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The Ruinscape: UNESCO, the State, and the Construction of Identity and Heritage in Phimai, Thailand

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Finding Solutions for Protecting and Sharing Archaeological Heritage Resources

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Abstract

Prasat Hin Phimai is the largest ancient Khmer temple outside Cambodia. Located in the northeast region of Thailand, the prasat has been on Thailand’s Tentative List for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List for a decade (2004–2014, at the time of this writing). The potential inscription of the prasat on that renowned list is not universally embraced in the eponymous town of Phimai, in whose center the prasat is located. This chapter explores the national and universal values ascribed to Prasat Hin Phimai and their intersection with local values and local constructions of heritage.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Victory Gate was the south gate controlling access into the ancient town of Vimayapura from the royal road to Angkor, 225 km away (Coe 2003; Fig. 72).

  2. 2.

    Government Gazette, volume 53, section 34, dated 27 September 1936.

  3. 3.

    I was told by informants that some of the compensation for vacating the temple grounds was received as stands/kiosks for selling souvenirs and other items, located on the east side of the site. I also was told that the eviction happened over 5 years, not all at once.

  4. 4.

    The other sites were Si Satchalalai, Khamphaeng Phet, Si Thep, and Phra Nakhon Khiri. The previous plan had targeted Sukhothai and Ayutthaya—the great Central Thai capitals—and, in Isan, Prasat Phanom Rung and Prasat Muang Singh.

  5. 5.

    Thus, a struggle has emerged between the FAD and the Khmer population around the great ancient temple of Phnom Rung. The Khmer seek unfettered access to and participation in the management of their heritage sites (Denes 2006, 2012; Denes and Sirisrisak 2013).

  6. 6.

    In Thailand, a sacred place is often the center of a town, whether a functioning temple with ceremonies or a shrine for paying respect.

  7. 7.

    Most of the ancient Khmer kings followed variants of the Hindu religion, and their temples are Hindu temples. The greatest of these is Angkor Wat itself, built by Suryavarman II (ruled 1113–1150). Although Prasat Hin Phimai appears to be a prototype for Angkor Wat, Prasat Hin Phimai is a Mahayana Buddhist temple, largely constructed by Jayavarman VI (ruled 1080–1107).

  8. 8.

    Thailand has a complex overlapping system of administration for towns, cities, and provinces. There is a provincial administration organization (PAO) for provinces such as Nakhon Ratchasima. Municipalities exist at three levels within the PAO: subdistrict (tambon), district (muang), and cities. There also is a subdistrict administration organization, which functions at the local or tambon level. These administrative organizations have administrative/executive and legislative divisions. For a full discussion see Fumio et al. (2008).

  9. 9.

    The master plan was commissioned by the FAD. It involved three departments at Maha Sarakham University: Architecture, City Planning, and Fine and Applied Arts.

  10. 10.

    When I interviewed Mayor Kannika in January 2011, she suggested that 500,000–600,000 tourists visit Phimai annually. This figure reflects the draw (among Thais) of the Phimai Festival, not entries to Prasat Hin Phimai exclusively.

  11. 11.

    The brochure from the 2010 festival indicates these activities: a photographic exhibition of 1000 years of Phimai, Sound and Light at Prasat Hin Phimai, Parade of the Offering to the Buddha on land, Parade of the Royal Trophy by river barge, traditional Khon performance by dancers of the FAD, a contest of Thai traditional dance, Thai boxing competition, traditional boat racing, a Khorat cat competition (they are a breed of the classic Siamese cat), an Isan folk dance contest, Khorat food contest, Thai folk song contest, a market, and on the less traditional side, a youth music bands contest, a Phimai supermodel contest, a concert starring famous young pop singers, and a hula hoop competition (!).

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the Campus Research Board of the University of Illinois for the Arnold O. Beckman grant that made this fieldwork possible. I also give my sincerest thanks to my colleagues in Thailand for their invaluable assistance with this project: Dr. Alexandra Denes, Dr. Tiamsoon Sirisrisak, Dr. Rungsima Kullapat, Dr. Leedom Lefferts, and Ms. Lassamon Maitreemit. I received their friendship and expert knowledge on Phimai, Isan, and Thailand in general. I am deeply in their debt for their extraordinary kindness. Any errors in this chapter fall solely on me.

Notes Figures 3.4, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9 and 3.10; photos taken by Helaine Silverman

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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 109 Davenport Hall, 607 S. Mathews Avenue, IL 61801, Urbana, USA

    Helaine Silverman

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Anne P. Underhill

  2. Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Lucy C. Salazar

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Silverman, H. (2016). The Ruinscape: UNESCO, the State, and the Construction of Identity and Heritage in Phimai, Thailand. In: Underhill, A., Salazar, L. (eds) Finding Solutions for Protecting and Sharing Archaeological Heritage Resources. SpringerBriefs in Archaeology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20255-6_3

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