Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
THE MURALS OF WAT PHUMIN
Wat Phumin is northern Thailand's Sistine Chapel, and the images on its walls are now found on everything from
knick-knacks at Chiang Mai's night bazaar to postcards sold in Bangkok. Yet despite the seemingly happy scenes
depicted, the murals were executed during a period that saw the end of Nan as a semi-independent kingdom. This
resulted in several examples of political and social commentary manifesting themselves in the murals - rarities in
Thai religious art.
The murals commissioned by Jao Suliyaphong, the last king of Nan, include the
Khaddhana Jataka,
a relatively
obscure story of one of the Buddha's lives that, according to Thai historian David K Wyatt in his excellent book,
Reading Thai Murals,
has never been illustrated elsewhere in the Buddhist world. The story, which is on the left
side of the temple's northern wall, depicts an orphan in search of his parents. Wyatt argues that this particular tale
was chosen as a metaphor for the kingdom of Nan, which also had been abandoned by a succession of 'parents',
the Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and Ayuthaya. At roughly the same time as the murals were painted,
Nan was fully incorporated into Siam by King Rama V, and much of its territory was allotted to France. Apparent
discontent with this decision can be seen in a scene on the west wall that shows two male monkeys attempting to
copulate against a background that, not coincidentally, according to Wyatt, resembles the French flag.
The murals are also valuable purely for their artistic beauty, something that is even more remarkable if one steps
back and considers the limited palette of colours that the artist, Thit Buaphan, had to work with. The paintings are
also fascinating for their fly-on-the-wall depictions of local life in Nan during the end of the 19th century. A depic-
tion of three members of a hill tribe on the west wall includes such details as a man's immense goitre and a barking
dog, suggesting this group's place as outsiders. Multiple depictions of a man wearing a feminine shawl, often seen
performing traditionally female-only duties, are among the earliest depictions of a
gà·teu·i
(transsexual). And in
what must be one of the art world's most superfluous cameos, the artist painted himself on the west wall, flirting
with a woman. Considering that the murals took Thit Buaphan more than 20 years to complete, we'll allow him
this excess.
Activities
Nan has nothing like the organised trekking industry found in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai,
and many visitors, particularly Thais, opt to float rather than walk. White-water rafting
along Mae Nam Wa, in northern Nan, is only possible when the water level is high
(September to December), and is said to be best during the early part of the rainy season.
The rapids span from classes I to IV, and pass through intact jungle and remote villages.
Nan Touring
RAFTING
(
08 1961 7711;
www.nantouring.com
; 11/12 Th Suriyaphong; 3 days & 2 nights per person 5500B;
9am-5pm)
This outfit offers a variety of rafting trips for groups of at least five people.
Fhu Travel
TREKKING
