Country Article / Postcards

Temples and Legends

Date: 02/11/2007

Tripping into an "auspicious hole" in the courtyard of a Khmer temple is no less embarrassing than tripping into an ordinary hole in the road. These small pits scooped out of the sandstone floor at Prasat Hin Phimai once served as depositories for offerings such as rubies and gold leaf lotus flowers.

Northeast Thailand is dotted with the ruins of ancient Khmer temples, and Prasat Hin Phimai is one of the best restored. Its construction started in the 10th century, and it predates Cambodia’s famous Angkor Wat temples to which it was once linked by road.

To reach the heart of the shrine, you cross over a Naga (serpent) Bridge which separates the earthly and heavenly realms. Watched over by a pair of mythical beast s acting as door guardians, the bridge leads to a succession of courtyards and the towering conical prang of the former temple. Entrance to the Historical Park costs 40 baht ($1.16)

I arranged my day trip (seven hours) to Prasat Hin Phimai through the Sima Thani Hotel’s tour desk...this is where I’m staying in Nakhon Ratchasima (also known as Khorat). For two people, it costs around $50 for a private car and driver. This trip also took in a visit to Ban Prasat village, where you’ll see timeless agricultural scenes (one guy, above, was washing his tractor in a lotus pond), skeletons with marble bangles dating back to Bronze Age times on display in pits, and a fascinating little museum detailing village traditions.

Many festivities here seem almost animistic. In October, Ban Prasat’s villagers pay homage to a goddess called Mae Posob, who oversees the rice fields. The rice straw dolls made in her honor are curiously reminiscent of European corn dollies. Another ceremony (held in May or June depending on the moon’s phase) revolves around paying homage to village ancestors. A spirit medium asks them questions on behalf of the villagers. Apparently one of the most-asked is "will the rice be good this year?"

Another stop on this trip was Sai Ngam where a 350-year-old banyan tree shades an area of around 35,000 square feet. Under its rag-decorated branches, beside a river, you’ll find fortune tellers and people pressing you spend a few cents on giving freedom to caged birds and plastic-bagged fish. Don’t know whether it will bring me good karma, but I’ve given one little bird its freedom.

Steenie Harvey
Roving Travel Writer, International Living