Mueang Sing Historical Park

 

Location: 43 km (27 mi) West of Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi Province

Found: 9th century

Info: TAT, Kanchanaburi

Tel. 0-3451-1200

Open: 8am- 4:30pm daily

 

Description of Mueang Sing Historical Park

Mueang Sing Historical Park or Prasat Muang Sing is an ancient city 43 km (27 mi) West of Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi Province in Thailand. It was constructed between 857 AD and 1157 AD then the Khmer Kingdom was still thriving. Prasat Muang Sing is a Khmer temple dating from the late twelfth century, early thirteenth century, built under the reign of Jayavarman VII, in the style of Bayon. It is the most westerly known Khmer temple to date.

The modern name means "sanctuary of the city of the lion", and this name is very probably the original one (an inscription on the Preah Khan stele in Angkor, which is still in place, mentions Srijayasimhaipura (city of the victorious lion) as one of the sites to which Jayavarman VII sent a statue of Jayabuddhamahanatha. The importance of Mueang Sing comes from its strategic position on the road to the Three Pagodas Pass that leads to Burma. It was certainly a garrison town to guard and protect the western border of the Khmer Empire, but it was also an important trading center.

 

The sanctuary is at the center of a much larger city of Prasat Muang Sing, and all the ruins form a microcosm representative of the universe. The city limits are surrounded by a wall, measuring approximately 800 x 1400 meters. The shape is not quite rectangular, as the southern rampart runs along the bank of the Kwae Noi River. Inside this vast enclosure, is a series of 7 concentric moats and earthen ramparts on the north, east and west sides, representing the seas and mountains of the celestial empire. Inside is the sanctuary of Prasat Muang Sing itself, with an outer enclosure of 81 by 104 meters, which represents about one-tenth of the city. The central part consists of a rectangular gallery, interrupted at the four cardinal points by four gopuras.

 

History

Prasat Muang Sing Its purpose was to build it as a Buddhist place of worship in the Mahayana sect from the excavation and decoration of the Fine Arts Department that had been done gradually since 1935, but began to seriously pioneer in 1974 and was completed as a historical park. In 1987, it was as beautiful as it is today. Prasat Muang Sing is said to have architecture and sculptures. Similar to that of King Jayavarman VII (1720 - 1780), the Khmer castle builder king. From the excavations of the Fine Arts Department The most important art work found was the Naga Prok Buddha image. Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Prajnaparamita And another image of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara radiating light was also found. Currently, the Fine Arts Department has taken it to be kept at the National Museum, Bangkok. Only a replica remains.


But in this matter, Associate Professor Srisakorn Valliphodom saw that it was easy to compare the names of similar cities in the Chao Phraya River basin with those along the transportation routes in the Prasat Phra Khan inscription. regardless of geography It is equal to a careless distortion of the truth. Because all the Khmer castles called Arokayasan are often found in the northeastern region. (Some are found in some parts of Prachinburi province. which is now separated into Sa Kaeo Province) and has a completely different style from the Khmer castles found in the Chao Phraya River basin. This is in contrast to the castles found on the transportation route from Lawo to Phetchaburi and Prasat Mueang Sing. Each place has a different style. There will be similarities but the image of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. and Mrs. Pratchaya Paramita, which indicates that it probably spread from the city of Lawo.

During the reign of King Rama I, Muang Sing had the status of an outpost city. During the reign of King Rama IV, he ordered Governor Singh to be Phra Saming Singburin Later, in the reign of King Rama V, there was a change of government to the Mondhotsaphiban form. Therefore, Muang Sing was dissolved, remaining as only a sub-district in Kanchanaburi Province.

 

Archaeological site

Prasat Muang Sing is located on a plain on the north bank of the Kwai Noi River. The surrounding area is surrounded by not very high mountains. The ancient site has layers of walls and moats. The wall is almost square in shape. is the Kwai Noi River flowing through the southern side Therefore, this area expanded along the river. For the east, west and north, the walls are connected in a square shape. Surrounding the outside of the wall is an earthen moat. Especially on the western side, there are remains of a 7-storey earthen embankment. This wall and earthen ditch surrounds an important historical site. It consists of historical sites number 1 - 4, walls and gates, earthworks, ponds, and other buildings.

