Discover
Discover
Phu Phrabat, in Udon Thani province, is a sandstone upland scattered with strangely shaped rock shelters. UNESCO notes it preserves the world's largest group of Dvaravati-period sīma stones still standing where they were placed. Sīma are boundary stones that mark sacred ground for Theravada monastic rituals.
History
History
After Buddhism arrived around the 7th century, sīma stones were raised across the Khorat Plateau for more than four hundred years, and the use of stone on this scale is found only in this region. People had used Phu Phrabat's shelters long before: paintings in 47 rock shelters attest to more than two thousand years of human presence.
People & Culture
People & Culture
Modifying the shelters and placing sīma stones turned a natural landscape into a religious centre. Local people also know the rocks through folklore, such as the tale of Usa and Barot, after whose characters some formations are named. Legend and archaeology tell the same place's story from different angles.
Living Heritage
Living Heritage
Sīma stones still surround ordination halls in Thai temples today, so seeing them at Phu Phrabat explains something people pass every day. The tale of Usa and Barot is still retold in the community and in local festivals.
Explore Further