Muang Tum

Muang Tum
Muang Tum Location in Thailand
Coordinates:	14°29′48″N 102°59′1″E / 14.49667°N 102.98361°E / 14.49667; 102.98361Coordinates: 14°29′48″N 102°59′1″E / 14.49667°N 102.98361°E / 14.49667; 102.98361
Name
Proper name:	Prasat Hin Muang Tum
Location
Country:	Thailand
Province:	Buri Ram
Architecture and culture
Primary deity:	Shankar
Architectural styles:	Khmer architecture
History
Date built: (Current structure)	10th Century CE

Prasat Hin Muang Tum (Thai: ปราสาทหินเมืองต่ำ, RTGS: Prasat Hin Mueang Tam, 'stone castle of the humble city') is a Khmer temple in Prakhon Chai district, Buri Ram Province, Thailand. It is primarily in the Khleang and Baphuon styles, which dates its primary phases of construction to the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The primary deity was Shiva, although Vishnu was also worshipped there.

Like most Khmer temples, Muang Tum is orientated towards the east. It has a flat concentric plan, with a central sanctuary and two libraries surrounded successively by an inner enclosure, ponds, and an outer enclosure. The ponds between the enclosures are an unusual feature of the temple, as is the central sanctuary, which is not elevated and has its towers arranged in rows of three and two rather than in a quincunx. All the towers except the central one have been restored.

Kala are particularly prominent in the lintels of the temple. They are the best available aid in dating the structure, but the mix of styles (Khleang and Baphuon) makes accurate dating impossible. Several of the lintels on the outer gopuras are unfinished.

A small baray, probably contemporaneous with the temple, lay to the east, while a later, larger baray survives further north between Muang Tum and Phanom Rung.

Prasat Hin Muang Tum

References

Freeman, Michael. A Guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand and Laos. Weatherhill, 1998.