Thailand's Ten Top Historical Parks: What's Your Choice?Prepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International
It was nineteen years ago, in April 1987 to be exact, that Thailand opened its first historical park, and that was the Muang Singh Historical Park in Kanchanaburi. A lot has happened in these nineteen years. Nine more historical parks, making a total of ten, have been opened, three of which have received the honour of being designated World Heritage Sites.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand made the following statement which sums up the idea behind the establishment of historical parks: Historical objects and sites are a testimony to every country's civilisation and cultural heritage. They serve to bridge the gap between past and present and instill in the people a sense of belonging and pride and the importance of cherishing their invaluable legacy.
The ten historical parks are Muang Singh, Phanom Rung, Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai, Kamphaeng Phet, Sri Thep, Phimai, Ayutthaya, Phra Nakhon Khiri and Phu Phra Bat. They are the result of hard work of the Fine Arts Department in the excavation, renovation and landscaping for several decades. Each of these parks in now equipped with a tourist and information centre and provides qualified guides.
MUANG SINGH HISTORICAL PARK:
This is an important site in the Khwai Noi River basin in Kanchanaburi. What I didn’t expect to find in this far western corner of Thailand were Khmer temples. They are the Prasat Muang Singh Temples, a western outpost of the Khmer Empire. A trip to Kanchanaburi, if only to visit Muang Singh, would be well worth the effort.
Also, prehistoric human skeletons have been discovered near the ancient city together with metal tools, vessels and ornaments, bricks, foundations of Dvaravati period architecture and laterite ruins from the 13th century. The remains of the ancient city comprise several layers of rectangular walls and a moat. The annual festival within the historical park is the "Thin Buri Sri Chai Sing" featuring a light and sound show and classical dances.
Contact Muang Sing Historical Park,
Sai Yok District, Kanchanaburi,
tel/fax: 0 3459 1122 or 0 3479 9566.
PHANOM RUNG HISTORICAL PARK:
An easily accessible Khmer temple site in Northeast Thailand is Phanom Rung, perhaps the best preserved and set amid some spectacular scenery. Nor is it hard to reach, just 18 kilometres to the south of Route 24, the main highway between Khorat and Ubon Ratchathani. The carefully restored ruins are served by an excellent all-weather road from the small settlement of Ban Ta Ko, 18 kilometres to the west of Buriram's Amphur Prakhon Chai.
This is the only Khmer religious monument constructed on a natural mountain. Restorations have made a great contribution to the study of Khmer architecture in Thailand. A special festival is Phanom Rung Fair, held either March or April each year.
Contact Phanom Rung Historical Park,
Nang Rong District, Buri Ram, tel/fax: 0 4463 1746.
SI SATCHANALAI HISTORICAL PARK:
A satellite town of the Sukhothai era, Si Satchanalai is located on the bank of Yom River, 50 kilometres from modern Sukhothai. Ruins of 134 monuments have been discovered in the park. The city plan was laid out along fixed cosmological lines - temple complexes lay at its heart, surrounded by city walls, rivers and forest.
It is considered by many historians to be the apogee of Thai city planning. On account of its relation to the Kingdom of Sukhothai, it was selected to be on the World Heritage List in 1990. The annual Songkran Festival is held in April within the historical park itself and throughout the province.
Contact Si Satchanalai Historical Park:
Si Satchanalai District, Sukhothai,
tel/fax: 0 5564 1571 or 0 5567 9211.
KAMPHAENG PHET HISTORICAL PARK:
Khamphaeng Phet was an important city of the Sukhothai Kingdom from the 13th to 15th centuries. It’s an easy motor trip from Sukhothai to Kamphaeng Phet through rural scenery. The earliest mention of the city appears in the stone inscriptions from Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Sri in Kamphaeng Phet. The Ayutthaya annuals mention that this city was known as "Muang Chakangrau" and was ruled by a prince from Sukhothai. Cultural and folk festivities are held in April each year to celebrate the Nop Phra Len Pleng Festival.
Contact Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park:
Muang District, Kamphaeng Phet,
tel/fax: 0 5571 1921.
