Jewel in the jungle [... that belongs to Cambodia!]

KI-Media Note:
The correct name of the Khmer temples are: Prasat Ta Moan, Ta Moan Thom and Ta Moan Toch

Surin boasts an ancient Hindu Khmer shrine which attracts very few visitors

19/08/2010
Karnjana Karnjanatawe
Bangkok Post

While strained relations between Phnom Penh and Bangkok have temporarily halted public access to Preah Vihear (aka Phra Viharn), another jewel of Khmer civilisation located close to the Thai-Cambodian border is still welcoming tourists from all nations.

The ornately carved north gate to Prasat Ta Muen Thom, the largest structure in the temple complex.

About an hour's drive south of Surin town, in Phanom Dong Rak district, is another sanctuary dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva. Commissioned by King Jayavarman VII (reigned 1181 to circa 1220), the prolific temple builder whose credits include the elegant Angkor Thom, Ta Muen Thom is the largest structure by far in the Prasat Ta Muen complex.

The last leg of the journey from the provincial capital was along an unsealed road. Our small tour party arrived at this tranquil, practically deserted spot to be met by a volunteer guide, a student from nearby Ban Nong Kanna School. The temple faces south, overlooking the frontier, and from our vantage point we could clearly see two Cambodian soldiers behind a barbed-wire fence. They looked relaxed as they puffed on their cigarettes - one lollinh on a hammock, the other on a folding chair - but they were alert, their eyes following our every movement as we picked our way around the site.

Ta Muen Thom comprises five sandstone buildings. The central prang (stupa), which no longer has a roof, contains a badly damaged statue of Nandi, Shiva's mount, plus a phallic Shiva lingam and an interesting carved lintel. It is flanked by a pair of smaller pagodas. Two ancillary buildings called banalai (repositories for sacred scripture) lie to the southwest and northwest.

Prasat Ta Muen Tot seen through its gate.

This area sustained a great deal of damage from shells during the Cambodian Civil War and when Thai troops reclaimed it they had to clear landmines laid by the Khmer Rouge. A soldier on patrol, part of a small detachment based next to the entrance to Ta Meun Thom, warned us not to stray into the thick vegetation bordering the temple grounds in case we stepped on stray mines.

In 1991, the Fine Arts Department set aside a budget at 32.4 million baht to restore these ruins and a team of experts apparently spent three years working here. Although shattered artefacts and block of sandstone are still scattered here and there, the soldier we spoke to assured us that the renovation programme had been completed.

"We get visitors coming here practically every day," he said. "There's tension elsewhere along the frontier, but we haven't had any conflicts with the Cambodian along this stretch of the border."


About 200 metres north of Prasat Ta Muen Thom is another historic ruin called Prasat Ta Muen Tot. It is believed to have once been used as a hospital, but precious little of the original structure is still standing today.

Within easy walking distance - a two-minute drive in our vehicle - of the latter, on an island of cropped grass surrounded on all sides by dense jungle, is the final site in this complex. Prasat Ta Muen (aka Prasat Bai Kreme) is believed to have built as a dhamma sala, a rest house for pilgrims. It no longer has a roof and the only object of note here is the lintel over the main entrance.

While larger and better preserved shrines to Shiva can be found on both sides of the border, the Prasat Ta Muen complex is well worth a visit if you appreciate Khmer art from this period and enjoy wandering off the beaten track.

Almost completely hemmed in by the jungle, Prasat Ta Muen (aka Prasat Bai Kreme [KI-Media note: Thmor Bay Kriem]) is five metres wide and 12 metres high.

[KI-Media note: This map is WRONG, the Ta Moan temples are locate inside Cambodia. These temples belong to Cambodia]

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More INFO

To get to the Ta Muen ruins from Surin town, firstly take Highway 214 to Prasat. Then switch onto Highway 224. After entering Phanom Dong Rak, turn onto 2407, a local road which leads to the temple complex.

For more details, visit the Tourism Authority of Thailand website (www.tourismthailand.org) or call 1672.

Alternatively, you can phone the Surin Provincial Administration Organisation on 044-512-600 or the TAO (tambon administration organisation) responsible for Prasat Ta Muen on 044-508-240.