Phra That Phu Phek | Sakon Nakhon

Located in Na Hua Bo Subdistrict, on the Sakon Nakhon-Udon Thani Highway, Highway No. 22, approximately 22 kilometers from Sakon Nakhon city, there is a left turn for another 14 kilometers. Those who want to worship the chedi must walk up about 491 steps. Located in Na Hua Bo Subdistrict, Phanna Nikhom District, those who want to worship the chedi must walk up about 491 steps to reach the chedi, which is built on the top of Phu Phan Mountain. The chedi is made of sandstone on a laterite base. It has a square plan with recessed corners. The front is connected to a rectangular pavilion. The first floor is approximately 1.58 meters high. The second floor is approximately 0.70 meters high. The castle is 7.67 meters high and is not yet complete. There is no roof or castle spire. Only the beams are used. Phu Phek Chedi was built around the 16th Buddhist century as a Hindu religious site. It was later converted into a Buddhist religious site and the history of its construction is mentioned in the legend of Phra Urankathu or Phra That Phanom, which states that Phra That Phu Pek was built by a group of men to compete with a group of women who built Phra That Narai Cheng Weng to enshrine the relics of the Lord Buddha. However, the group of men stopped building when they saw the star Phek in the sky, which was a trick of the group of women who built Phra That Narai Cheng Weng. Therefore, this castle was named Phra That Phu Pek Castle after the star "Pek". A geoscientist, Mr. Sansonthi Bunyothayan, was interested in studying the use of this stone pillar and applied computer technology to process astronomy. He found that when the coordinates of the castle, latitude 17 degrees north and the dates of important phenomena were entered, the angles were 65, 90 and 115 degrees, which are the positions of the rising sun. The rotation is on the first day of the year, which is the day when the length of day is equal to the length of night. The sun is at right angles to the Earth's equator, which is on March 21, which is the spring season. After that, the sun will gradually move north until it reaches its furthest point. Which will be the longest day, June 21st, is considered summer. Sakon Nakhon Province is at 17 degrees north latitude, with 13 hours of daylight. At the same time, when the sun moves to its furthest point in the south, the shortest day of the year will be on December 21st, which is winter. Sakon Nakhon Province will have 11 hours of daylight. The sunlight direction has been tested with a plumb line many times. It was found that the light will pass through one of the square holes exactly when it falls on the date mentioned above. Therefore, the location used to build the Khmer castle, including Phu Pek Castle, must be an open area with no deserted areas to block the sunlight. It is assumed that the construction of Phu Pek Stone Castle was built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII around 1742. It was built from square sandstone blocks placed at right angles in an east-west direction. There is a Shiva lingam on the east side, with only one side open to let in sunlight, allowing the light to shine directly at the location of the sacred objects inside the castle. #Thailand #TravelAroundThailand #Thailand #WaitingForTheDayToTravel #PhraThatPhuPek #BeautifulPhotoSpots #KhmerArt #NatureTherapy #MissNature #NatureAttractions #Sakon Nakhon attractions #Sakon Nakhon reviews #Thais travel in Thailand #Travel around Thailand #Travel in Thailand #Visit historical sites #Ancient