Monday, May 26, 2008

Ancient Thailand, Part II

For those who didn't see it already, you might want to scroll down to see the first part of our Siam Society trip.

(Continued from below...)

The second day of our trip started in Kanchanaburi, where we headed north towards U-Thong, another Dvaravati site. Before we got there, though, we turned down a small side road until we came to a school with a small building off in the corner.

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The small building turned out to be a museum, however it was locked. The key was, fortunately, with a person at the school on the same grounds. It turns out that there had been an excavation, and a small museum had been erected to house the artifacts found. Unfortunately, it is unclear just who is responsible for the museum, so it has not been kept up very well. However, we were able to handle some amazing artifacts that the man from the school simply handed around. One was a bracelet approximately 2,000 years old. While the decrepit state of the facilities was lamentable, the opportunity to be that close to history was incredible.

(Ellen adds: It's hard to see from the picture, but the bracelet is a solid piece of stone-- probably agate. The white markings were actually made by heat-treating the stone so that it changed color. Amazing!)

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We next traveled to U-Thong. Like many Dvaravati sites, it was surrounded by an irregular moat. The ruins of this chedi (above) were actually on the outside of the moat, surrounded by urban development (as it probably had been for centuries). There is more to be discovered here, but most of it is occupied by squatters, making it difficult to access.

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The museum at U-Thong is very much worth the visit. I was doubly impressed because they allowed us to take photos. They have excellent examples of Dvaravati art, including some incredible rare bronze Buddha statues.

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Continuing on our tour is like moving forward through the centuries. In Suphanburi, the moat around the old city is almost rectangular, much like later moated cities. Wat Pra Si Rattana Mahatat was once the central temple of the complex, with a Khmer style prang still visible at the back of the current temple complex. Much of the complex relief work can still be seen on the visible plaster.

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While at Wat Pra Si Rattana Mahatat, we were fortunate to be able to view an ordination ceremony--one of the happiest moments in a man's life. The entire community comes together for these festivals, and it is a joyous occassion. This parade was traveling clockwise around one of the temple buildings--I believe it was the viharn. The ordination candidate was being carried around beneath a large umbrella, throwing out candy and lucky coins (little 1 Baht coins with a ribbon tied on).

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We continued our journey to two temples: Wat Pratu San and Wat Makham No. These temples both contain excellent examples of Lao, Thai, and Chinese influences in the murals all along the inside walls. The primary artist was a displaced Lao brought back from wars in the east in the late 18th, early 19th centuries. He was brought here to work, where he found his brother was also working nearby. Together they both created works that are still admired today.

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Our last visit was to Wat Pa Lelai Worawihan, an ancient temple still in use. Much of the temple is new or reconstructed--including this seated Buddha which was built where, it is believed, an ancient Buddha statue once sat. It is, today, one of the most recognizable symbols of this region, and draws a plethora of pilgrims and tourists at all times of the year.

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Carved into the plaster of the walls to either side were this monkey and elephant, reverencing the Buddha. These two animals are apparently a common symbol in Buddhist temples.

With nothing more on the itinerary, we returned to Bangkok and the modern world. This has truly been an incredible trip, and I am sure you will here of many more in future posts.

Ancient Thailand

Where do you get a chance to visit the ruins of an ancient 6th century civilization, and handle a 2,000 year old bracelet? A Siam Society weekend trip, that's where. Siam Society trips are organized around Asia and elsewhere, and can be simple daytrips to 3 week tours.

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The first stop on our tour was the ruins of Wat Phra Men in Nakhon Pathom. Likely built in the 7th century in the Dvaravati style, it was later abandoned, along with the rest of Nakhon Pathom. The four seated buddha statues that would have adorned four alcoves in the central prang, or tower, appear to have been moved to other temples. Bricks were later taken to rebuild the chedi or Wat Phra Pathom, and much of it was looted by robbers. Still, a considerable amount of artifacts were uncovered by archaeologists in the early 20th century, but they were removed from the site and now reside at various museums.

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Next we went to Chula Pathon Chedi, near the center of the old moated city of Nakhon Pathom. There were actually two Pathon Chedis--this was called 'Chula' because it appears to have been much smaller than 'Phra' Pathon Chedi. It has been built and rebuilt several times, and the additions, usually extending the base, can clearly be seen in places. While researching this chedi, a series of bas reliefs were found that had survived the ages--some had been covered by later additions, while others had been simply been covered with dirt and sediment over the centuries. This is still an active archaeological site, and there had been a dig going on only a week before we had arrived.

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Phra Pathon Chedi has long been in use, but only recently 'discovered'. The old structure was covered in earth and hidden, and only the new prang-style chedi at the top was visible. Excavations have uncovered the actual brickwork, and in some instances you can clearly see where the newer brick was laid over the old.

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Our last stop in Nakhon Pathom was Wat Phra Pathom, one of the oldest Buddhist sites in Thailand and now one of the tallest chedi in the world. The current structure was actually built by King Rama IV, and is built over the old chedi, like a shell. Because of its size, engineers had to build a slight slope into the rising walls to support the weight, and beneath it all are support beams linked with a giant iron chain to help spread the load evenly in all directions. This is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Thailand, and it houses a museum of archaeological artifacts from around the region.

