#lopburi

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A young long-tailed macaque shows off its mother’s eponymous appendage at the Phra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi, Thailand.

Photograph: Harun Ozalp/Anadolu/Getty Images

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Haripunjaya: four hermit monks directed the founding of the city of Haripunjaya, before they invited the ruler of Lavo (now Lopburi) to send his daughter to govern the city as its queen.

South East Asia - Haripunjaya (Mons)

Coverage of the various historical cultures, rulers, and states of the Far East

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Im exhausted.. but its really worth it 😋

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In Lopburi, Thailand, on the last Sunday of November, the annual Monkey Buffet Festival is held which provides food and drink to more than 2000 local monkeys, thanking them for drawing tourists to the town.– WTF Fun Facts

Source: Monkey Buffet Festival - Gastro Obscura (atlasobscura.com)

[pixoplanet]

It's November 27th, the last Sunday of November, so that means it's Monkey Buffet Festival Day in Lopburi, Thailand. Today, the macaques who call the ruins of Pra Prang Sam Yot Temple their home will be treated to a bountiful banquet being held in their honor.

The festival was created in 1989 by local hotel owner Yongyuth Kitwattananusont, who wanted to boost the tourism industry in Lopburi Province. He succeeded. This unique event has become a major tourist attraction to the point where now thousands of tourists visit every year.

The festival kicks off with an opening ceremony that includes performances by dancers in monkey costumes. When the monkeys arrive, hosts remove sheets from the banquet tables and reveal decorative spreads of vibrantly hued fruits and vegetables. The macaques jump across tables and climb towering pyramids of durian, bananas, watermelons, pineapples, lettuce, and more, indulging to their hearts' content.

Respect for monkeys traces back at least 2,000 years to the epic tale of Rama, a divine prince, and his struggle to rescue his wife, Sita, from the clutches of a demon lord. According to the tale, the monkey king Hanuman and his army helped rescue Sita. Since that time, monkeys have been appreciated as a sign of good luck and prosperity. This annual festival is the way the people of Lopburi show their appreciation. Peace… Jamiese of Pixoplanet

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Lopburi, Thailand

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Long-tailed macaques rest at Phra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi, Thailand. Prior to the Covid outbreak, the town was known as Monkey City; residents would feed the 3,000 local macaques and even threw an annual fruit banquet for them, drawing tourists. All this stopped during lockdown and the monkeys turned feral, scrounging food and brawling. “We have to cage ourselves inside; we have no freedom even on the premises of our own homes,” said Jirat Buapromart, 54. “They are ready to steal anything they can from us.” Officials are hoping to catch and sterilise as many macaques as they can

Photograph: Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

[urdeeimage]

City of Monkey, Lopburi province famous and welcomes many tourist because of the monkeys. Most of the tourists stay a few hours in Lopburi to see the monkeys. (URDEE IMAGE/Chaiwat Subprasom)