Published: 11/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Brunch
Reader Vichit Phanumphai was disturbed by a photo that accompanied a story about Yasothon in Horizons on April 1. It was a photo of the Khong Khao Noi stupa, which, according to writer Patsinee Kranlert, is believed to have been built during the late Ayutthaya period.
The tall stupa with its square Lanchang architecture reminiscent of ancient Laos is very striking, but "I don't think this iconic landmark of the late Ayutthaya period will last much longer unless somebody decides to do something about the weeds, a product of bird droppings, being left to grow on top as clearly shown in the picture", Mr Vichit wrote in his email to me. "Could you please help?"
The keen-eyed Mr Vichit, a traffic highway engineer specialising in safety, alerted me to 100-year-old trees in need of urgent remedial care at the Sanam Chandra Palace compound in Nakhon Pathom last year. I went to the palace and found several century-old trees that had been taken over by strangler figs, or had branches or trunks that needed urgent surgery work. Mr Vichit was mostly concerned about two huge rain trees flanking King Rama VI's Chaleemongkolasana Residence, which had been eaten to the core by termites.
The problem, however, was more than just termites building anthills inside the trees' cavities. The real problem was bureaucracy. The palace compound had 35 gardeners, but according to them, they had to have their boss's permission before they could prune old trees or do something to save a dying tree. The boss, in turn, had to have the go-ahead from an authority in Bangkok. As a result, even a dead tree could not be cut down without permission.
When this is the case, the old trees will die one by one and no one will mourn them except concerned conservationists such as Mr Vichit. The palace, however, can still reverse the situation by hiring someone who really knows about trees and give him full authority to prune or do surgery on those which need urgent remedial care as he sees fit. Planted during the reign of King Rama VI, the trees are part of the country's natural heritage and, like the old palace structures on the compound, are worth saving for the next generations.
As for the Yasothon stupa, I don't know how I could help, except to write about it in this column with the hope that this article will catch the attention of provincial authorities or officials concerned with preserving Thailand's national heritage. The "weeds", as Mr Vichit correctly pointed out, had grown from bird droppings. It is difficult to determine from the photo what they actually are, but if they are just grass there is no cause for alarm as they will dry out in the hot summer sun and disappear in due time.
However, bird droppings usually carry tree seeds and the stupa is in big trouble if there are banyan and other strangler figs among the lot. If the seed had fallen and germinated on a tree branch, it would grow to strangle and kill the host tree, eventually replacing it altogether. By the same token, if allowed to grow on the ancient stupa, soon it will send its roots to every nook and cranny until it takes over the whole structure, as what had happened to parts of the famous Angkor Wat before it was rediscovered by a French traveller in the 19th century.
Therefore, seedlings should be removed before they could do any harm to the old structure. Once their roots are established, removing them won't be easy and some of the old bricks may crumble in the process. If you are a Fine Arts Department official concerned with preserving old structures, please check out the stupa. And if you are a Yasothon resident, please alert the provincial authorities concerned and see that they preserve the stupa by keeping trees from growing on it.
Meanwhile, Thailand needs more people like Mr Vichit, who are keen on safeguarding our heritage, be they trees or old structures. The Yasothon stupa may not be as old or as grand as the ancient Angkor Wat, but it is worth preserving nonetheless.
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