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Next, we continued up the road to Pong Tuk, in the Tha Maka district. This unassuming site, with its remains of a laterite brick structure, has yielded some important--if potentially controversial--finds for the understanding of Thai history. One such find are these:

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They have been called 'stone bells', and have been hung like this for display. Some archaeologists--our guide among them--posit a different theory. You see, in the 6th century, much of inland Thailand was actually part of a large bay. Slowly the bay silted up through deposits left by the rivers flowing in from all sides. In its day, however, there would have been major shipping lanes throughout what is now inland Thailand. Charting out the various Dvaravati sites on top of this extended bay, one sees that most of them sit along the edges of the water--likely for the obvious purposes of fishing and trade. These large stones, left over when the waters receded, were likely boat anchors, similar to ones found in the Mediterranean. The concept of drilling a hole through a stone and then using it as an anchor or anchorage point is not new, and may explain these large stones.

This was also the site where archaeologists found a rare Roman or Byzantine lamp (experts disagree, though the 6th century Byzantine provenance seems much more likely, in my opinion). Apparently it was found in two separate pieces by villagers, who didn't Together with evidence such as 3rd century Roman coins, marked with Victorinus, it shows the extent of trade in the early centuries of the first millenium. We saw a replica of the lamp in the treasure storeroom of a nearby temple.

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Our final destination on the first day is at Prasat Muang Singh, in the modern province of Kanchanaburi. After passing through one more archaeological site and museum at Ban Kao we hit the westernmost outpost of the Angkorian Khmer Empire of Jayavarman VII. Built in the Angkorian style of laterite stone during the 13th century, it was probably built to express the power of the Khmer kings on their western frontier.

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King Jayavarman VII spread Buddhism to all corners of his empire, and is responsible for perhaps building more Buddhist temples of the Khmer style than any other king. It was not, however, an entirely altruistic gesture, for Jayavarman VII used himself as the model for the statues of the Buddha which he sent out. Thus, he used these constructions to express his power and rule throughout his kingdom.

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While Khmer structures often used laterite, the buildings in Angkor, at the heart of the kingdom, covered most exposed sections in carved sandstone. The structure at Prasat Muang Singh was more likely covered in plaster. The relief above would have been the rough carving, with the plaster used to create a more detailed image. I would guess that plaster would have been cheaper--being on the edges of the empire, it would not be expected that the king would exert as much time or resources. This is shown in tremendous detail with a later structure behind the main complex:

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While Khmer structures were usually very symmetrical, this later structure shows obvious errors, with many of the rooms being offset slightly--possibly due to an error on the part of the engineers. Such lapses are probably indicators that the knowledge of the building techniques were being lost on the fringes of the empire, corresponding with a general decline in the Khmer empire's power in the outlying regions. Soon, the local Thai people--the Siem or Siam--would begin to carve out their own kingdoms in places like Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai.

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That evening we returned to Kanchanaburi, to a hotel on the Kwai river--yes, the one from the movie. The famous bridge was just down the river (Ellen went down to get the shot the next morning). From there we headed up to U-Thong and Suphanburi, but that will have to wait for another post.

Elephantastic

(This is a terribly late post. I've been intending to post about our elephantic experience in Chiang Mai for quite some time...but it was a powerful experience, and I haven't quite been able to figure out how to talk about it, so previously I've taken the easy way out and avoided it. Sorry, and here is the long-awaited account!)



One aspect of our trip to Chiang Mai last month that I haven't told you about yet is our day at the Elephant Nature Park. The park was founded several years ago by a lady named Sangduan Chailert, nicknamed "Lek" (meaning small) to present a different type of elephant experience than is typically available here. Instead of a typical elephant camp which gives tourists the opportunity to ride elephants or see them painting or playing soccer, Lek has created a place where one can interact with elephants as they are "just being elephants", spending their days eating, sleeping, taking dust baths, and playing.



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We were picked up from our hotel by our park guide, a young Akha man (the Akha are one of the hilltribes from northern Thailand/Laos) nicknamed "Mammoth" ("I'm not extinct!") He proved to be an expert guide, providing us with tons of elephant information and lots of truly awful elephant jokes.



(Why didn't the elephant go to university? Because he didn't graduate high school.)



Our first stop was at a local fruit market to pick up lunch for the elephants:




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(Don't worry, the puppy was not a snack-- it was just teething on the bananas.)

We then drove about an hour and a half to the park itself, located in the beautiful Mae Tang Valley northwest of Chiang Mai. The park is an open space through which the Mae Tang river runs, surrounded by banana plantations (which occasionally the elephants get into). There is a collection of buildings at the center, including huts for visitors and volunteers, and a main kitchen area and feeding platform where the elephants have their meals.




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A day visit to the park involves feeding and bathing the elephants in the river, as well as learning their stories. It is also possible to stay overnight or volunteer for a week or more (indeed, the volunteers have been responsible for raising the money to rescue many of the elephants here).





