Remains of ancient site emerge as Kwan Phayao lake runs dry

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Remains of ancient site emerge as Kwan Phayao lake runs dry 

By Pannawit Yudee 
The Nation

 

 

Local archaeologists and historians in Phayao on Tuesday inspected what they believe to be an ancient site in Kwan Phayao lake that has become visible after the water in the lake ran dry.

They estimate that it dates back around 600 years, the same age as Tilok Aram temple that was earlier found submerged in the middle of the lake.

 

Kwan Phayao is the largest freshwater lake in the northern region, and the fourth biggest in Thailand.

Wimon Pingmuanglek, one of the historians, said the remains of the ancient site’s walls had been found on the eastern edge of the lake.

 

There were also other items that indicated the site was once a temple, he said.

 

“I believe that the temple’s architecture was inherited from Chiang Mai province. Many temples were built along a river, but were later submerged as a result of the construction of the lake. It could not be seen when the water level in the lake was high,” he explained.

 

Now the water level has decreased because of the dry season, it has enabled the site to emerge and be clearly seen, the historian added.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30368635

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-01

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[Nyezhov]

Cool!

[Liverpudlian]

This is just the begining of lakes drying up and this country , never mind ... tourist figures much more important.

[tlandtday]

35 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Cool!

not cool if you try to swim in it:)

[Thongkorn]

56 minutes ago, tlandtday said:

not cool if you try to swim in it:)

just use dry ice,

[Kerryd]

Judging by one of the other photos from that article, it's not like the lake has totally dried up suddenly. You can see that there are buildings just a short distance from the current waterline and not at much higher elevation.

I'm guessing the normal water level is at the edge of the grass so it's not really that far down considering we are at (or should be at) the end of the dry season now.

  

Probably no one ever looked there before or placed any significance on the exposed stones. 

[jollyhangmon]

No, it isn't all dry now, it had dried out pretty much 100% in 2017 (I believe, sure wasn't ´18), neighbor - 65 years of age at the time, always lived here - said she hadn't seen like that before ...

However, end of last year an abandoned quarry I frequent (surface well over a rai, pretty deep & connected to groundwater) had close to a meter higher water than the years before.

[PETERTHEEATER]

The inhabitants of the ancient site died from thirst?

[Wilsonandson]

The Mysterious Sunken Temple of Phayao Thailand