Muang Tam Temple is located
near the foot of the hill of Phanom Rung Temple are the Khmer ruins of Muang
Tam. This Hindu religious
sanctuary was built in
the 11th – 12th
centuries according to the belief of Shiva sect
of Hinduism.
Muang
Tam is not
the original name, but
was given by the local population as
a way of comparing it to the nearby site of Prasat Phnom Rung. The latter is situated on
a high hill while Muang Tam is in the plain. This Castle has a plan which
correlated to the beliefs relating to Khmer religious sites about the centre of
the universe which is connected to the sacred religious places. This belief is
still very much important to the community today. From the physical
characteristics of the land around the Muang Tam sanctuary, it has been found
that the land is fertile due to the lava of the volcano. This is good for
agriculture. These show that the community on the foot hill of Phanom Rung
Mountain was one of the big communities with prosperity and importance.
Three different types of
materials were used in the construction of
this sanctuary namely brick, late rite and sandstone. The sanctuary is
rectangular in shape and measures 120 by 127 m. It faces the east and comprises
the following buildings.
Reference : TAT
Contact by
Email : lratch@hotmail.com
Phone : + 66 (0)89 98 13 600
Address : 46/1 Moo 1 Ban Don Nong Na
Tapek Chalerm Prakiat District
Buri Ram Province