The museum is open for free during the candle procession.
The Ubon Ratchathani National Museum was originally the provincial hall building. It was built in 1918 on land that His Royal Highness Prince Saraphasit Prasong requested from the heir of the Ratchabut (Sui) to be used as public land for the construction of government offices since the reign of King Rama VI.
The building is a single-storey brick and mortar building raised from the ground. The hip roof is covered with kite tiles. The building plan is rectangular and faces north. Inside the building, there is a large hall in the center with a corridor and small rooms around it. Above the door frames and the eaves of the balcony are decorated with fretwork of plants. The building received the Outstanding Architectural Conservation Building Award in 1989 from the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage. The Fine Arts Department registered and designated the area of the ancient site in 2001.
The museum exhibits geography, geology, history, archaeology, local culture, and ethnology. The topics are divided into 10 exhibition rooms as follows:
Room 1 General information of Ubon Ratchathani Province
Displays general information about Ubon Ratchathani Province, maps showing the location, political and administrative divisions, and transportation routes, the provincial seal, photos of tourist attractions, and important places in both culture and nature.
Room 2: Geography, Resources, and Geology of the Northeast
Displays information on the origin of the world, maps of the geological features of the plateau, various fossils, stories about dinosaurs, mineral and rock samples, and gem mining in Ubon Ratchathani Province, etc.
Room 3: Prehistoric Period
Displays archaeological data and evidence, including prehistoric artifacts found in Ubon Ratchathani Province, such as stone tools, drums, earthenware containers of various shapes, bronze utensils and ornaments, as well as weapons made of bronze and iron. On the walls, there are replicas of paintings from the Pha Taem painting site, which is an important site of paintings in Khong Chiam District, Ubon Ratchathani Province.
Room 4: Dvaravati and Chenla cultures (Khmer or Khmer before Angkor)
Displays artifacts from the Chenla culture or Khmer culture before Angkor, and the Dvaravati culture, which is approximately The most important antiques include the Ardhanarishvara, which dates from around the 13th Buddhist century, found in Ubon Ratchathani Province. It is a sculpture carved in the shape of Shiva and his wife Uma, both of whom are deities revered in Hinduism. There are also Khmer-style door frames, Buddha images, and sandstone sema markers.
Room 5: Khmer or Khmer culture during the Angkor period
This exhibits antiques influenced by the Khmer period during the Angkor period, dating from around the 15th-18th Buddhist centuries, such as Khmer-style Ganesha in the Koh Ker style, Kampong Phra-style lintels, Puan-style lintels, sandstone Shiva lingams, and architectural decorations from important ancient sites in Ubon Ratchathani Province, such as carvings of the nine planets from Prasat Ban Ben.
Room 6: Thai-Lao culture
This exhibits antiques and artifacts from Thai-Lao culture between the 23rd-25th Buddhist centuries, focusing on various postures of Buddha, both made of wood, bronze, and gilded sandstone. Important antiques include the Buddha in the meditation posture. Lao art cast in bronze with an inscription at the base, which can be concluded that Chao Anuwong was the one who cast it in 2369. It is a Buddha image with a very beautiful appearance.
Room 7 Ancient fabrics and local fabrics of Ubon Ratchathani
Exhibits antiques and artifacts such as ancient woven fabrics and local fabrics of Ubon Ratchathani, such as high-class women's sarongs, cotton fabrics, and silk fabrics with various patterns.
Room 8 Local music
Exhibits information about local music by making life-size models of Isan musicians playing various musical instruments. Most of the instruments are adapted from natural materials. Musical instruments that use strings, such as the two-stringed pin and three-stringed pin, string instruments with bows, such as various types of saws, and percussion instruments, such as the pong lang, Mak Kap Kap.
Room 9 Local handicrafts and household appliances
Exhibits local handicrafts, household appliances, and household appliances, such as Ban Pa-ao brassware, along with the steps of making brassware, such as betel sets, betel nut boxes, betel nut trays, and bowls. In addition, there are wooden betel sets that are unique to Isan betel sets. Exhibits various fishing tools such as traps, nets, etc., and kitchen utensils that can still be found in the current way of life, such as rice containers, rice baskets, mortars, sticky rice steamers, coconut graters, etc.
Room 10: Governance and Fine Arts in Buddhism
Exhibits about the governance of Ubon Ratchathani before the administrative reform in the reign of King Rama V. Photographs of important people, utensils of the governor of Ubon Ratchathani, and interesting artefacts, which are fine arts in Buddhism, including items offered by devotees to the Buddha at various temples in Ubon Ratchathani, such as pulpits, dhamma chests, slate paintings, dhamma cabinets, water troughs, kakayia, candle holders, palm-leaf manuscripts, etc.
Management
Department of Fine Arts
Museum type
Biography, history, and archaeology
Important exhibits/interesting items
Buddha statue in meditation pose, Lao art, built in 2369 B.E.
Som Sutra, Khmer art in the Phrai Kham style, 12th-13th Buddhist century
Ganesha, Lopburi art, contemporary with Khmer art in the Koh Ker style 15th Buddhist century
Mahoratuk drum, prehistoric era, agricultural society, approximately 2,500-2,100 years old
Stone inscription at the mouth of the Mun River, Pallava script, Sanskrit, 11th-12th Buddhist century
Lintel, contemporary Lopburi art, Khmer art, Kampong Phra style, 12th-13th Buddhist century
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