Phanom Rung
Phanom Rung (full name Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung , Thai : ปราสาท หิน เขาพนม รุ้ง , pronunciation: [ praːsàːt hǐn kʰǎw pʰánom rúŋ ], for example: a stone palace on Mount Rung , where Phnom Rung means "broad mountain" in Khmer ) is a temple district on an extinct volcano in present-day Thailand , about 50 kilometers south of the provincial capital Buri Ram .
Early inscriptions from the 7th or 8th century suggest that an early temple from the Chenla period stood here. Essentially, however, the complex dates from the 10th to 12th centuries and can be assigned to the Angkor period of the Khmer culture. The ruin complex of Phanom Rung, Prasat Mueang Tam and Plai Bat has been on the tentative list for the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019 .
history
The Prasat Hin Khao Phnom Rung is probably one of the most impressive architectural monuments of the Khmer in Thailand. The area was a principality of the Mahidharapura dynasty, largely independent of Angkor, between the early 9th century and the 13th century.
The temple complex, located at a height of 381 meters, once symbolized Shiva's abode on the holy mountain Krailasa ( Kailash ) and was built between the early 10th century and the late 12th century by the Khmer rulers there at the time . During the reign of King Suryavarman II in particular , major extensions were carried out here. As with other temples on mountaintops (for example Prasat Preah Vihear and Phnom Chisor ), the architecture here was also adapted to the natural conditions. A long flight of stairs leads up to the main district. The actual temple is reached by a 160-meter-long elevated footpath, which is flanked by columns and leads to the Naga Bridge. The bridge symbolizes the transition from the profane to the sacred world. Another staircase leads to an area with four pools, past which one arrives over a second bridge in the actual temple.
Phanom Rung is known for the carefully executed stone carvings, for example showing a war elephant trampling an enemy. This may be one of the earliest historical works of art from the Angkor era. Most of the other depictions worship Shiva and asceticism . The eleven inscriptions on Phanom Rung are particularly interesting as they contain a representation of the regional organization of Angkor.
This temple was connected to the temple city of Angkor- Wat in present-day Cambodia and the Prasat Hin Phimai (in Thailand) via a road that now leads through the jungle .
A reduced copy of the sanctuary can be seen in the Ancient City ( Mueang Boran ) in Samut Prakan near Bangkok.
From 1971 to 1988 Thailand's " Department of Fine Arts " restored the facility.
Historical park
On May 21, 1988, the "Phanom Rung Historical Park" ( อุทยาน ประวัติศาสตร์ พนม รุ้ง ) was opened by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn . In 2005, the temple district was handed over to UNESCO for consideration for future world heritage .
literature
- Smitthi Siribhadra: Palaces Of The Gods . River Books, Bangkok 1992, ISBN 0-500-97450-0 .
Web links
- An illustrated travel report and an interactive overview map of the facility (in German)
- "Sundial, calendar and Khmer temples" (in English)
- "The Sun, the Moon, and Rahu at Prasat Phanom Rung" (in English)
- Story about Thailand by Wilfried Stevens: Volcanoes in Thailand
Individual evidence
- ↑ Two sites placed on Unesco 'tentative list'. In: Bangkok Post (online), July 9, 2019.
Coordinates: 14 ° 31 '53 " N , 102 ° 56' 32" E