Phu Phra Bat ( th, ภูพระบาท, ) is a historical park in

Ban Phue District Ban Phue (, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the northwestern part of Udon Thani province, northeastern Thailand. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Sangkhom, Pho Tak, Tha Bo, and Sakhrai of Nong Khai province, Phe ...

Udon Thani Province Udon Thani province ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') which lies in Isan#Administrative divisions, upper northeastern Thailand, also called Isan. It is bordered by the provinces of Nong K ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The park's distinguishing feature is its unusual rock formations around which religious shrines have been constructed. Some formations also feature prehistoric rock paintings. The park was established by the

Fine Arts Department The Fine Arts Department ( th, กรมศิลปากร, ) is a government department of Thailand, under the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is managing the country's cultural heritage. History The department was originally established ...

of Thailand in 1991.

Geography

Phu Phra Bat is located in the western zone of the

Phu Phan Mountains The Phu Phan mountains ( th, ทิวเขาภูพาน, , ) are a range of hills dividing the Khorat Plateau of the Isan region of Thailand into two basins: the northern Sakhon Nakhon Basin, and the southern Khorat Basin. The silhouette ...

between

Udon Thani Udon Thani ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is a city in Isan (Northeast Thailand), the capital of Udon Thani Province and with a population of approximately 430,000 in its urban area the 7th largest city in the country. The city municipality ...

and

Nong Khai Nong Khai ( th, เทศบาลเมืองหนองคาย, ) is a city in northeast Thailand. It is the capital of Nong Khai province. Nong Khai city is located in Mueang Nong Khai district. Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near ...

, at a distance of about from each city. The park's area is and is entirely within the

Phu Phra Bat Buabok Forest Park Phu Phra Bat Buabok ( th, วนอุทยานในภูพระบาทบัวบก) is a forest park in Ban Phue District, Udon Thani Province, northeast Thailand. Named after two Buddha footprints carved into rocks in the Lan Xang s ...

Rock formations

The unusual rock formations in the park include spires, massive boulders and balanced rocks and form the backdrop for the prehistoric art and religious shrines created there. The geological origins of these rocks are thought to be from under-sea erosion that occurred fifteen million years ago.

Prehistoric art

Prehistoric art paintings on the rocks can best be seen where some rocks have formed a natural shelter. Others have faded considerably. The formations named Tham Wua and Tham Khon are particularly good examples; in the former oxen are depicted, the latter has human figures. The park's rock paintings are believed to date from 6,000 years ago.

Mythology

Phu Phra Bat's rock formations are the setting for a local legend about a king, his daughter and her suitor. The park's most striking rock formation, Hor Nang Usa, is where the overprotective king forced his beautiful daughter to live. Despite her confinement, she was able to get a message out to her suitor prince and the two were married in defiance of her father.

Religious shrines

Hor Nang Usa is one of a number of the rock formations where a shrine has been constructed. Early shrines date to the

Dvaravati The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th century to the 11th century that was located in the region now known as central Thailand. It was described by the Chinese pilgrim in the middle of the 7th ce ...

period in the seventh to tenth centuries. Shrines feature

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

influences. The park's most significant shrine is Wat Phra Putthabaht Bua Bok, where a Lao-style '' chedi'' covers a chamber housing a sandstone Buddha footprint. The shrine is a pilgrimage site with an annual festival held in March.

References

{{Commons category, Phu Phra Bat Historical parks of Thailand Phu Phan Mountains Tourist attractions in Udon Thani province Buddhist temples in Udon Thani Province Prehistoric Thailand