
Prang Sam Yot, the Khmer temple in Lopburi

A Crab-Eating Macaque in Lopburi.

Ceramic, Lopburi, Thailand, 2300 BCE.
Lopburi is the capital city of
Lopburi Province in
Thailand. It is located about 150 km north-east of
Bangkok. As of 2006 it has a population of 26,500. The town (
thesaban mueang) covers the whole
tambon Tha Hin and parts of Thale Chup Son of
Mueang Lopburi district, a total area of 6.85 km².
The city has a long history, dating back into the
Dvaravati period more than 1000 years ago, when it was known as
Lavo. When the
Khmer empire incorporated it, they destroyed all former buildings, so that the oldest ruins that can now be found in Lopburi are Khmer temples. It later became part of the Thai kingdoms and, during the reign of King
Narai the Great of the
Ayutthaya kingdom in the middle of the 17th century, Lopburi even served as the second capital, with a second summer palace,
King Narai's Palace. The king stayed here for about eight months a year.
Today the city is most famous for the hundreds of
Crab-Eating Macaques (
Macaca fascicularis) that live in the middle of the city, especially around the Khmer temple, Prang Sam Yot, and a Khmer shrine, Sarn Phra Karn. They are fed by the local people, especially during the Monkey Festival in November. Because they are not afraid of humans, they steal whatever food they can find from unwary diners.
Prang Sam Yot, originally a
Hindu shrine, has three
prangs that represent
Brahma,
Vishnu, and
Shiva (the Hindu trinity). It was later converted to a
Buddhist shrine.