Located in the mountainous terrain of Central Thailand, Kanchanaburi is a delightful province with a little of everything to offer visitors. A good starting point for history buffs is Muang Singh Historical Park in Sai Yok district. A prosperous outpost of the Khmer Kingdom once thrived here, encircled by limestone hills on the banks of the Sai Yok river. After a look at a stone tablet detailing the city plan, we learned the ancient city covering around 641 rai was almost square-shaped and was guarded by moats, ramparts and laterite walls as high as 880 metres, with gates on all four sides. The south side of the wall winds along the river; there are earth embankments along each of the other three sides. On close observation, we found that the outer sides of the wall are enclosed with moats and ramparts which are believed to have been constructed at least partly for the city's water system.
Inside the city gates, broad parks with well-pruned gardens and towering trees act as a perfect backdrop for Muang Singh (City of Lions), which was abandoned until the reign of King Rama I when it was rebuilt as a border town in Kanchanaburi province.
According to records, the Muang Singh compound was the westernmost outpost of the Angkor-based Khmer empire. Artifacts, including temple carvings, religious statuary and pottery signify that the city must have been occupied from approximately the 12th to 14th centuries, although human remains dating back some 2,000 years have been unearthed. The complex is predominantly comprised of laterite blocks decorated with stucco reliefs.
We counted a total of six ponds within the city perimeter which are believed to have been used for both religious and irrigation purposes. There are four monuments inside the city walls, of which the most prominent is Prasat Muang Singh, the first stop on the tour. A distinct Khmer architectural influence can still be seen in the tower-like ruins of the religious structure which stands at the centre of the enclosed city. A separate nearby building encompassed by a laterite gallery has a much-revered Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara statute.
Of the three remaining monuments, one consists of three tower-like structures oriented along a north-south axis just a stone's throw away from Prasat Muang Singh. Brick and laterite walls mark the location of another ancient monument, while all that remains of a fourth is the base.
At a nearby museum numerous stucco decorations, pottery, Buddha images and other religious objects are on display in a spacious rectangular room. Still in relatively good condition are sculptures which have the classic Bayon Buddha characteristics - a calm facial expression, with eyes closed and mouth parted, and a reserved smile. Another display that grabs the attention are images of Buddha seated under muti-headed naga which were excavated around the monuments. Buddhist texts mention this particular type of Buddha image in a mythological story which sums up the period after Lord Buddha found nirvana. According to the story, the Mucalinda naga protected Lord Buddha from a storm while he was meditating near a pond. It is believed that the image of the Buddha in meditative form under the multi-headed naga was highly popular with Khmer Buddhists at the time.
After exploring the historical park we paid a visit to the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum - built in memory of the suffering of Allied prisoners of war who were forced by the Japanese to build the Thai-Burma Railway during World War Two. The museum, only 250 metres from the "Death Railway", was officially opened on April 24, 1996, and houses exhibits detailing the true story behind the building of the railway. The memorial site was first dedicated by the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce on April 25, 1987, following a request by former Australian POWs.
Hellfire Pass, or Chong Khao Khart as it is called in Thai, is a must-visit reminder of the horrors of war.
The complex is 80km north of Kanchanaburi on land under the control of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Agricultural and Cooperative Division Development Command. A staircase has been built near the museum to make it more convenient for guests to tour the area where the POWs worked near the Konyu Cutting, arguably the most difficult section of the entire railway.
The Konyu Cutting was nicknamed Hellfire Pass by POWs because of the eerie illumination of the oil-fired bamboo torches on the quartz formations. Prisoners worked around the clock to finish excavation of the 17m deep, 110m long cutting through solid limestone and quartz in only 12 weeks.
A universe - but only a short distance - away we took time to pamper ourselves at the Rock Valley Hot Spring before returning to Bangkok. The side trip offered the opportunity for small tilapia fish, which thrive near mineral-rich hot springs, to nip away on the dead skin covering our bodies, thought to stimulate blood circulation. The experience, however, needs getting used to, as it can be very ticklish when an entire school of fish nibbles your skin all at once.
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