According to the Forgotten Planet the three most interesting temples near Nang Rong are Wat Khao Ankhan, Prasat Muang Tam and of course the venerable Phnom Rung Historical Park. Yesterday we hired a driver and struck out on this little venture. Most of the photographs from this trip will be posted on Photobucket, but it's not available from here at the moment. I'll let you know when they are posted.
The first stop was Wat Khao Ankhan which is about half way to Phnom Rung (you have take the back roads; bumpy would describe them). There is a huge reclining Buddha which is the first thing that catches your eye when you arrive. Ancient boundry marker stones which are Dvarati style dating back to the 8th or 9th century remind us of the past. The rest of the complex is fairly new, done in an “nouveau-Khmer” style to reflect the history atop this old extinct volcano. The bot (main prayer room) are Burmese murals with English captions. The grounds also a Chinese style pagoda. If you are ever in the Nang Rong area, don’t miss this one!
Wat Khao Ankhan
Prasat Muang Tam was the next stop. Here you can buy a ticket that’s also good for Phnom Rung at a good savings. Two parks for only 150 baht. The Thai’s pay 30 baht, but their taxes go to support the national parks. This area is about 1,000 years old. Apparently it was abandoned about 500 years ago. People returned to the area about 100 years ago. This is ancient Khmer style devoted to the Hindi god Shiva. The people also paid respect to many other gods at this temple including Vishnu, Indra and Genesha. Smaller than Phnom Rung, Prasat Muang Tam is in many ways more beautiful; it’s certainly more peaceful and less commercialized. Although the main tower is long gone the history and serenity here make it more than worth the trip.
Prasat Muang Tam
In January I went to Phnom Rung and was totally impressed. There are several photographs in the January gallery on Photobucket.
This was the third stop on a very hot day so we didn’t stay long and decided to only look at a couple of areas we missed in January. Phnom Rung is large and could easily be the sole attraction for a great day trip from Nang Rong. It’s also ancient Khmer, constructed between the 10th and 13th century. It was devoted to Shiva, one of the most significant deities in the Hindu religion. Anyone interested in history would want to put this park on their must see list.
Phnom Rung
Today we rest, visit with Maliwan’s family and finish packing. Tomorrow morning it’s off to Buriram by bus and then a train to Ayutthaya and Lopburi. I'll post part II of the trip when I have time and connection.
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