Ruins of structures and sacred objects have arisen from the depths to become a tourism magnet in Lopburi province.
Two decades after Wat Nong Bua vanished under the rising waters of a newly built dam, people in recent days have been stepping across a spit to reach it once again as reservoirs go dry due to Thailand’s withering drought.
Photographer Adithep Wongsorn used old images to painstakingly match exposed features, such as the temple’s entry gate and a Buddha statue, to archival images of it prior to construction of the Pasak Chonlasit Dam.
The dam helps irrigate the Pasak and Chao Phraya river valleys and protect Bangkok from flooding. It was inaugurated on Nov. 25, 1999, by King Bhumibol.
Adithep’s images are reproduced below with his permission.
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