Primary inflows Basin countries Thailand Max. width 3 km (1.9 mi) Area 170 ha Length 7 km Outflow location Pao River | Primary outflows Lam Pao Max. length 7 km (4.3 mi) Surface elevation 170 m Mean depth 1.9 m Width 3 km | |
 | ||
Surface area 1.7 km (0.66 sq mi)
(including wetland 4.1 km (1.6 sq mi)) | ||
Nong Han Kumphawapi (Thai: หนองหานกุมภวาปี, [nɔ̌ːŋ hǎːn kumpʰawaːpiː], often just Nong Han, lit. "goose wetland") is a lake in northeast Thailand, north of the town of Kumphawapi, Kumphawapi District, Udon Thani Province.
Contents
- Map of Nong Han Kumphawapi Lake Chiang Haeo Kumphawapi District Udon Thani 41110 Thailand
- Etymology
- Folklore
- References
Map of Nong Han Kumphawapi Lake, Chiang Haeo, Kumphawapi District, Udon Thani 41110, Thailand
The lake is shallow, mostly not exceeding a depth of one meter. The open water area of 1.7 km² is surrounded by a wetland covering 4.1 km2, including paddy fields.
In 2001 the lake was declared a wetland of international importance by the Thai government.
Etymology
"Nong" (Thai: หนอง) means "swamp", "bog", or "fen". Because this one lies within the area of Amphoe Kumphawapi, it is also called Nong Han Kumphawapi. "Han" means goose, "kumpha" is Pali for "water pitcher", the Hindu zodiac name for the sign of Aquarius. "-Wapi" is Sanskrit for "pond".
Folklore
According to local folklore, from the very beginning Nong Han played a part in the story of Phadaeng & Nang Ai. In summary, Nang Ai was the daughter of King Kom who ruled the country of Chathida. The beauty of Nang Ai was famed far and wide — and deep. Many very much desired a royal wedding with her, and not all were men. Amongst the many who would wed Nang Ai were Prince Phadaeng, a man from another land, and Prince Pangkhii, who had wed Nang Ai in former lives but in this one was the son of Phaya Nak, the Grand Nāga who ruled the deeps. So many suitors desired to wed Nang Ai that her father staged a rocket festival competition, the winner to enjoy a royal wedding. But hopes were dashed when only rockets of her uncles made it aloft, and her father called the whole thing off. Naga Prince Pangkhii shape-shifteds into a white squirrel to spy on Nang Ai, but she espies him and had him killed by a royal hunter. Pangkhii's flesh magically transformed into meat equal to 8,000 cartloads (a metric cartload is 2,000 litres). Nang Ai and many of her countrymen ate of this tainted flesh, and Phaya Nak vowed to allow no one to remain living who had eaten of the flesh of his son. Aroused from the deeps, he and his watery myrmidons rose and turned the land into a vast swamp — of which the Nong Han is a remnant. See them fleeing at the Ancient Siam Garden of Pha Daeng-Nang Ai.