Phu Phrabat sits at the heart of a Bronze Age civilisation in Udon Thani. Crisscrossed by ancient rock formations, it is off the beaten track, but that may soon change as world heritage listing looms for this glorious national park.
Tham Phra attracts devotees and tourists. It shows a stupa with the Khmer influence most apparent in the design of the Buddha image that is carved at the base of Sema stones. photos by prangthong jitcharoenkul
It might seem there is little to see at Phu Phrabat. But that is its saving grace, says Borvornvate Rungrujee, director-general of the Fine Arts Department, as he admires this ancient Isan land.
It is the simple and natural environment that has put Phu Phrabat on the path to being declared as Thailand’s next World Heritage Site, expected in June 2016.
“I admire the ancient people’s simple and insightful imagination. They did not need advanced equipment to build these settlements or places for meditation or religious rituals. They just had advanced ideas to comfort their lives,” he said.
Phu Phrabat Historical Park, covering about 4.9 square kilometres within Phu Phra Bat Buabok Forest Park, is a noted cultural landscape. Located within the boundary of National Forest Reserve in Udon Thani province, it constitutes a major transportation hub for northeastern Thailand, a home of a Bronze Age civilisation and a gateway to Laos.
The sacred Phu Phrabat is located on Phu Phan Mountain. A “serial property”, it comprises two main areas: Phu Phrabat historical site (or Wat Phutthabat Bua Bok) and Wat Phra Phutthabat Bua Ban. They are located within the same buffer zone. The Fine Arts Department declared Phu Phrabat a historical park in 1991.
The place demonstrates entrenched beliefs associated with Buddhism, with some ancient objects discovered by archaeologists dating back to the 7th century. Many articles hark back to the Dvaravati, Lopburi and Lan Chang historical periods.
The archaeological site is well-known for its peculiar rock formations, with Sema stone demarcating sacred boundaries for Buddhist religious functions, sandstone images, Tham Khon (cave of men) and Tham Wua Daeng (cave of red cows), which date back 1,200 to 1,600 years.
It also shows a stupa from the Lan Chang period, in which Khmer influences are apparent in the design of a Buddha image carved at the base of a Sema stone formation. Locals still pay homage to the Lord Buddha’s footprint.
Apart from its historical prominence, Phu Phrabat is the birthplace of local legends which originated from the great Sanskrit epic of Mahabharata. The legends later became the names of historical sites in Phu Phrabat that enhance the area with intangible meanings and value, according to historians.
Phu Phrabat took centre stage during a recent excursion organised by the Culture Ministry for foreign envoys to Udon Thani and Vientiane.
Members of the diplomatic corp from several countries, including Bhutan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Korea, Laos, Morocco, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Russia, Singapore and South Africa, went on the trip to explore both tangible and intangible joint cultural heritages between Thailand and Laos.
“We are very confident Phu Phrabat will be selected by Unesco next year” as a world heritage site, Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said.
South Korean Ambassador Jeon Jae Man writes the Thai words Ban Chiang on an earthen pot in Ban Chiang.
He said Phu Phrabat matches four selection criteria to be a world heritage site. The criteria state that a place must bear a unique feature of a cultural tradition or a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared. It has to be an outstanding landscape illustrating states in human history, be an example of a traditional human settlement when it has become vulnerable under impact of irreversible change, and be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works.
The ministry, with the assistance of the Fine Arts Department, submitted the nomination to the Unesco headquarters in Paris on Feb 1, following approval from parliament.
“Not only did we supply documents, but we also sent a photo book of Phu Phrabat in a neat package wrapped with Isan-style cloth to reflect the cultural uniqueness of the northeastern region,” Mr Vira said.
“From this April to November, a team comprising five experts selected by Icomos (the International Council on Monuments and Sites) will travel to Phu Phrabat and inspect its condition and important features and to see if it matches the requirements for selection.”
Mr Borvornvate said the team will send an evaluation to the Icomos World Heritage Panel Discussion in Paris in December. An official result will not be released until June next year.
However, being recognised as a world heritage site may not be as hard as keeping the status.
In 2010, the former capital of Ayutthaya, which marked a long period of Thai history during which many branches of Thai art flourished, was in danger of losing its Unesco World Heritage Site status at one point, as many risk factors, including unregulated tourist visits to the site, posed a concern.
But Mr Borvornvate believes Phu Phrabat has different criteria and there is little to fear of a repeat of the Ayutthaya case.
“Phu Phrabat does not receive massive numbers of tourists like some Unesco sites in Thailand. The number of tourists to the park, both domestic and from neighbouring countries, particularly Laos, add up to 50,000 to 70,000 per year, which is considered a moderate figure. So, the tourism issue is still manageable,” he added.
Mr Borvornvate stressed the Fine Arts Department will keep a strict watch on tourists to Phu Phrabat.
“Additional officials will guard major points of entry to Phu Phrabat such as Tham Khon and Tham Wua Daeng to preserve the integrity of the place.
“Small electric buses will probably be arranged inside the historical park in order to shuttle tourists around fixed routes so they won’t stray off track. It will make the task easier for the officials to keep an eye on them,” he said.
The Fine Arts Department chief insists no public toilets will be built inside Phu Phrabat, citing a law that prevents any kind of building that devalues a historical place. The absence of toilets will also encourage visitors to keep their visits brief and help to minimise the risk of human damage.
Unesco has already designated five world heritage sites in Thailand, including Ban Chiang, a pre-historical archaeological site in Udon Thani’s Nong Han district. If selected, Phu Phrabat will be the second world heritage site in Udon Thani.
A settlement, Bang Chiang, is considered by scholars as the most significant pre-historic settlement so far discovered in Southeast Asia. The site was first discovered in 1966, presenting the earliest evidence of wet rice farming, manufacture of ceramics and use of metals. Many bodies buried inside earthen pots were also uncovered at the site.
Lao Ambassador to Thailand Ly Bounkham said the Lao people would be happy to see Phu Phrabat as a World Heritage Site and believed that after Phu Phrabat becomes a tourist magnet, it will boost tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
The ambassador said tourists can enjoy two Unesco World Heritage sites in Laos, which are Luang Prabang and Wat Phu in the southern city of Champasak.
Udon Thani is a short distance across the Mekong River from Nakhon Luang Vieng Chan, where the great golden Pha That Luang is located. According to local belief, the temple housed a relic of Buddha brought from India by a monk of the Court of the Emperor Ashoka. The temple contains a large stupa measuring 45 metres in height built in the pyramid shape.
Bhutan Ambassador Kesang Wangdi, centre, and other envoys are briefed about the history of Phu Phrabat during the tour.
Women in traditional dress perform a welcome dance for the diplomats who visited Ban Chiang.
The mushroom-shaped Hor Nang Usa rock formation stands within what is believed to be a sacred perimeter of Phu Phrabat. The name is taken from a local legend of Usa Barot about an unfulfilled love.