My hometown Bansong, An indepth information Part I

Bansong, one of the oldest villages in Thailand, is a territory of Weangsra town in Surat Thani province. There have been many historical artifacts found in Bansong such as prehistoric stone tools and Buddha Statues from many different eras which have confirmed that this village was originally home to many important ancient communities of the South and was thriving since the 7th century BC.

Weangsra Temple

The ancient Weangsra town used to be located at the historic site of Weangsra Temple, which still stands today. The people in this town were very skillful and they protected themselves from enemies by building walls and digging canals all around their village.

An ruins ancient tower

An old swimming pool

A red sandstone Buddha Statue

The ruins of Weangsra Temple include the ancient tower, the old swimming pool (for which the temple and the town were named), and the dilapidated remains of a red sandstone Buddha Statue.

Path to an ancient Weangsra temple

Weangsra is truly one of the hidden treasures of Thailand. There has been little or no advertising or promotion of this area since the people who live there believe ancient and sacred places should not be disturbed. This has allowed the Weangsra Temple to be preserved in it’s natural state for centuries. Although the ruins and the temple may not be as gigantic as others; this does not diminish the fact that when you are in the space, you can sense the collective energy from ancient times that has been gathered for generations, leaving many with a sense of awe.

Travelling to Bansong is very simple; you just hop on a bus or train from Bangkok, then hop off at Bansong’s station.

Map to Bansong

If you decide to drive, from the mainland route # 41 on the highway between Surat Thani province – Nakhon Si Thammarat province, you will see a sign that directs you to Bansong (Sub-path 4009). Also, since lot of transportation is easily available, Bansong can easily be added to your travel plans if you’re already visiting any of the following:
Surat Thani, Phuket, Krab, and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Hopefully, you will keep this in mind the next time you visit.

Center of Bansong

An old area near train station

Coffee parties

Upon hearing the name “Bansong”, many people will immediately question the origins of it’s name since they associate the word with something negative. Many years ago, communists had established their division in the area in hopes of expanding their dominion. Often times, the people who lived in the area would get caught in the middle of fighting between Thai soldiers and the communists, and many people got hurt and many died. They lived their lives in great fear at that time.

The word “song” means “division” (referring to the groups of communist invaders) and the word “ban” means “home”, so put these two together it means “the home of invaders.” Over time, the local people came to regularly use the name “Bansong” for this area because it was a part of their lives for a very long time and they never forget.

Mining

Busy Market

Agriculture

With the war now long over, Bansong has emerged as a charming small town with strong economic interests in several areas, such as mining, agriculture, trade and several other attractive things that I’ll be excited to share with you later in this post.

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Translated from http://bansong.blogspot.com/ (my younger brother)