Podcast Summary: "Buddhist Landscapes: Art and Archaeology of the Khorat Plateau, 7th to 11th Centuries"

Podcast: New Books Network – New Books in Southeast Asian Studies
Host: Dr. Natalie Pearson (A)
Guest: Dr. Stephen Murphy (C), author and Senior Lecturer, SOAS University of London
Date: December 1, 2025
Book Discussed: Buddhist Landscapes: Art and Archaeology of the Khorat Plateau, 7th to 11th Centuries (NUS Press, 2024)

Episode Overview

This episode delves into Buddhist Landscapes, Stephen Murphy’s seminal study of art and archaeology in the Khorat Plateau (Northeast Thailand and central Laos) from the 7th to 11th centuries. In conversation with Natalie Pearson, Murphy unpacks how Buddhist communities shaped—and were shaped by—the landscapes they inhabited, the importance of methods spanning from landscape archaeology to historical ecology, and why reclaiming the Khorat Plateau as a region in its own right fundamentally changes understandings of early Southeast Asian Buddhism. Special attention is given to issues of art looting, heritage, and the vibrant afterlives of archaeological sites today.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Book Reception and Reflections

• Landmark Achievement and Reviews
  Murphy’s book was lauded as a “landmark achievement” in its first review from Tricycle magazine.

  “There's always that anticipation of book reviews coming out... what’s interesting... is how [others] interpret and read meaning... That can be quite enlightening as well. It makes me look at it afresh.” — Stephen Murphy [02:20]

Locating the Khorat Plateau

• Geography and Research Motivation
  The Khorat Plateau covers modern Northeast Thailand and parts of central Laos; it sits between more commonly known areas such as central Thailand and Cambodia.
  Murphy was drawn by the region’s archaeological “black hole”—a lack of clarity about early Buddhism—combined with unique material artifacts not found elsewhere.

  "It was a bit of a black hole... some quite specific material... didn't really see occurring in other parts of Southeast Asia at that period." — Stephen Murphy [03:46]

Theoretical Frameworks and Methodology

• Landscape Archaeology and Historical Ecology
  Murphy approaches Buddhist history not just site by site, but as an interactive pattern across the landscape—using GIS, distribution analysis, and "historical ecology" to understand the dynamic relationship between environment and society.

  "Landscape archaeology... is trying to understand not just archaeological sites or objects in isolation, but how they fit within the overall larger context... human nature interactions and how societies shape the landscapes... but in turn are shaped by them." — Stephen Murphy [05:24]

  Historical ecology is a key framework, enabling a multi-scalar view—from river basins to site clusters, down to individual artifacts.

  “Historical ecology... looks at this idea of this human nature dynamic... this shifting dynamic between humans and the environment... shape each other.” — [07:30]

• Multiscalar Survey Approach
  Murphy’s research grew out of mapping Buddhist boundary markers (sema stones) along rivers—revealing religion’s diffusion into the region and allowing a focus both on broad patterns and fine-grained analysis.

  “I started visiting the main key sites and then plotting them, mapping them using GIS... they were following the river systems.” — [09:57]

Data and Analytical Methods

• From Object to Context
  Murphy critiques art history’s tendency to isolate objects. He argues that deeper understanding arises from situating art and monuments within their geographical and social matrix through methods including distribution and contextual analysis.

  “A much more effective way... would be to understand objects within their context and within their locations.” — [13:12]

Site Types and their Ritual Function

• Location Typologies
  The research identifies common site types: moated sites, earthen mounds, hilltops/mountains, and ambiguous sites. Monks often used mountains or forests for retreats, tying the Buddhist landscape to both ritual practice and topography.

  “They definitely use mountains, hilltops... I postulate that this is much more the forest monk tradition...” — [16:04]
  “There is some carvings into the rock face, some of them have inscriptions... suggest that they're pilgrimage sites as well.” — [16:38]

Case Studies: River Systems and Sites

• Chi River—Mung Fah Dead
  Mung Fah Dead emerges as a major site for sema stones and Buddhist art, central to understanding regional networks:

  “Its significance is that it's the largest moated site... with some of the most substantial evidence for architecture... over 100, 150 sema stones there, some of them really amazingly carved with this Buddhist artwork.” — [18:07]

• Workshops and Political Authority
  By tracking similarities in style and iconography, Murphy identifies potential workshops and hints at underlying socio-political structures, despite scant inscriptional evidence:

  “I was postulating that, okay, this looks like it's at least the same Buddhist monks or the same tradition moving up that river system...” — [21:11]

• Windan Mandala (Chinese Texts & Elusive Kingdoms)
  Murphy interprets this regional Buddhist center through secondary sources, arguing Mung Fah Dead likely served as the capital of the so-called Windan mandala:

  “From what we can tell from the Chinese sources, it seems that it's somewhere within the Korat Plateau, somewhere within the center.” — [24:34]

• Mun River—Mung Seima & Overlapping Spheres
  Mung Seima’s location at a cultural crossroads (between central Thailand, Cambodia, Laos) made it a key site:

  “It's at this really key location in terms of moving around... no surprise that this large moated settlement started there... it becomes a Khmer site as well after [9th–10th centuries].” — [27:04]

