Pachit-Oraphim: From the Local Legend to the International Cultural Routes

Abstract

This paper studied voices from local communities to preserve and conserve their homeland. Members of these communities wish to use their heritage for identity preservation, as well as to commemorate the complex relationships between Thai, Khmer, and Lao. The study focuses on the diversity of culture and heritage in an area for which the Pachit-Oraphim local legend provides a connection between tangible and intangible heritages. The project’s research methods were interdisciplinary: surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, site visits in three countries and three Thai provinces. The study related to anthropology, cultural landscape studies, geography, toponymy, tourism, marketing, conservation, folklore and cultural mapping. Five Pachit-Oraphim sub-routes were identified. These are part of an international body of local legends stretching from Phimai, Thailand, to Angkor, Cambodia, to Wat Phu, Champassak, Lao. Altogether, these routes total more than 2500 kilometers and consist of three World Heritage sites and at least 29 other sites related to the route. The designation for the brochure and participatory cultural mapping map as Pachit-Oraphim routes enhances the meaning and knowledge of villages and towns otherwise hidden by urban development.