Thailand Travel Advice: Lopburi, A Town of Temples and Monkeys

What's a Prang?
Many of the ancient temples of Lopburi feature a tower or steeple-like building known as a "prang". This feature is diagnostic of the ancient Khmer style and even the least culturally aware person is able to deduce that a temple with this feature was built when the Khmer empire incorporated parts of Thailand during much of the Angkorian period from about AD 1000-1200.

Many ancient Khmer temples with prangs were originally built as Hindu places of worship but were adopted as Buddhist temples once Buddhism became dominant in the region.

The prangs of Phra Prang Sam Yord are the most obvious in Lopburi but most of the other ancient temples of Lopburi feature them or would have done before they were ruined.

Entry Fees
Entry is 50 baht for foreigners and 10 baht for Thais. Foreigners can get a combined entry ticket for all the main Lopburi temples for 150 baht, which I think is a fair price.

Buddha Images at Wat Sao Tong Thong
One thing that really struck me about wat Sao Tong Thong was the number of ancient Buddha images inside the prayer hall. the focus of the prayer hall are the golden Buddha images at the back, but all around the walls are many ancient seated Buddhas with a naga hood. All too often these type of Buddha images have been stolen and/or damaged by thieves and end up in private art collections or museums but here there is a good collection of them on site.

I have seen plenty of these Buddha images in the British museum in London and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam but it was nice to see them where they belong in a Buddhist temple.

Entry Fees
Entrance to Wat Sri Rattana Mahatat is 50 baht for foreigners but it is really worth getting the combined ticket at 150 baht which also allows entry to most of Lopburi's other ancient attractions.

For Thais the entry fee is 10 baht.

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In this picture you can see the remains of some of the palace's rooms and a fireplace.

King Narai's Palace Museum
Within the grounds of the palace is a museum displaying artefacts from King Narai's reign.
           
This small museum holds many of the former King's possessions and the typical fare of ceramics and jewellery, but for me the most interesting exhibit is a painting of the French ambassador being received at the court of King Narai.

Lopburi Night Market Is A Great Place For Cheap Food
Like many Thai towns Lopburi has a night market selling all manner of foods. The Lopburi night market is to be found strung along the road running from the town's railway station to Phra Prang Sam Yord.

Many visitors worry about getting sick from food eaten at places like Lopburi night market but in 13 years of living in Thailand I have never been sick from local food like this. Ingredients are bought fresh every day, most foodstalls specialise in one or two dishes and have a high turnover of ingredients, and meat is chooped up into tiny pieces and cooked at high heat. These things combine to make street food a safe meal.



Food in Lopburi night market is served from small food stalls where whatever you order is cooked freshly in front of you. Food can be eaten at the small tables and chairs behind the foodstalls or it can be taken away. Typically, a simple dish of something like mixed vegetables and chicken or a bowl of noodles will be 25-30 baht. Slightly more complicated dishes such as stir-fried prawns or deep-fried fish will be more, but food at these type of stalls is always good value for money.

                           This bowl of Beef Noodles cost just 25 baht.


Other foods available at Lopburi night market include:

*Deep fried sausages, squid, prawns and tofu.
*Cakes and other Thai desserts
*Roti
*Fruit smoothies
*Dried squid
*Mango, papaya, pineapple, guava & other fruits
*Barbecued sausage, pork & chicken

To see a typical food vendor's stall click on this link: Lopburi Night Market Food Stall.

Here are some more photos of Lopburi night market to give you an idea of what it looks like.

      
      

Lopburi Monkeys: Cheeky Chappies or Vermin?
In Thailand the town of Lopburi is synonymous with monkeys. In the centre of the old city hoards of Long-tailed Macaques, Macaca fascicularis, roam around, munching on leftovers and climbing all over the buildings; sometimes it seems like there are more monkeys than people!

The monkeys of Lopburi are certainly an amusing sight for visitors but locals must get a bit tired of them and it is a common site in the old town centre to see shopkeepers chasing monkeys away with a big stick. On my last visit to Lopburi I saw a monkey chewing the tyres of a parked car - be careful where you leave your vehicle!

      

Still, the locals can't be too upset at the monkeys making Lopburi their home as they believe that donating food to them will bring good luck; you certainly don't see any monkeys going hungry here.

On the last weekend of November every year, there is a Lopburi Monkey Festival where the monkeys are given a huge pile of food for a monkey banquet.

Whilst the monkeys are fun to watch, be careful as they can be aggressive and I know a couple of people who have been bitten and had to have a series of rabies shots.

                 

Five Reasons To Visit Thailand
Thailand is a great country to visit or to live in. The relaxed pace of life and low cost of living make it both a pleasant place to be and a cheap one. Here I will highlight just 5 things that make it a great place.
5 Great Things About Thailand