'Golden Bowl' filled with riches

Thailand's sixth-smallest province is also one of its richest in terms of resources, but Ang Thong - the name means "Golden Bowl" - remains relatively undiscovered by tourists.

Only Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Sing Buri, Nonthaburi and Phuket are smaller than Ang Thong, which can be seen comfortably in a day tour.

Embraced by two rivers that make it one of the country's most fertile agricultural areas, Ang Thong contains several unique attractions that are a source of pride to its residents.

A day of exploring could start with visiting and, as Buddhists do, paying homage to the red earth-coloured City Pillar Shrine opposite the City Hall.

Ang Thong is one of the provinces that her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is very familiar with, and one she often visits in her free time.

A mansion to accommodate her has been completed, together with a new bot, a Buddhist monastery where priests assemble for rites, at Wat Tha Suthawat, now under her patronage.

Wat Tha Suthawat, situated in Pa Mok District, dates back to the early Ayutthaya period. Princess Sirindhorn had visited the temple many times, and had observed that the old bot had deteriorated severely. She ordered it to be demolished and the new one constructed.

Familiar yet still attractive to the observer are windows primed with black lacquer and covered with gold. Each of them tells Buddhist stories and legends, as in most other temples.

A series of new mural paintings is now being created by artists, some of whom have taken art courses sponsored by the Princess.

Strategically located close to the Chao Phraya River, which is shallow enough to wade across at low tide, the temple has served many important functions during its history. The site was favoured for massing soldiers, especially during the reign of King Naresuan, and subsequently moving them across the river into position for battles.

Right near the temple, an old village keeps its unique craftsmanship alive. Bang Sadet has gained fame for the creation of court dolls.

Most of the people in the area were farmers and orchard owners, but after a huge flood struck the area in 1976, their livelihoods were severely damaged. Her Majesty the Queen, observing the plight of the people, sought to find a way out for them.

Because the area is close to the river and has good-quality clay, she arranged to hire skilled teachers to show residents how to produce court dolls with materials available in the village.

Production continues to this day, but the number of craftswomen capable of passing these special skills along to the next generation is dwindling. Made with the traditional methods as employed by ladies in the palace in times past, the highly prized dolls are available at the Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Centre at Bangsai. Some are even exported.

On the opposite bank of the river lies a temple that every visitor to Ang Thong is urged to see. Wat Pa Mok, the Sukhothai-period monastery named after the mok trees abundant in the area, is actually two adjacent temples that were later merged into one during the Ayutthaya period.

The main Buddha image is an important pilgrimage site. The reclining Buddha image, facing the west, is 22.58 metres long and is one of two large Buddha images in the small province.

Just a short drive from the temple, another village has gained distinction for handmade products that are found in few other places.

Most people refer to it as the Drum Making Village after the instruments for which the local craftsmen are famed. The drums come in all sizes, and appear deceptively simple in terms of construction.

To the casual observer, it might seem easy enough to cut a tree, shape the wood, form the structure of a drum, paint it, cover it with a taut hide and dry the drum for further decoration.

But the amateur would just be wasting precious resources trying to duplicate the process. Leave it to the real craftsmen, who have been taught the special skills from generation to generation.

To further promote to the village, the longest drum in the world is on display.

Anyone who tours Ang Thong is soon struck by how fertile the land is. Driving from one district to another, the sights of bright green rice fields, stalks waving in the breeze, is inspiring.

But the river that helps to provide such bounty can also bring misery to the province and its 280,000 people. When floods happen in Ang Thong, the after-effects linger longer than in other parts of the country.

The last major disaster happened last year and it lasted for three months. No sooner had people finished rebuilding and getting their businesses back to normal, when they had to begin thinking about preparing for the inevitability of the next flood season.

One Ang Thong attraction that is hard to find but worth a visit is Khamyad Mansion in the sub-district of the same name within Pho Thong district. It lies two kilometres west of Wat Pho Thong. Ten metres wide and 20 metres long, the building is a striking presence in an old rice field. All that remains of the mansion today is the basic structure with walls on four sides, but still visible is its artistic beauty.

The mansion was a residence of the 33rd king in Ayutthaya Dynasty, but local people have also claimed it to be a ghostly place where passers-by often experienced unexpected and unwanted events. It is also believed to be the site where some treasure was hoarded, though proof of this has yet to be found.

The Fine Arts Department has completed basic renovations of the mansion and it has been listed as a historical site.

Anyone who has been impressed by the large indoor reclining Buddha image at Pa Mok will not want to miss its outdoor counterpart.

Judging from the evidence of the ruined brick boundary, Wat Khun Inthapramun was an impressive structure, housing the longest reclining Buddha image in Thailand at a length of 30 metres. The image used to lie in a vihara that was later burned down. Today it rests outdoors with some of the remaining pillars of the burnt vihara in front.

As the sunlight began to fade, the day tour of the province was coming to an end, with some attractions left unseen, and plans being made to return.

A brochure promoting Ang Thong draws attention to the vihara at Wat Chaiyoworawiharn, with its distinctive architectural characteristics.

The picture did not entirely do the structure justice. After a recent renovation, the restored vihara looks stunning and somewhat strange to the eye. It has the multi-tiered roof, huge doors and window with arches and mirror channels in a European Gothic style. The outside doors are painted in Thai-Chinese style.

It is one of the most frequently visited temples in the province, housing the famous Phra Buddha Maha Phim image, known locally as Luang Pho To.

With its linked roof, the temple's bot is just in front of the vihara. With the same structure, the bot is recognised by its sema, heart-shaped pendants marking the limit of a Buddhist monastery, carved inside the walls, and its square pillars.

But Ang Thong's temples are just the beginning, say local officials eager to promote the province.

Apart from its tourist sites, Ang Thong still has a rich riverside life and culture that is worth seeing in its own right. Plans to promote the province more widely are underway. If all goes well, visitors will have the opportunity to explore Ang Thong from many different angles.