Thailand 2023, part 17 (Muang Tam, Prakhon Chai)
On this day, I focused on exploring a group of cultural monuments that include the remains of several temple complexes built in the south-eastern part of Thailand near the border with Cambodia. Their significance lies in the fact that they were erected at the beginning of the 2nd millennium AD and belong to the Khmer culture, as this entire area was a part of the Khmer Empire (802-1431) during that time.
Now, the story brings me to the visit of a Hindu sanctuary dedicated to god Shiva, called Prasat Muang Tam, located 8 km southeast of a similar sanctuary called Phanom Rung that I had already visited and wrote about in the previous sequel of this travelogue.
This temple complex, built in the 11th century, reflects a unique architectural style and the stone decoration seen here, showcasing the exceptional skill of Khmer craftsmen, is truly remarkable. This becomes evident as one approaches the main entrance of the complex.
The foundation of the temple complex is in the shape of an almost perfect square, set quite precisely with its sides facing the cardinal directions and the main entrance oriented towards the east. A wall surrounds the complex and a gopura is positioned in the middle of each side. The dimensions of the laterite enclosure wall are 120 x 127 m, while the wall stands at a height of 2.70 m.
The gopuras have a cruciform base, with the arms extending along the perimeter longer than the arms leading into the inner space of the temple. The eastern and western gopuras each have three doorways, with the central one being larger than the two side doorways, projecting into space as a part of the cruciform base. The southern and northern gopuras have only one central doorway each, but the inner space of the gopura is filled with window openings symmetrically arranged, creating an impression of harmony. This will be visible in some of the photos below.
To begin, I focused now on the external portals of the eastern gopura and their impressive stone decoration mentioned earlier.
Upon passing through the eastern entrance, there are actually several beautifully decorated doorways, as seen in the previous photograph. So, there is the outer portal first, followed by the one leading towards the centre of the gopura and similarly on the way out. Considering that entering the gopura leads to the inner space of the sanctuary where there is a gallery with equally beautifully adorned doorways, the impression is truly spectacular.
In the previous photos, it is possible to notice parts of smaller platforms that are sometimes placed directly in front of and behind the threshold within the doorways, where there are no steps and where there is a possibility that visitors might step on the threshold. In both contemporary and ancient temples in Thailand, it is considered taboo for visitors to stand on the threshold. I have often seen in modern temples that the threshold is relatively high, requiring careful negotiation with the foot, as it is absolutely unacceptable to step on it. Despite being completely alone here (a few visitors had already left the temple when I arrived), I felt that basic courtesy dictated that I respect the rules.
In the middle of the gopura, on the ground, there is a now somewhat faded carved motif of an eight-petal lotus, while I also found it interesting to see and take a photo of the window openings up close.
Once you pass through the gopura, you enter a space surrounded by the aforementioned enclosure wall, in the centre of which there is another roughly square-shaped area enclosed by a gallery with gopuras on the four cardinal directions, serving as the inner enclosure wall. Only in the middle of this space is the central sanctuary, but I will talk about that a little later. For now, I’ll mention that the gopuras within the gallery are aligned in the same way as the gopuras on the outer enclosure wall, creating that impressive effect when looking through the external doorway towards the centre of the temple complex.
Around the gallery, there are four L-shaped ponds made, like many other structures, from laterite. The corners of the ponds are adorned with five-headed mythical serpent beings called Nagas which I photographed more closely later in my exploration rather than at the beginning. Since the entire space of the Shiva-dedicated temple symbolises Kailasa/Kailash Mountain, these four ponds represent the four rivers that surround this mythological mountain.
I decided first to circle around the gallery, so I initially took a photo of it from the direction of the southeast pond.
Then I came across a tree where some small offerings left by believers were visible, but what was more important to me was the thick shade it provided. I needed to take a break and cool down a bit.
The tree is located in the space between the southern gopura of the outer enclosure wall and the southern gopura of the gallery.
After a short break in the shade of the tree, I continued exploring by walking around the gallery under the intense tropical sun.
On the western side, I paid again attention to the gallery which is not as impressive as on the eastern side. Nevertheless, you can see the remnants of the western doorway, while the lintel, in particular, is quite impressive.
You can also get a good view of the gallery that surrounds the central sanctuary. It consists of two parallel walls with windows and portals, and there is a space of a few meters between them, essentially serving as a corridor. This part is made of sandstone.
I continued to stroll around the gallery, taking photos of various details, and then I was ready to visit the central sanctuary.
So, I entered the central sanctuary through the eastern gopura of the gallery. There I also took a photo of the interior of the gopura, as well as that of the view further towards the sanctuary.
And then you exit the gopura and see the remains of the central sanctuary.
In the middle of the central space, you can see four of the original five prangs (richly decorated tall towers typical of Khmer architecture) and in front of them, to the left and right, there are the remains of two libraries.
