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Archaeological travel guide to the ruins of Prang Ku, a Khmer arogayasala temple located outside of Roi Et, Thailand.

A millennium ago, the Khmer Empire ruled over most of Southeast Asia. This medieval civilization’s iconic grandeur is best embodied in the grandeur of this civilization is well-known from the splendor of their capital at Angkor, at modern-day Siem Reap in Cambodia. There, massive monuments such as the Bayon and Angkor Wat make up the ruins of what has been discovered to be the largest pre-industrial city in history.

But what was life like on the fringes of the empire? How did these Khmer god-kings spread their influence to the frontiers?

Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the crowning architectural achievement of the Khmer Empire.
Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the crowning architectural achievement of the Khmer Empire.

The Story of Roi Et’s Prang Ku (Prasat Nong Ku)

Prang Ku (ปรางค์กู่) is one of the many Angkorian arogayasalas located in the former northern territory of the Khmer Empire, now known as Isaan in Thailand. Roi Et city and province lie at the geographic center of this region and was ruled over by several empires both before and after the Khmer.

The 1000-year-old Dvaravati stupa of Wat Nuea in Roi Et city.
The 1000-year-old Dvaravati stupa of Wat Nuea in Roi Et city.

Roi Et is a moated city dating back at least to the Dvaravati Period, as evidenced by the Dvaravati stupa at Wat Nuea temple within the moated area. There are also vestiges of Khmer rule throughout the province, although the Prang Ku ruins are closest to the city proper.

What Is an Arogayasala?

Main article: Architecture Profile: Arogayasala, Angkor’s Hospital Temple Ruins

An arogayasala, commonly referred to as a hospital, medical station, or nursing home, was one in a set of 102 roughly identical temples built in the 12th Century CE by the Khmer Empire. Arogayasalas all follow the same layout plan and are some of the more common sights of Angkorian design throughout the empire’s former territories, particularly in the area that is now northeastern Thailand.

The general plan of all arogayasala hospital temples.
The general plan of all arogayasala hospital temples.

All arogayasalas are built almost entirely of laterite, as opposed to the finely-carved sandstone seen at most the more ornate Angkorian temples. The basic plan of an arogayasala includes:

  •     Laterite enclosure wall with an east-facing gopura
  •     Single prang shrine in the center
  •     Bannalai library southeast of the prang
  •     Square stepped baray pool northeast of the enclosure wall

Arogayasalas are also, very notably, Mahayana Buddhist temples and not the standard Angkorian Hindu. These hospital temples were built as part of King Jayavarman VII’s massive public works project to rebuild the Khmer Empire. After renovating the imperial core at Angkor, Jayavarman began reinforcing the outer empire with new roads, reinvigorated settlements, and many of these new arogayasalas.

Visiting Roi Et’s Prang Ku (Prasat Nong Ku)

The Khmer ruins of Roi Et were the reason I had come to the province which is as much on the frontiers of modern Thailand as it was for ancient Angkor. Little-known among travellers and often even overlooked by Thais in lieu of the growing & blossoming cities of Khon Kaen and Khorat, Roi Et sits among the northeastern flatlands of Thailand collectively known as the Khorat Plateau or Isan. After renting a motorbike from the One-O-One-Pizzeria, I was off to see the ancient sites of Roi Et Province.

Ban Yang Ku Village

The main street of Ban Yang Ku village.
The main street of Ban Yang Ku village.

Located in Ban Yang Ku, a small village, if it could even be called a village, Prang Ku sits in the courtyard of this quiet street’s modest, modern temple and school. Otherwise devoid of much activity, the peaceful grouping of buildings lies just off a rather busy intercity Highway 2044 to the province’s airport.

The Prang Ku ruins have been integrated into the temple grounds of Wat Si Rattanaram, the main temple of Ban Yang Ku village.

The Prang Ku Arogayasala

The first view when approaching Prang Ku.
The first view when approaching Prang Ku.

As an arogayasala, the Prang Ku temple itself is very small by Khmer construction standards, holding only the basic structures uniform to most Angkorian temples. The most obvious of these is the characteristic Angkor-style prang, for which the temple is named.

Prangs are, in essence, the Khmer variation of the stupa — a pointed-dome structure meant to represent the cosmic Mount Meru in Hindu-Buddhist mythology. As might be expected, the prang of Prang Ku (and other arogayasalas) is not quite the monumental structure of those at Angkor Wat and other grander Angkorian temples.

The center prang of Prang Ku.
The center prang of Prang Ku.
The center prang of Prang Ku.
The center prang of Prang Ku.

The other thing that you’ll notice when approaching Prang Ku is the difference in colors on both the prang and the enclosure wall surrounding the temple. The bricks of different colors are due to reconstruction efforts to make the temple as it once appeared. I do have mixed feelings about this practice, given that it oftentimes ends up doing damage to the original structure. However, I was surprised to find such extensive reconstruction at this temple considering Prang Ku is not promoted as a tourist attraction.

