use, where they are still in use today, either in harmony or as indifference to the earlier rock art. Is this coexistence confluence or coincidence? We discuss the various commonalities and differences among these sites and suggest that these sites may always have been regarded as “powerful” or “spiritual” sites in one way or another.
Date Created: 3/26/2014
Editors: Gillette, Donna L.
Greer, Mavis
Hayward, Michele Helene
Murray, William Breen
Volume: 8
Series Title: One World Archaeology