BURI RAM: While wreaking havoc elsewhere in Asia, Typhoon Yagi also caused cloudy skies to obscure the usual phenomenal view of sunrise at the ancient Phanom Rung temple in Buri Ram on Sunday morning.
About 200 Thai and foreign tourists gathered at the historical site in Chalerm Phrakiat district on Sunday morning expecting to see the rising sun shine through the 15 gates of the temple ruins at 6.00-6.15am – only for their hopes to be dashed by cloudy skies.
Even so, visitors said they were happy to see the nine-century-old temple and pray for blessings there. They were willing to revisit the site on Monday and Tuesday for another opportunity to see the spectacular sunrise views that were also predicted on those mornings.
Pakpoom Yupol, chief of the Phanom Rung Historical Park, said that Sunday was the first of three days when the phenomenal sunrise views would likely occur.
Wanpen Kumram, a native of Surin province, arrived with her New Zealander husband. She said they visited the ancient temple because her husband was impressed with his previous experience of the phenomenal sunrise view there.
They prayed for holy spirits at the temple and planned to return on the next two mornings to see the sunrise, Ms Wanpen said.
Normally the impressive sight of the rising sun shining directly through 15 gates at the Phanom Rung temple occurs twice a year in early April and early September, while stunning sunsets can be seen through the gates in early March and early October.
The phenomenal sunrise view is seen at Phanom Rung in March 2018. (Photo: Surachai Piragsa)