The reconstructed library within the temple walls.
The reconstructed library within the temple walls.
The baray at Prang Ku.
The baray at Prang Ku.

The reconstructed portions of Prang Ku — while they certainly are noticeable with their sharp colors and edges — do make the structure complete once more.

The meditating Buddha or monk inside the prang.
The meditating Buddha or monk inside the prang.

Prang Ku’s location on the Wat Si Rattanaram temple grounds is likely the reason for its reconstruction., As an extension of the modern Buddhist temple, it is also maintained by the abbot of the temple. Within the ancient monument’s prang is an active Buddha shrine that locals still worship and leave offerings.

During the Ayutthaya period, the prang structure was adopted by the Thais.  Since then, the architectural feature has become commonly used in Thai religious architecture, which is uniformly Buddhist. Likewise, many Khmer prangs all over the country (including the Hindu ones) have been made into active Buddhist shrines,  

In most of these formerly Hindu shrines, the traditional yoni and lingam were replaced with meditating Buddha statues (although another source said one of these statues represents the monk Phra Sangkatchai).

The gopura, main entrance of a Khmer temple.
The gopura, main entrance of a Khmer temple.
Lintel carving atop the entrance depicting Indra and Erawan.
Lintel carving atop the entrance depicting Indra and Erawan.
The yoni and lingam, traditional symbols of Shiva in Khmer temples.
The yoni and lingam, traditional symbols of Shiva in Khmer temples.

In the Prang Ku ruins, there is curiously a lingam and yoni just inside the eastern-facing gopura, the traditional entrance enclosure to most Khmer temples, regardless of the era. Considering that the arogayasala was a Mahayana Buddhist temple, it is likely that the lingam and yoni came from the ruined temple base ruins nearby. Above the entrance to the gopura is a lintel carving depicting, among other things, Indra and his mount, the 3-headed elephant Erawan.

Ruined Temple Base

Not far from the very obvious ruined temple is something I personally found more interesting: the remains of what seems to have been a larger temple. However, all that was left was a platform overgrown with tall grass as it had been left alone for many years.

An abandoned temple reduced to only a platform.
An abandoned temple reduced to only a platform.
Stairs at the larger, abandoned temple.
Stairs at the larger, abandoned temple.

When I climbed the few dark and faded stairs to the top of the platform, all that was left was the intact yoni where the interior of the temple’s prang would have presumably been. Otherwise, there was only grass and weeds everywhere over the flat-topped platform.

Such a raised laterite base is commonly found in many of the older Khmer temples found all over Isaan. These usually hold a collection of prangs, In provinces with even higher concentrations of Khmer ruins, these platforms often have 3 prangs, symbolizing the Hindu Trimurti.

Prasat Ku Suan Taeng in Buriram Province on a raised laterite platform.
Prasat Ku Suan Taeng in Buriram Province on a raised laterite platform.
 The yoni standing atop the abandoned temple.
The yoni standing atop the abandoned temple.

This begs the question: what happened to all the large stones that had made up this larger temple? They didn’t appear to have been used in any other local construction or to construct the other intact temple. Paving stones on the ground in front of the east-facing entrance show that was the smaller temple’s original location.

It didn’t seem I would be getting any answers to this question this day as the already sleepy village of Ban Yang Ku was losing whatever commotion it had as the sun was going down in the west. Getting back on the bike in the direction of the setting sun, I was soon back at the Roi Et city moat, staring down the large golden Buddha of Wat Burapapiram welcoming those entering the city from the east.

The standing Buddha of Wat Burapapiram
The standing Buddha of Wat Burapapiram

How to Get to Roi Et’s Prang Ku (Prasat Nong Ku)

GPS Coordinates: 16.077347, 103.734931

Prang Ku is located approximately 10km to the northeast of the provincial capital Roi Et city. Like most of the small towns scattered around Isaan, there is no public transportation system in Roi Et or its suburbs. There are, however, Thailand’s ubiquitous tuk-tuks, which can often be hired or negotiated with to go between towns or other destinations, including to the ruins of Prang Ku.

The Prang Ku ruins are more easily accessed by private transportation, such as a car or motorbike. While Roi Et is not a town with the usual tourist facilities found in other Thai cities, many of the small hotels and guest houses may still rent motorbikes (on my visit, I rented from a restaurant next to my hotel). However, unless you have experience driving motorbikes, Roi Et’s roads are not an ideal place to learn — and the road leading out to Prang Ku is a busy highway.

Taking Highway 2044 out of Roi Et, you will pass a few discreet signs in Thai and English pointing the way to Prang Ku, but these are in white and very easy to miss. The turnoff into Ban Yan Ku village is marked by a metal gate over the road with blue signs attached.