SRI THEP HISTORICAL PARK:
The large ancient city of Sri Thep in the Pasak River basin served as a centre of communications between the cities in central Thailand and those in the North and Northeast for a long period. Archaeological excavations conducted in the Pasak and Lop Buri river basins have revealed that highly-developed prehistoric cultures flourished with more advanced technology than that of any other sites in neighbouring areas.
Contact Sri Thep Historical Park, Sri Thep District, Phetchabun, tel/fax: 0 5679 9466.
PHIMAI HISTORICAL PARK:
The most important and prominent Khmer ruins in Thailand is Phimai, the northeastern most site and certainly the best known of them. Phimai can be found at the small town of Phimai, 59 kilometres northeast of Khorat, on a turning off from National Highway 2 to Khon Kaen. In distant times the site was directly linked by road to Angkor. There are clear indications that Phimai was the main religious and administrative centre of the Khmer northeast. The complex at Phimai dates originally from the reign of Surayavarman 11, during the first part of the 12th century. The temple was constructed with white, finely grained sandstone, in the same style as Angkor Wat. Like Angkor, Phimai was first dedicated to the cult of Vishnu. The central sanctuary tower, and much of the immediate surrounding that survive today, date from this early period.
Contact Phimai Historical Park, Phimai District, Nakhon Ratchasima, tel/fax: 0 4447 1568.
AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL PARK:
For 417 years, from the 14th to 18th centuries, Ayutthaya was the capital of the central Thai Kingdom. With influences from Dvaravati, Khmer, Mon, and Lawa cultures, Ayutthaya was able to create its own arts and culture from a delicate blend of those cultures.
During the reigns of 33 kings, Ayutthaya gave Thailand a great number of fine buildings, monuments and works of art. It was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1994. An annual festival, Ayutthaya World Heritage Day, is held in December within the historical park.
Contact Ayutthaya Historical Park:
Klong Tor Road, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya,
Telefax: 0 3524 2448
PHRA NAKHON KHIRI HISTORICAL PARK:
Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park is in Phetchaburi Province, an important satellite city of Ayutthaya. Commonly called Khao Wang (the palace on the mountain), it was built on top of Samana Mountain as a summer palace for King Rama IV. Within the park area are royal halls, temples and groups of buildings, constructed in harmonious Thai, Western neoclassic and Chinese architectural styles.
The museum on the western hilltop exhibits some royal paraphernalia of King Rama IV and King Rama V, decorative sculptures and ceramics from China, Japan and Europe. To reach the hilltop, one can either walk or take a cable car. The Phra Nakhon Khiri Fair is held each year with lots of activities to promote tourism to the site and a trade fair of local handicrafts.
Contact Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park:
Muang District, Phetchaburi,
Telefax: 0 3242 5600
PHU PHRA BAT HISTORICAL PARK:
The park is situated on the Phu Phra Bat Hill of Phu Phan Mountain. There are 62 archaeological and cultural sites offering prehistoric rock paintings from about 4,000 to 2,000 years ago. There are also many historical artifacts from Dvaravati and Khmer cultures.
Within the historical park is also the site of a stupa constructed during the 1920s, and a Buddha's footprint. Festivities for tourists are held each year in October in the park and its vicinity to celebrate Usabaros Day and Ban Chiang World Heritage Day.
Contact Phu Phra Bat Historical Park:
Ban Pue District, Udon Thani,
Telefax: 0 2422 2909.
PREHISTORIC SITES
Thailand also has its own species of dinosaur and distinctive Neolithic cave paintings. The best place to visit is the northeastern plateau because this region offers the greatest variety with easy access. Just 59 kilometres from Udon Thani, for example, lays the world-famous village of Ban Chiang with its marvelous pottery. I wrote in detail in this column about Ban Chiang. See the index.
Archaeological digs at Ban Prasat in Khon Kaen turned up pottery and artifacts that bespeak a sophisticated civilization that pre-dates anything in Europe or the Middle East. A short drive to the south of Kalasin and Khon Kaen provinces, Thailand's own "Jurassic Parks" are taking shape especially at Phu Wiang National Park. Star exhibit is Siamotyrannus isanensis (Isan is the local name for the region), smaller than Tyrannosaurus rex but, at 20 million years, the oldest example of the fierce, meat-eating tyrannosaurus ever found.
Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae is the plant-eating dinosaur found in Phu Wiang in 1984. It is named in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
Next I will take readers to the prestigious The Oriental Hotel for the S.E.W. Awards. QUESTIONS & ANSWERSI was surprised how many e-mails I received from my story on Bangladesh. Last week I printed a letter from Nashtara Islam. This week am I picking three letters at random.
I want to thank everyone for their comments. —HS
Hello, I had the opportunity to read the article about Bangladesh. I was surprised with the knowledge of the Author on Bangladesh. He wrote "I first saw Bangladesh when it was still called East Pakistan (independence came in 1973)". Bangladesh got its independence on 1971. Since Thai have been flying for so long, they should know it better.
Good article indeed. Keep up the good work. Thanks and best regards, Mohammed Anwar
Dear Harold,
It was good to read a review on Bangladesh on the Thai website after a long time. Indeed, the Nobel prize awarded to Professor Yunus has been a triumph for the whole nation.
Can I just point out that the article, although well researched, is a tad out of date and has some factual errors.
1. 'Yunus’ home in Bangladeshi is Dhaka' - Yunus does reside in Dhaka but his actual 'home' is in Chittagong.
2. “Isn't Bangladesh itself off the beaten track?” - Well it was certainly so in the last decade, but with time, Bangladesh has changed too. I encourage you to visit Bangladesh and see the transformations for yourself; in some ways, tourists would find Bangladesh no more 'off-beat' than Thailand, if I may say so from personal experience.
3. 'When you get away from the big cities, Bangladesh can be one of the most interesting destinations in Southeast Asia.' - I agree. Bangladesh is a lovely place to visit - not only is it an interesting place to visit, it is also an exhilaratingly beautiful nation with wonderfully hospitable people.
4. 'an area called the Sunderbans which you can explore by small boat and not see another soul in days.' - Not very sure about that! You can travel to the Sunderbans in modern ferries these days, and can even stay there in 3* rest houses overnight. And yes, although people are rare in the Sunderbans, 'not seeing another soul in days' is a slight exagguration.
5. 'Dhaka is not an impressive town, and there is little to see and do, but its importance cannot be underestimated. ' - I beg to differ. Dhaka has changed with the times and is one of the most vibrant cities you can visit in South Asia today. From having the biggest shopping mall in S Asia to being one of the gastronomic capitals of the subcontinent, I believe Dhaka has a lot to offer these days. There are loads of things to do in Dhaka - from taking a trip through history at the museums and palaces of Old Dhaka to exhausting yourself shopping at Dhaka's hundreds of centrally airconditioned shopping malls, from having a sushi at a Japanese restaurant to having a mocha frappe at the latest five star hotel chain, from playing a round of golf at the country club to taking a boat ride at one of the many rivers surrounding the city, from hiring a helicopter to travel across the country to travelling around the city in open air rickshaws, I think Dhaka boasts a wonderful range of activities to keep you busy and occupied for days. The only problem is that you need to know where to go and what to do; ask around in Dhaka and I am sure you would be surprised at what the city can offer you.
I do appreciate the fact that you have brought Bangladesh to the limelight at www.thaiair.com; however, i do feel the image that has been conjured is rather old and need to be updated. Bangladesh has stepped into the new century with confidence, and it no longer is the same nation you visited during the East Pakistan times. Additionally, the pictures used in the article were nice, but it would be nicer if you had more pictures of cosmopolitan and rural Bangladesh rather than the ones used (many of which highlight poverty and impoverishment).
I do not mean to be rude in any way, so please do not be offended by my e-mail. Once again, thank you for your article on Bangladesh. It was great to see the nation highlighted on a Star Alliance airline webiste after many years.
Sincerely, Mehtab Ghazi Rahman, London
Mr. Stephens, Thanks for writing about Bangladesh in thai web page..I would like to inform you about some vital mistakes as far as the informations are concerned...first of all Dr.Younus wasn’t awarded the noble prizr for Economics but for Peace and the second and most important...we achieved our independece back in 1971 not 1973.It will be appreciated if you would kindly review the informations on your next issue. Thanks and regds, Abdullah Kabir, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)
Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited. | 