Around 11 AM, a bamboo knocker is "rung" and the elephants all come to the feeding platform for lunch:
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That's Mammoth on the right, and Mae Boon and Aura (I think) on the left.



Lunch is fruit-- bananas, watermelon, and so on-- which is all fed by hand by the volunteers and visitors. The elephants are quite adept at handling the fruit. Josh and I found ourselves feeding Mae Boon, mainly, while nearby her 3-year-old baby, Aura, was practicing her coordination (she was more likely to drop her treats). Mae Boon is rather picky-- she would "reject" pieces of fruit that weren't to her liking, at least until they were the only ones left!



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After the elephants ate, it was time for human lunch (yummy Thai food), signaled by the ringing of a bell.

After lunch it was time to bathe the elephants. This happens twice a day: the elephants are taken down to the river by their mahouts (handlers) and get thoroughly scrubbed, to keep their skin in top condition.

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The elephants really enjoy this and will get into the spirit of things by splashing water about themselves. It was Songkran, so there was even more of an excuse for a full-scale water fight!


This was also an opportunity for the mahouts to reinforce the babies' training: although they are never expected to work, the babies are still trained in many of the most common commands, including giving "kisses". Baby Aura kissed me about 4 times over the course of the afternoon. I have no illusions, though: she was doing it for the slices of Wonder bread she was getting in return!



When the elephants have had enough, they get out of the river and wander over to the mud pit where they cover themselves with dust again. This was our opportunity to sit in the elevated "Beach Hut" and hear Lek, the park's founder, speak to us about her goals.

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In the afternoon, we watched a National Geographic video about the park and the situation of elephants in Thailand, then we had time for more exploring, elephant-watching, and even a nap:





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(Not only elephants, but many stray dogs and cats have found a good home at the park.)

Finally, we bathed the elephants one last time, and then piled back into the van for the trip back to Chiang Mai, tired, happy and thoughtful.

But our day at Elephant Nature Park wasn't all fun and games. I debated for a long time how to talk about this-- in fact, I had a very long and "sermonizing" post all planned out-- but I finally deleted it. Instead, I invite you to take a look at the park's website, which says everything I was going to say. I think the following pictures instead say it best:


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This is Medo. She was employed in illegal logging, where a runaway tree trunk broker her ankle-- and an encounter with a berserk male left her with a dislocated pelvis. She is a young elephant, but she will never walk normally or without pain. Lek brought her to the park, where she can relax with other elephants, and spend lots of time in the river, which helps her feel better.



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This is Max, or Maximus, one of the tallest elephants in Thailand. He's quite old and has worked in logging, tourism and street begging, before he was struck by a semi and badly injured-- his leg has never quite healed properly, and he continues to walk with a limp.

Another of the park's elephants, Jokia, is blind in both eyes from abuse. She spends her time with her best friend, Mae Perm, who is never far away and gently leads Jokia to and from the river and the feeding platform.

Sadly, most of the elephants at the park have similar histories. Elephants have little to no protection under Thai law, and so these situations of abuse are common and there is no legal recourse when it happens. The park staff and volunteers do what they can to rescue the most needy elephants, going to great lengths to fund the purchase (one young lady from the US asked her parents if, instead of giving her a car for graduation as they were planning, they could use the money to rescue an elephant).


Many other elephants suffer not out of outright malice, but lack of resources: elephants are expensive to keep, and now that logging has been banned in Thailand, they must find work where they can, in tourist camps, illegal logging, or street begging. Many of these elephants are still well-kept (treated as part of their owners' or handlers' families) but when resources are scarce, they can still be overworked or underfed, or go without medicine. The "Jumbo Express" project run by the Elephant Nature Foundation serves as a mobile elephant medical service, traveling deep into the interior to help elephants in need by providing medications and elephant husbandry information.


Ignorance is also a huge problem: one of Lek's main goals with her elephants is to prove that the brutal "traditional" training methods for elephants are not necessary, and are in fact counterproductive. There is a widespread belief than a young elephant's spirit must be forcibly broken through a ceremony called the pajaan, which involves confining the elephant in a cage, depriving it of food and water, and subjecting it to physical and psychological abuse. None of the babies at the Elephant Nature Park are subjected to this-- they are instead trained through gentle, positive-reinforcement methods with plenty of treats and cuddles available. To drive the point home, Lek forbids the mahouts at the park to use the ankus, or "hook" typically used to direct and control the elephant; although it can be used responsibly, she wants to show that it is not a necessity. The mahouts instead lead their elephants around by voice, or occasionally will tug on an ear to get the point across.



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The message I brought away from our visit to the park was not that elephants and humans should lead separate lives-- but that there are better ways for elephants and humans to coexist than are commonly seen nowadays. I invite you to find a better way to interact with an elephant than to watch this:



All in all, it was an incredible experience, in many ways. I plan to head back to Elephant Nature Park at some point as a volunteer for a week, and I would strongly recommend that you plan to visit for a day or more if you find yourself in Chiang Mai. It is a life-changing place.