The libraries were made of bricks laid over a laterite base. It is believed that these structures were used to store sacred texts and religious manuscripts, while it is also possible that religious sculptures were placed there, too, hence the name of the structures.
Nevertheless, the focal point for visitors are certainly the prangs. Interestingly, the arrangement of the prangs did not follow the cruciform plan; originally, three prangs were erected at the front of the platform, with two in the back. The central prang in the front row is what is absent today.
The prangs were made of bricks and decorated with reliefs done in the stucco technique, but today, one can primarily appreciate the impressive lintels.
Only the laterite base of the main prang in the front row remains and, back in the day, a lingam was found there, leading researchers to conclude that the entire temple complex was dedicated to god Shiva.
I also took photos of the northern prangs in both rows and then I climbed onto the platform to begin the exploration of the prangs.
On the lintel of the northern prang in the front row, you can see god Shiva riding Nandi the bull with his royal consort Uma (another name for the goddess better known as Parvati).
That brought me to the rear part of the central sanctuary, where I could now see the western portal of the gallery from the “inside” and, a bit further, the western side of the enclosure wall. After that, I returned to the front part.
Then I took a little stroll around the central sanctuary and took a photo where, from left to right, you can see parts of the central sanctuary (the base of the central prang and the northern prang), then the northern gopura of the gallery, the northern library, the eastern gopura of the gallery and the southern library.
From here, I practically retraced my steps, capturing a final image of the two ponds and the eastern gopura of the outer enclosure wall, which led me back to the park that is now a part of the site.
I was very pleased because I thoroughly explored everything that interested me here and then I returned to the parking lot next to the artificial lake where I saw the car but could not spot Eme at first. I walked between the food stalls and climbed the embankment, where I noticed Eme resting in the shade with her family. We weren’t in a hurry, but they were slowly getting ready, so we continued on our way.
By the way, Barai reservoir, which has a rectangular shape (0.5 x 1 km), is often referred to as Muang Tam Lake and its water is used for irrigating the surrounding fields.
Now, Eme brought me back to Prakhon Chai, but then she decided to continue a bit north to a place called Phra Buddha Prakhonchai on the map. It’s a massive statue of Buddha made of green sandstone. Moreover, weighing 350 tons, it is the largest such statue done in the Khmer style in Thailand. Although I must admit that I was already exhausted from the previous explorations under the intense sun, I still got out of the car and took a short walk.
It was clear to me that there was some big celebration or event being prepared here. I also noticed a group of women who had come dressed in formal attire.
I took a few photos here and, in the meantime, Eme bought us some boiled maize. I was already hungry and the maize was excellent.
I also walked with Eme to the tables under canopies where food was already being set up, probably for later when the celebration concluded and the worshippers came to eat.
There were also local “kitchens” where food was being prepared for sale to the worshippers. I tried something, but it all happened very quickly and with the maize still in my hand, it was challenging to organise myself, let alone take photos. Nevertheless, it turned out relatively well and I have a nice memory of the experience.
Here, the collaboration between Eme and me came to an end and it remained only for this exceptionally kind and smiling woman to take me back to the hotel. Since that maize was not enough to satisfy my hunger, as soon as I got to the hotel, I went straight to have lunch and ordered a spicy and sour tom yum soup. Just seeing the hot peppers floating in the soup makes it clear how spicy it was, but by the time you reach the bottom, you get used to the heat.
Since I stayed in an exceptionally good hotel in Prakhon Chai (I usually opt for more modest places), I didn’t mind finishing the day’s exploration relatively early. Moreover, I scheduled a foot massage and it was heavenly! I was almost lulled to sleep.
Following the massage, I leisurely sipped the tea they brought me and, above all, I was too lazy to go back to my room. Eventually, I did that and then I just continued to rest and laze around.
In the evening, I went to the nearby supermarket to buy a few things for the next day’s journey and then I stopped for dinner. This time, I chose a dish with pork, which I usually don’t do on my travels (I have my quirky reasons for that), but everything turned out well here.
My plan was to go to bed early again since the next day I had another uncertain transfer. I had already booked a hotel in the city of Ubon Ratchathani, which was fine, but today, with Eme, I stopped by the bus terminal where she inquired and they told her that there was no direct transport or, more precisely, there was only one bus per day, starting late and taking a long time. That didn’t suit my plans.
Learning from the experience of the previous day, I started considering the option of going first to the city of Surin and then from there to Ubon (also called this way in short). Moreover, I knew that there was even a railway connection between these two cities because Ubon is connected by a direct train to Bangkok that also stops in Surin. However, I thought it was better to stick to the bus and not complicate things, as who knows where the bus station and the train station in Surin are located.
Later, I asked at the hotel reception and it turned out that one of the receptionists was from Ubon. She told me that it could be a bit complicated, but the idea of going through Surin was perfectly fine and there were buses every hour (for both legs of my journey). Although I didn’t plan to leave at the crack of dawn, it was clear to me that the next morning I shouldn’t linger too long.