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Wat Prang, Korat
Every once in a while I like to ride my bike out to Wat Prang. This wat has a 13th Century Khmer prang in it. It's located in Baan Putcha, about 20K northwest of Korat.
Most of the rural wats around here keep the main bot locked up. I don't know if they're afraid of vandalism, or what. Anyway, I saw that the bot in this temple was open, so I stopped to look inside. It's being renovated and just outside the main gate I saw this interesting feature:
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang01.jpg
The interior of the bot was pretty plain and typical:
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang02.jpg
I believe the name of the wat is: Wat Banana Village
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang03.jpg
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang04.jpg
The old Khmer prang is not in very good shape. I expect it to fall down soon and become just another pile of unidentifiable stones. It's a shame because this is the only standing prang of it's type anywhere in the area. I'm sure no archeology has been done on the site. They keep turning up new stones from the old Khmer structures which they pile up in big heaps.
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang05.jpg
I went around to photograph the fine lintel and found this monk reading the Triptika inside the prang. I asked him if I could take photos.
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang06.jpg
The lintel has quite nice detail
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang07.jpg
This is the interior of the prang.
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang08.jpg
The monk showing the Triptika. It's in Pali, but written with Thai characters. He asked me to read some. I tried and I think he was surprised that I could sound it out even if I had no idea what I was reading.
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Piles Of Stones
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang09.jpg
This is where they pile the ancient stones they run across.
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang10.jpg
These old sema stones are piled next to the wall of the modern bot (which is locked up).
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang11.jpg
This is a recent addition I hadn't seen before. I was being protected by an overturned wheelbarrow.
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang12.jpg
No way to know if the seated Buddha image has been vandalized or just broken.
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang13.jpg
The image on this stone is barely visible and will be gone soon.
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang14.jpg
I believe this is an image of Ganesh.
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang15.jpg
Note the seated Buddha on this sema stone which is currently in use around the bot.
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang16.jpg
Close up of the Buddha image.
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Here's a photo I took of the Prang about six or eight months ago. Notice how much vegetation growing on the structure there is now compared with then:
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2006/11/202.jpg
Then
https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...06/prang04.jpg
Now