In Thailand, there’s an area in the city of Lopburi known as “monkey city.” It’s the area of the Phra Prang Sam Yot temple and the nearby San Phra Kan, in the center of the city, where hundreds of free-roaming macaques live.
Phra Prang Sam Yot is a 12th–13th century temple with three Khmer-style towers that originally represented the three Hindu deities Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Today, the complex is almost bare inside, but it is surrounded by a large herd of macaques that live among the ruins and in the surrounding meadows.
Built under King Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire (1181–1220), it served as a Mahayana Buddhist sanctuary to legitimize Khmer rule over Lopburi (then Lavo), which had been conquered from the rival Cham and Mon. Initially dedicated to the Hindu trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva), it was converted into a Hindu temple with a Shiva lingam, then into a Theravada Buddhist temple during the Ayutthaya reign of Narai (17th century), with the addition of a brick viharn and Buddha statues.
The three central prangs (towers), made of laterite and sandstone with original stucco decorations (now fragments), are in the Khmer Bayon style, with the taller central tower and covered corridors connecting them on cruciform bases. Inside: a Lopburi-style Buddha in the center, Avalokitesvara to the south, and Prajnaparamita (goddess of wisdom) to the north; decorations show Buddhist iconography.
It’s considered the temple of monkeys (which are actually macaques), and the locals consider them somewhat “sacred.” They roam freely in the center, often causing minor mischief for tourists and residents. Every November, the Monkey Buffet Festival is held for them, with mountains of fruit offered in front of the temples. During the festival, the monkeys dive into the food, and constant “acrobatic fights” for the best pieces are seen, attracting many visitors.
Because these monkeys were a nuisance to tourists, approaching and stealing cell phones, glasses, hats, and other items, policies were implemented to mitigate their presence. In fact, when I visited, there weren’t many of them, and they were calm and didn’t come very close.
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