Prasat Mueang Khaek

According to Prasat Mueand Khaek’s inscription, it states that the site was built to place the idols in Shaivism in Brahminism. The year stated in the inscription is the year 543.

Sandstone and brick

Prasat Mueang Khaek is quite large. It was built with sandstone and bricks. Its diagram is rectangular and it is facing north. The important buildings are the principle prasat, 2 Banalais or repositories for scriptures, a curved balcony, an arch or gopura, an inner wall, a pond, and a small brick prasat.

The layout of the site can be divided into 3 parts:

The first part or the innermost consists of 3 prasats made of sandstone and bricks located on the same base. They are facing north. Only the principle prang has a porch or Mondop in the front which looks like an extension room. There are stairs at the front and at both sides. A sandstone sculpture base was also found at Garbhagriha of the principle prasat and the prasat behind the principle in the east. All three buildings are left with only the base and some parts of the buildings. What can still be found at the principle prasat are window portholes and Luk Ma Huad, decorative pillars at the door frame, sandstone door frame, and the Narai Bantomsin lintel on the top of the front door frame or the Mondop part.

Next to the principle prang, there are two brick bases, one on the left and another one on the right, they both are facing the principle prasat. This could be a Viharns or a Banalais.

The first part is surrounded by an inner wall made of bricks. The east side of the wall is a rectangular brick building with two entrances on the west and the north. The decorative pillars still remain at the door frame of the north gate.

There is only one inner arch, or gopura at the front or the north side (with three gates), that the door frame and decorative pillars still remain. In addition, two more brick bases are found in the corner of the inner wall in front of the principle prasat beside the gopura or the inner arch. The building on the right has a brick paved walkway connecting the building parallel to the east inner wall.

The second part is the outer wall. Most of the area was dug into a pond surrounding the site leaving only the center of the front part. The soil obtained from digging was used to make a wall around the inner wall and the pond. On the north side, there is a walkway that connects the innermost or the first part. The front part of the outer wall has a large arch, or a cross-shape gopura matched with the inner kopura (with three doors). Window portholes, Luk Ma Huad, and the sandstone door frame still remain.

The third part is outside the outer wall towards the front or the north. There are 2 building bases made of laterite, sandstone and bricks on the left and the right. They are facing one another (The building on the right is facing west, the building on the left is facing east) The upper part may be built with wood. The base of both buildings has a rectangular diagram with a porch protruding towards the front. There are stairs leading up to the top of the base on all 4 sides surrounded by the wall with gopura at the front and at the back (The front one is larger) Inside the principle room of the western building, there are the Shiva lingam and Yoni sandstone base located at the center of the room. There is also a sandstone sculpture base located at the center of the room of the east building.

It is an example of religious sites in Khmer culture during the 15^th century B.E. and it is the place where Koh Ker lintels were found the most in Thailand. It reflects the influence of culture along with the political and the rulership of Cambodia above this area.

มานิต วัลลิโภดม. นำเที่ยวพิมายและโบราณสถานในจังหวัดนครราชสีมา. กรุงเทพฯ : ศิลปวัฒนธรรม, 2530.

สุภัทรดิศ ดิศกุล, ม.จ. โบราณสถานจังหวัดนครราชสีมา. พระนคร : สมาคมเพื่อการรักษาสมบัติวัฒนธรรม, 2509.