This road leads into the quiet roadside village of Ban Yang Ku, where you will easily find the ruins of Prang Ku near the temple and school.

Fast Facts


Fast Facts

Name: Prang Ku (Prasat Nong Ku) | ปรางค์กู่

Where: Ban Yang Ku, Roi Et, Thailand

Location: 16.077347, 103.734931

Description: Prang Ku is a ruined Khmer arogayasala hospital temple.

Getting there: Personal transportation is needed from Roi Et City, take Highway 2044 for 8km and turn right into Ban Yang Ku. The ruins will be hard to miss.

Cost: Free


Glossary

Angkor
Capital of the Khmer Empire, located near modern-day Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Angkor Thom
Walled city and final capital of the Khmer Empire built by Jayavarman VII.

Angkor Wat
Signature monument and Hindu temple mountain built by Khmer king Suryavarman II.

arogayasala
Standardized hospital temple design built throughout the Khmer Empire by Jayavarman VII.

bannalai
Khmer monument commonly referred to as libraries and thought to house important documents, however, their true purpose is unknown.

Bayon
Signature monument of Jayavarman VII standing at the center of Angkor Thom. The original name was Jayagiri (“Victory Monument”).

Bayon style
Khmer architectural style lasting from 1180-1230 and characterized by laterite construction, less intricate carvings, and Buddhist themes.

Champa
An Indianized Hindu kingdom in ancient Vietnam known for constructing Tháp Chàm, their iconic Cham Towers dedicated to Shiva and other Hindu deities.

Chenla Period
Early period (6th-9th Centuries CE) of independent Khmer states before being united into the Khmer Empire by Jayavarman II.

dharmasala
“Fire house” temple design built along the Khmer Empire’s Angkor-Phimai road by Jayavarman VII.

Dharmasala Route
Important road from Angkor to Phimai and lined with 17 dharmasalas.

gopura
Entrance building to an important structure.

Isaan
Common name for the northeastern region of Thailand.

Jayavarman VII
Mahayana Buddhist king of the Khmer Empire from 1181–1218 who conquered Champa, built Angkor Thom, and initiated massive engineering projects to rebuild the kingdom.

Khmer Empire
Hindu-Buddhist kingdom which ruled much of Southeast Asia from their capital at Angkor.

laterite
Red clay-like soil which hardens when dry and is used in many types of construction.

Mahayana Buddhism
A sect of Buddhism focused on the reverence of bodhisattvas.

Mount Meru
The metaphysical mountain said to represent the structure of the universe in Hindu-Buddhist cosmology.

Muang Sing
Walled Angkorian city on the western edge of ancient Khmer territory, near the Burmese border of of modern Thailand.

prang
Signature monument of the Khmer consisting of a tower representing a lotus bud and housing a Hindu lingam or Buddhist idol. The design was later appropriated by the Thais in their monuments.

prasat
Thai and Khmer word meaning “castle”, “tower”, or “temple” most often used in reference to Khmer stone prangs and ruins, and occasionally for Thai brick stupas.

Sources

Benjamin Williams

Hi all, my name is Ben. I’m a native Michigander with a passion for human culture and new places, and more than that, new experiences. I have degrees in archaeology and writing, pursuing a career in the latter. However, I never quite lost that fascination for archaeological theory. For the past 11 years, I’ve been living and travelling between Asia, Europe, and North America, documenting ancient sites and the peoples who built them, and then adapting them into practical archaeological travel information at PathsUnwritten.com. https://pathsunwritten.com/about-me/

6 Comments

  • kc9krqkc9krq says:

    Your living the dream. The fun is in the hunt. Keep hunting my friend :):)

  • Most interesting. I love the Prangs.

    • Benjamin says:

      Their change over time and between Khmer and Thai cultures is pretty interesting. During this periods, the Bayon style, they seemed to get less refined in the interest of faster mass production.

  • Steve Maidment says:

    Hi Ben, good stuff. I spend a lot of my time about 50km from Roi Et and first visited Prang Ku some 12 years ago when it was in a bit of a state but there were notices up from an archaeological group who appeared to be conducting some work there. I can see from your photos that there has since been a lot of reconstruction work carried out. I’m with you in that I have mixed feelings about this although I guess it shows that someone cares which is a good thing. I have a couple of photos from my earlier visit, they aren’t wonderful but if you are interested just let me know as I cant seem to attach any here. I will be passing along the main road into Roi Et tomorrow morning and hope to stop off here again although the people I will be traveling with are local Thais and although this is their history and heritage they will have no interest whatsoever. Steve M

    • Benjamin says:

      Hi Steve, Thanks for writing. I didn’t know that it was only that recently that it was restored. Do you feel like that disinterest in the site may stem from the fact that it’s a historic Khmer monument rather than a Thai monument?

      I’ve sent you an email as well. I’d love to see some of the photos of the site prior to its restoration.

      – Ben

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