Nang Usas Look-Out Tower, Udon Thani

The tower is not a man-made monument and presumably a prehistoric rock shelter. The original tower is at Muang Phan, Ban Phue District in Udon Thani Province. It is 3-4 kilometers west of Phra Buddha Bat Bua Bok, the site of another Buddha footprint. A life-size seated stone Buddha image found here was carved in the typical Dvaravati-Lop Buri style which can be dated back to the 10th or 11th century A.D. Therefore, it is believed that the rock shelter was a re li gious site, and earlier still, a settlement site frequented by human. Many different rock shelters found in the vicinity were given names by the local people such as Khok Ma Barot (Barots Horse Stable), Ho Rusi (a Hermits Retreat), Tha Nang Sra Phom (the Maidens Bathing Place), Wat Pho Ta (Father-in-laws Chapel), Wat Luk Khoei (Son-in-laws Chapel), Khok Chang (Elephant Stable) and a few more. The titles were named after the local folk tales told among people for generations.

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