Historical sites in Mueang Sing Historical Park Can be divided like this

 

Ancient site number 1

Archaeological Site No. 1 Archaeological Site No. 1 is located in the center of the archaeological site group. The archaeological site faces east and consists of important lions, namely the main prang, the cloister, the gopura, the hall or library, and the glass wall.

The main prang is the center of the ancient site. It is a single prang shaped like a tall tower resembling an ear of corn. The main body sits on a 20-cornered wooden base, width and length 13.20 meters on each side. There is a porch extending out to meet the inner porch of the gopura in all four directions. The eastern porch is longer than the other sides. And between the main prang and the gopura on the east side, there is a laterite courtyard connecting a wide courtyard. The crypt is the building that surrounds the main prang. The length of the north and south sides is 42.50 meters each, and the east and west sides are 36.40 meters each. According to the corners of the records, there are four corner arches.

The gopura or entrance arch is a building located between the 4 sided balconies, which are in line with the arch of the prang. and there is an entrance only to the eastern facade.

The library or library is a small building. It is rectangular in shape, 4.50 meters wide and 5.50 meters long, located at the southeastern corner of the main prang. There is only one door to the library to the west. It is assumed that this library is a place to store various texts or scriptures. Buddhism The glass wall is the part that surrounds the castle and has a door to the east. The glass wall consists of a base width of 2.40 meters, a side width of 81.20 meters and a length of 97.60 meters.

 

Ancient site number 2

Archaeological site number 2 still has the main prang, Kopura, on 4 sides, but it has fallen down a lot and little can be restored.
Archaeological Site No. 2 This archaeological site is located to the northwest of Archaeological Site No. 1. and have similar characteristics

Meter length 54.20 meters and height 80 meters. Archaeological site number 2 is facing east. and consists of the main prang The Kopura balcony and the glass wall are similar to the ancient site number 1, but smaller. This group of historical sites has not yet been completed.

Archaeological Site No. 1 and Archaeological Site No. 2 are presumed buildings. It is an important religious place. There is a main pagoda located in the middle of the building and it is also home to important idols. Construction uses laterite as an important material. Other materials used Building assembly is Terracotta tiles, wood, sandstone, iron, and brick, etc. The decoration of the building uses plaster and is decorated with stucco patterns along the main pagoda and the south facade. Stucco uses crushed limestone and burnt shells, then mixed with animal skin glue or a mixture that is thick and mixed with sugarcane juice to make the cement harden slowly, making it easier to shape into patterns. Construction techniques The construction of the main pagoda, the south arch, and the balcony all used silica and were stacked up without the use of mortar. But in some places, they use I-shaped or T-shaped steel to help hold it between the stone blocks.

 

Ancient site number 3

Archaeological site number 3 is located outside the Kamphaeng Kaeo. It is a small ancient site. Made of laterite
Ancient site number 3 This archaeological site is outside the Kaeo Wall, southwest of Archaeological Site No. 1. The archaeological site is a small structure made of bricks and laterite. which may be the base of the JD As the Fine Arts Department assumed. The buildings are assumed to be 2 pagodas. The first base has dimensions of 5.20 by 5.20 meters and is a square base with a height of 1.43 meters. It looks like a square base. Built up to form the base of the lotus (upside-down lotus), all of this is constructed of bricks using the Header Bond brick arranging technique, which means using the ridge side of the bricks to protrude outward. The upper level of the pagoda base goes up and uses laterite to form the base of another cutting board...The base of another pagoda on the northeast side uses laterite to form the base...This other pagoda base is in a very damaged condition so cannot be used. Can tell the exact size and appearance.

 

Historical site number 4

Archaeological Site No. 4 is near No. 3, still being restored. It is a rectangular building. Archaeological Site No. 4 This archaeological site is a rectangular building divided into rows in a north-south direction. Each section has a width of 3.90 meters and a length of 6.65 meters, spaced 0.50 meters apart in each section, creating a raised edge of approximately 40 centimeters. On the base, the second section from the direction of the sculpture is located. Building construction uses laterite as an important material.