The Thai Genaral Post Office is issuing a special set of postage stamps to commemorate Thai Heritage Day 2009 by depicting Prasat Hin Sdok Kok Thom, Prasat Hin Ta Muean, Prasat Hin Muang Tum, and Prasat Hin Phnom Rung, the stone castles in Old Khmer architecture in the Northeast of Thailand. With many days off during Songkran Festival it was a good chance for our trip to the Northeast and to follow these stone castles trail.
Prasat Hin Muang Tum is a Khmer temple of Hindu faith, believed to be constructed in the late 10th and early 11th centuries, in the Khleang and Baphuon styles. It consists of 5 stupas or towers built on the same laterite base. At the main tower a lintel was excavated and revealed icons depicting Hindu religious stories. It has a flat concentric plan, with a central sanctuary and two libraries surrounded successively by an inner enclosure, ponds, and an outer enclosure. At the four corners of the pond there are fixtures of 5-head naga, or mythical snake.
