Less than 100m from the south shore of the old Phimai Baray, San Pu-Ta Ban Wang Hin (āļĻāļēāļĨāļāļđāđāļāļē āļāđāļēāļāļ§āļąāļāļŦāļīāļ) is lined up with the Prasat Phimai’s soaring prang, 3.6km away, instead of being lined up with the baray, suggesting it may have once […]
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Sra Pleng Quarry (āļĨāļēāļāļŦāļīāļāļāļąāļāļŠāļĢāļ°āđāļāļĨāļ) is hidden away in a forest at the foot of the Sankamphaeng Mountains in the south-central part of Ta Phraya National Park. A geologist from the Ministry of Mineral Resources who visited identified this grey sandstone as from the […]
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A temple for one of the 102 arogayasala (hospitals) built by King Jayavarman VII (r. 1182-1219), Prang Phon Songkhram (āļāļĢāļēāļāļāđāļāļĨāļŠāļāļāļĢāļēāļĄ) follows the standard design of arogayasala, including being built primarily with laterite, using sandstone only for trim. The only original entrance is through […]
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At the foot of Phanom Rung mountain, Kuti Ruesi Ban Nong Bua Rai (āļāļļāļāļīāļĪāļĐāļĩāļāđāļēāļāļŦāļāļāļāļāļąāļ§āļĢāļēāļĒ) was the temple for one of the 102 arogayasala (hospitals) built by King Jayavarman VII (r. 1182-1219) around the empire. Like a lot of his projects, it was not fully completed. […]
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Just 750m away from Prasat Muang Tam, Kuti Ruesi Ban Khok Mueang (āļāļļāļāļīāļĪāļēāļĐāļĩāļāđāļēāļāđāļāļāđāļĄāļ·āļāļ) was built much later by King Jayavarman VII (r. 1182-1219) for one of the 102 arogayasala (hospitals) he opened across the empire. It has the standard arogayasala design: a single east-facing tower, a single bannalai southeast […]
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Prasat Ban Bu (āļāļĢāļēāļŠāļēāļāļāđāļēāļāļāļļ) is one of the 17 dharmasala fire shrines King Jayavarman VII (r. 1182-1219), a devout Buddhist, built along the road from Angkor to Phimai, and one of only two in Thailand that have been restored; Prasat Ta Muean being […]
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One of the great things about visiting Khmer temples is that most have their own unique style. But in Thailand there are two exceptions to this, the arogayasala (hospital) and dharmasala (resthouse) temples, all of which have the same general layout and design […]
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In 1964 Dr. Phra Ariyanuwat Khemacharee, the former abbot of Wat Mahachai, saw foreigners coming to Isan to buy ancient artifacts â Buddhas, Khmer stone carvings palm-leaf manuscripts, etc. â so he requested people bring these things to the temple to protect them. […]
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At first glance, all you’ll see of Ku Khu Khat (āļāļđāđāļāļđāļāļēāļ) is a large Buddha on a small, tree covered hill. But get closer and you’ll find that the hill is a pile of laterite blocks and brick covered almost completely by dirt […]
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Virtually unknown, Khao Hin Tat Ancient Quarry (āđāļŦāļĨāđāļāļŦāļīāļāļāļąāļāđāļāļēāļŦāļīāļāļāļąāļ) lies a kilometer away as the crow flies (by road it’s either two or three kilometers, depending which direction you’re driving due to needing to U-turn on the Mittraphap highway) from the well-known Si Khio Ancient […]
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Don Ku (āļāļāļāļāļđāđ) consists of a jumble of laterite blocks mostly buried in a two-meter-tall hill. The only structure still visible is a bit of the platform under a tree on the west side. Although no proper excavation has been done here, the […]
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Si Khio Ancient Quarry (āđāļŦāļĨāđāļāđāļāļĢāļēāļāļŦāļīāļāļāļąāļāļŠāļĩāļāļīāđāļ§) is in the Phu Phan Formation, which was laid down about 120 million years ago. The sandstone here is grey and rather course but lacks conglomerate, making it good for carving. For unknown reasons, work here stopped abruptly […]
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Although Prasat Ban Bu Yai (āļāļĢāļēāļŠāļēāļāļŦāļīāļāļāđāļēāļāļāļļāđāļŦāļāđ) lies in total ruin and most significant carvings are gone, when you see the size of the lotus-bud top (several pieces of it are visible in the rubble) you can tell that this was once a large […]
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Much smaller than nearby Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat Chaliang (read about the history of ancient Chaliang town on that page), Wat Chao Chan (āļ§āļąāļāđāļāđāļēāļāļąāļāļāļĢāđ) is, however, interesting in its own right. The Khmer portion that remains is a single all-laterite prang with redented corners and a […]
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The impressive temple ruin of Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat Chaliang (āļ§āļąāļāļāļĢāļ°āļĻāļĢāļĩāļĢāļąāļāļāļĄāļŦāļēāļāļēāļāļļāđāļāļĨāļĩāļĒāļ) lies in the heart of the ancient city of Chaliang and is the largest and most impressive site in Si Satchanalai Historical Park. People often call it the northernmost Khmer ruin, […]
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The small Sawanvoranayok National Museum (āļāļīāļāļīāļāļ āļąāļāļāļŠāļāļēāļāđāļŦāđāļāļāļēāļāļī āļŠāļ§āļĢāļĢāļāļ§āļĢāļāļēāļĒāļ) began as the private collection of the local monk, Phra Sawanvoranayok, abbot of Wat Sawankharam, the temple in front of the museum. Besides a small collection of Thai Buddhas of various artistic styles, the majority of […]
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The Ramkhamhaeng National Museum (āļāļīāļāļīāļāļ āļąāļāļāļŠāļāļēāļāđāļŦāđāļāļāļēāļāļī āļĢāļēāļĄāļāļģāđāļŦāļ) is in Sukhothai, and naturally its principal focus in the ancient Sukhothai kingdom. Khmer items make up a very small part of the collection, but three of the ruins in the ancient city were originally built by […]
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Muang Boran Dong Lakhon (āđāļĄāļ·āļāļāđāļāļĢāļēāļāļāļāļĨāļ°āļāļĢ) was an important Dvaravati town dating back to 6th or 7th century. Pottery and other artefacts (including bronze bells, Baphuon- to Bayon-style Buddha images, and gold leaf, which the Khmer used during ceremonies) uncovered during excavations show that […]
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Probably the smallest national museum in Thailand, the Maha Viravong National Museum (āļāļīāļāļīāļāļ āļąāļāļāļŠāļāļēāļāđāļŦāđāļāļāļēāļāļīāļĄāļŦāļēāļ§āļĩāļĢāļ§āļāļĻāđ) occupies one little room on the grounds of Wat Suttha Chinda in central Khorat city, 350 meters south of the Thao Suranari Monument. Most of the artifacts come from the […]
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Casual travelers probably won’t be too impressed by the modest remains of Prang Phakho (āļāļĢāļēāļāļĻāđāļāļ°āđāļ), but it has some unusual features that Khmer enthusiasts will definitely want to see. Built in the 11th century, it presently consists of just two buildings: an east-facing […]
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