It’s not every place that’s millions of years in the making.
Once covered by glaciers (imagine those in Thailand!), geological evidence suggests a lot of erosion as the ice defrosted. The result: weird-shaped rocks, formations that remain improbably balanced, and plenty of history to boot.
Your journey here is easy enough, although you’ll need some wheels of your own to get here. It’s about the same distance (65 km) from Udon Thani and Nong Khai, so start from either city.
The stack of rocks you see above is part of the legend / story that surrounds the area. This is the tower where Nang U-sa, the beautiful princess was forced to live by her overprotective father, the king. There’s also a prince from a far-off land that enters the picture later, which might explain things a bit more…
While not caves, the rocks supposedly served as shelters for some prehistoric Thais. The 110-acre park has more than enough unusual rocks to go around, although most of the Buddhist statues are seen only under a handful of them. The park, excavated as an archaeological site starting in 1972, established almost 70 ancient structures with paintings on 45 of them.It was registered as a historical park in 1987 and opened to the public in 1991.
Only a few of the statues have their heads intact, but this one is lovely and wedged between the rocks. Some were defaced in the 1880’s during the Hau rebellions.
A number of folk tales are associated with the sandstone rocks. This one, the Bor Nam Nang U-sa (U-sa’s well) is where a love-struck prince (Boros) met the king’s daughter (Nang U-sa) at a well or place of rituals. While the English signage gives some passable information about a specific legend, there’s nothing that really ties the story together in a meaningful way.
One of the rocks that’s been painted — they’ve faded somewhat, and it’s difficult to tell what the painting was supposed to be. Also nearby is the Partridge Shaped Rock Shelter — or so it looks from this side angle. While we passed by it unaware, boundary markets were discovered during excavation, suggesting this was a ritual ground of some sort.
Some signs don’t need language to carry their meaning. The actual cave painting:
7 human figures, supposedly used to tell the legend, and dated to 2,000–3,000 years old.
More, you say? OK — how about some calves?
Not as great, but still some evidence of the ancient folks.
OK, so that’s the historical park, or at least a portion of it. The park as a whole is big enough to keep you meandering through for at least a couple of hours.
It’s a fine daytrip into the heart of Isaan, and far enough away from the city to really enjoy some nature. I can’t say I appreciate being charged more to visit because I’m a foreigner, though, and the folk tales that turn the rocks into a set for the legends are only partially explained. (Lonely Planet indicates the entire story can be read at the Mut Mee Garden Guesthouse in Nong Khai.) Still, it’s a worthwhile venture in eastern Thailand, especially if you’re there for awhile.
Name: Phu Phra Bat Historical Park (also spelled Phu Phrabat Historical Park) (อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์ภูพระบาท)
Address: DPT Alley, Ban Phue District, Udon Thani, Thailand (GPS: 17.731435, 102.357775)
Directions: From Udon Thani in northeast Thailand, head north on route 2. Go about 10 kilometers and look left for route 2021. Stay on route 2021 for about 43 kilometers — you’ll come to a T, which should be a pretty clear indication of when to turn. Turn right onto route 2348, then a quick left to stay on route 2348. Go about 11 kilometers on route 2348 (Google Maps shows the name changing to ‘DPT Alley’). From here, follow the signage to the entrance to the park — you’ll bear right around a curve to approach the park. For the temple, backtrack and go straight instead.
There are few gas stations in this area of Thailand — leave Udon Thani or Nong Khai with a full tank and you should make the round trip just fine.
Hours: 8:30am-6:00pm
Admission: 20 baht for Thais, 100 baht for foreigners. Like at most Thai national parks, the dual-pricing system is non-negotiable.
Phone: 042–222–909
Website: tourismthailand.org