Looting, Context, and Restitution

• The Prakhon Chai Bronzes and Art Crime
  Murphy highlights the notorious looting studied by Emma Bunker and Douglas Latchford—emphasizing how dispersal disrupts archaeological context and wider debates over restitution:

  “The Prakhon Chai bronzes... seemed like, say, completely dislocated from the context... no one wrote about them within the context of what was happening within larger cultural and archaeological evidence of Northeast Thailand.” — [30:15]

  “There's two aspects... larger debate about restitution, repatriation, looting networks... But... what I'm trying to do is put those objects back... intellectually backward into the landscapes or the cultures from which they came...” — [34:43]

The Middle Mekong

• Vientiane to Wat Phu: Cross-border Buddhism
  Murphy illustrates how research crossing modern political boundaries reveals cohesive cultural zones in the past. Collaboration led him to see Vientiane and its surrounds as part of this broader Buddhist world:

  “Both sides of the Mekong really are the same cultural group at that point in time... it helped with my Lao...” — [36:12]

Conceptualizing the Buddhist Landscape

• What is a Buddhist Landscape?
  Murphy stresses literal and metaphorical readings: Buddhism was physically inscribed into the landscape, while ritual practice shaped conceptual understandings of place.

  “Buddhism was literally carved or inscribed into this landscape.” — [40:29] “Placing the artworks back within that landscape... was a core aim of the book.” — [40:43]

Heritage and "Afterlives"

• Continuities and Modern Worship
  The “afterlives” of Buddhist sites see continued ritual use and reinterpretation—monks and villagers today still engage with ancient stones and monuments. Collaborations foreground a “living heritage” perspective:

  “An interesting aspect... these objects are still active and living and get transformed in different ways.” — [43:05] “These sites are still living heritage.” — [45:57]

Core Contribution: Khorat as a Region, Not a Periphery

• Redefining Southeast Asia’s Religious Geography
  Murphy argues for recognizing the Khorat Plateau’s distinctive artistic and religious tradition—rather than treating it as a borderland between "greater" civilizations.

  “No, we need to look at the Korat Plateau in and of itself... there's also Buddhism happening in other areas that is just as interesting and just as fascinating... just as worthwhile to do so.” — [47:37], [50:17]

• Model for Future Scholarship
  The book’s approach champions exploring the non-monumental, less-studied expressions of Buddhism, offering a template for comparable studies elsewhere.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On peer review and methodology:

  “One of the reviewers wanted [methodology] drawn out more... that's one of the good things about peer review, maybe, is that for me, I thought it was quite apparent... but it's helpful to the reader.” — Stephen Murphy [13:12]

• On looting and context:

  “What becomes apparent is... there's this quite strong bronze tradition... And that was sort of my starting point [in] trying to put those objects back, maybe not physically, but... intellectually back into the landscapes or the cultures from which they came.” — [33:53]

• On scholarly intentions and new directions:

  “What the book does... is that usually when we look at Buddhism... we look at it in a [monumental] Hutia or Sukhothai... But there's also Buddhism happening in other areas that is just as interesting and just as fascinating...” — [50:17]

Timestamps for Major Topics

| Topic | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|-------------| | Introduction & Book Reception | 01:55 – 03:25| | Locating the Khorat Plateau | 03:46 – 05:09| | Theoretical Frameworks | 05:24 – 09:31| | Multiscalar Methods | 09:31 – 13:12| | Data Analysis Approaches | 13:12 – 15:33| | Typologies of Sites & Ritual Context | 15:33 – 17:51| | Case Study: Chi River & Mung Fah Dead | 17:51 – 21:11| | Workshops & Political Authority | 21:11 – 24:23| | Chinese Sources & Windan Mandala | 24:23 – 26:39| | Mun River, Mung Seima, & Spheres of Influence | 26:39 – 30:15| | Looting, Bunker & Latchford, Prakhon Chai | 30:15 – 35:55| | The Mekong River, Vientiane–Wat Phu | 35:55 – 40:13| | Concept of the Buddhist Landscape | 40:13 – 42:48| | Afterlives & Living Heritage | 42:48 – 45:57| | Contributions—Region vs Periphery | 45:57 – 51:11| | Murphy’s Current/Future Work | 51:30 – 53:52|

Final Thoughts & Significance

Murphy’s Buddhist Landscapes is repositioned as a paradigmatic study of “non-monumental Buddhism,” arguing for the value of regionally focused, contextually grounded, and methodologically expansive research. The book not only places the Khorat Plateau at the intellectual center of regional Buddhist history, but it also highlights urgent contemporary issues: contested heritage, restitution, and the vibrancy of living archaeological sites.

“I think that's quite a nice maybe result of the book... it can be used as a model or a template to look or think about areas that are not as monumental.” — Stephen Murphy [50:17]

Host’s Parting Acknowledgement:

“Thank you so much for your insights into the nature and extent of early Buddhist art on the Korat Plateau and how it shaped and was shaped by these cultures and societies and... environments that it encountered.” — Natalie Pearson [51:11]

For listeners eager for more on Southeast Asian art, archaeology, and Buddhist history, Murphy’s work remains an essential touchstone for future research and debate.