Kanchanaburi Province: The area around Kanchanaburi has evidently been a centre of human settlement at least since neolithic times, as shown by the excavations carried out at Ban Kao. The excavation in 1927 at the village of Phong Tuk (Tamaka district), a Graeco Roman bronze lamp that was probably cast at Alexandria in Egypt during the Roman Empire, in the form of a bird with a mask of Silenus on the cover-flap was discovered. This archaeological evidence suggests that the area may have been on a trade route running through the three Pagoda Pass, which linked the East Roman Empire via India with Southeast Asia and China. The lamp is now in the National Museum, Bangkok. Later, Kanchanaburi became one of the westernmost outposts of the Khmer Empire and the temple of Muang Sing, 32 km to the west of Kanchanaburi, was part of an important fortified Khmer settlement.

Ban Kao is one of several Neolithic sites on the bank of the Khwae Noi River which were discovered by the distinguished Dutch archaeologist, H.R. van Heekeren, when he was working as a prisoner on the Burma-Siam railway. In 1961, a Thai-Dutch expedition undertook a systematic excavation of these sites, of which Ban Kao on the left bank of the river proved to be the richest location, yielding a large number of human and animal bones, stone beads and stone tools lasting from the Neolithic period (2,500 – 1,350 BC). Most of these finds are displayed in the Ban Kao National Museum.

Muang Sing. From the museum, continue about 7 km to the important Khmer site of Muang Singh on the left bank of the Khwae Noi, 1 km from Tha Kulen railway station. This fertile area, which has been populated since Neolithic time, is also situated on an ancient trade route that ran up the Mae Klong and Khwae Noi Rivers as far as Muang Sing, and from there continued overland to the Three Pagoda Pass. The name of Muang Sing (Lion City) is probably a local folk name of relatively recent origin, although attempts have been to identify it with the city of Singhapura, mentioned as being a dependency of Jayavarman VII, ruler of Angkor, in an inscription on the foundation stela of the temple of Preah Khan at Angkor, which dates from 1191.

The inner wall of the city ramparts is built of laterite and forms a rough rectangle measuring 1,000 metres x 800 metres, with a slight concave bend on the south side where it follows a meander of the Khwae Noi River. Eastern ramparts can still be clearly seen on the east and south sides, and archaeologists have identified seven concentric Ramparts and Moats in parts of the perimeter. In addition to their defensive function, the moats may have formed part of a complex system of water management, such as many other early Khmer cities. Towards the south end of the enclosure, opposite today’s entrance gate, are the ruins of the Buddhist temple of Prasat Muang Sing, built entirely of laterite, standing on a raised laterite platform and surrounded by an outer laterite wall. Like the majority of Khmer temples, it faces east and has a tall gateway on the east side. The principal Tower-sanctuary (Prasat) stands slightly to the west of the centre in an enclosure and houses a standing image of Avalokiteshvara; in the southeast corner of the inner courtyard is a small building of the type generally described as a “Library”, and in the northwest corner is a jackfruit tree. Immediately to the northwest of the main monument are the remains of a smaller, less complete laterite building with a similar plan which has yielded some stone bases of statues.

Due north of the main part is a small museum, which displays some of the artefacts that have been excavated at the site, including fragments of stucco decoration, some important sculptures, and several other images of the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Prajnaparamita in the Khmer Bayon style but of inferior workmanship which are now in the Bangkok National Museum and the U Thong National Museum. Beside the river bank at the southeast corner of the city is a prehistoric burial site where skeletons and pottery shards can be seen. Prasat Muang Singh is one of the very interesting sites of Kanchanaburi Province.

Kanchanaburi City, situated at the confluence of Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai Rivers, lies in the centre of a fertile plain, where sugar palm, rice, sugar cane, tobacco, cotton, maise, and cassava all flourish. The town is a convenient centre for exploring numerous natural and historical sites in the area. The Siam Society will arrange a day trip, led by Professor Emeritus Dr Momrajawongse Suriyavudh Sukhasvasti, to visit archaeological sites at Pong Tuk, Ban Kao Museum and Muang Sing on Saturday, 31 May 2025.