Staff Writer

These northern-style mural paintings are greatly admired for the way they convey rural life in a tranquil, natural environment. ancient

Wat Phumin in Nan’s Mueang district is home to a number of intriguing murals depicting Buddhist subjects and images. The temple has a cross-shaped floorplan, which provides impressive displays.

Wat Phumin’s architecture and features are among the highlights of any visit. The temple was built in 1596 by Chao Chetabut Phrohmin, who was a ruler of Nan at that time. The main hall serves not only as the vihara (assembly hall) but also as the ubosot (ordination hall).  There is an entrance on each of the (four) sides.

n the middle of the hall you’ll find four identical Buddha images, placed back to back, and facing outwards. Each is celebrating victory over a demon-like creature known as Mara. Emerging from the backs of these images rises a square chedi with redented corners.

A source of knowledge on rural life
The set of murals currently adorning the temple were painted in the late 1860s during a period in which the temple underwent some renovation.

The murals have been the focus of many historians over the years since they represent an irreplaceable record of society in the late 19^th century.

On the upper areas of the walls, murals depict the life of the Lord Buddha. The paintings feature larger than life-size depictions of the Buddha and his disciples in a northern idealistic style.

Most of the lower area features episodes from the Khattha Kumara Jataka (“The Honorable Prince”), one of several Buddhist narratives describing the previous lives of the Buddha.

This particular publication tells the story of the long journey carried out by Khattha Kumara, who wishes to help prevent the suffering of those taunted by devil-like beings.

Numerous vignettes illustrate examples of traditional life spotted during the journey. These provide an interesting spectacle for historians since they depict the sentiments and charm of traditional life in the province.

In one example, a girl is busy weaving at her loom. There is also a courtship scene, in which girls are preparing cotton in the evening as young men come by to serenade them with love songs.

Another scene features a member of a hill tribe, while another shows people traveling between towns using ox carts.

The murals also give visitors an idea of people’s traditional livelihoods and everyday life. You can see examples of basketry, gourds being used to store water, shoulder bags, as well as water jars set in front of people’s homes. The latter two items are still widely used today.

There is also the opportunity to learn more about traditional Thai dress. Ladies in the murals wear long skirts with horizontal stripes. This kind of design has long been popular in the region and continues to be so. Some ladies are depicted with a diagonal sash covering their busts, while others are wrap around. The most popular hairstyle among the women is a bun decorated with hair pins.

The male figures are often tattooed from their thighs up to their waists. This can give the impression that they are wearing tight underwear featuring elaborate designs.

The men don traditional shorts, while some wear shirts with long sleeves and tight upright collars with a long piece of cloth wrapped around their waists. While some men tie up their hair using cloth, the majority have close-cropped, crew-cut style haircuts.

A form unique to Nan
For those unfamiliar with murals, it might be tempting to suggest that the murals found at Wat Phumin are similar to other Lanna-style murals found elsewhere in northern Thailand. However, many art historians tend to suggest that the murals found at Wat Phumin differ from those found in Chiang Mai or Lampang, for example. In this sense, experts believe that the artists in Nan developed their own particular style of painting.

While there are certainly some characteristics found in other northern-style paintings, such as round-faced human figures and the use of black, blue, and red in the costumes featured, other aspects of the Wat Phumin murals are quite unique. One of the most striking aspects is the use of “larger-than-life” figures, which are not found elsewhere within the region.

Winai Prabripu, a Nan-born contemporary painter who has studied the murals in great detail, points out that there are two portraits featuring Chao Ananta Woraritidet, a former ruler of Nan province, who was responsible for renovations at the temple in 1867.

He is depicted in two paintings along the eastern and western walls of the temple in the company of a Western missionary sporting a long beard and a red gown.

One of the murals of particular interest is known as “The Whispering”. Located near the door on the temple’s western wall, it features a courtship scene, including a heavily-tattooed man and a woman wearing traditional dress with her hair piled up in a bun.

The man has his hand held close to his mouth as he appears to whisper in her ear.

Winai says it is widely believed that the man in the painting was one of the mural painters since it was common in those times for the artists to portray themselves in their own work. This work is often admired for its expression and attention to detail.

Other popular subjects in the Nan school of mural painting include: small animals, such as chickens, hens, and other birds; banana trees depicted in a realistic form; as well as the heavy use of contrasting colors across backgrounds, which seems to successfully entice viewers into the scene.

Similar characteristics seen in Wat Phumin can be seen in murals located at Wat Changkham, which is just a few kilometers away from Wat Phumin, as well as at Wat Nong Bua in Tha Wang Pha district, about 42 km North of Wat Phumin.

It is still unclear to this day, which of the murals at the three nearby temples were painted first.