Mueang Tam Stone Castle

Located in Charoen Mak, it is a Khmer castle with beautiful architecture, featuring architectural styles of Khmer Baphuon from around 1007–1011 AD, and the Khmer Khleang style from around 965–1012 AD, mixed in. Most of the carvings are of Hindu deities, indicating that this castle was built between the 10th and 12th centuries to serve as a religious place. The castle consists of a main structure: 5 brick prangs built on the same base, constructed with laterite. The central prang, the largest, is located in the front row. Currently, only its base remains. Excavation of the central prang area has revealed lintels of the prang's entrance, carved with a deity holding a pink lotus, seated above a Kala, surrounded by female attendants. The pediment is carved with Indra riding the Airavata elephant. The lintels of the prang entrances are carved with deities sitting cross-legged above a Kala. In addition, fragments of stucco decorations adorning the base have been found, indicating that these prangs were once beautifully plastered and decorated with stucco patterns. As for the other 4 satellite prangs, lintels remain above the entrance of two of them: the one in the northern part of the front row and the one in the southern part of the back row. In front of the prang complex are two brick buildings, a vihara, facing the prangs. Flanking them are two courtyards surrounded by a double wall. The inner wall is made of sandstone, forming narrow, long rooms connected in a square, known as a cloister. Between the inner and outer walls is a wide courtyard paved with laterite, with ponds dug in angular shapes along the walls at all four corners. The edges of the ponds are lined with laterite blocks built up in steps leading down to the bottom. The top edge is made of sandstone in the form of naga bodies, with 5 heads, raising their hoods at the pond corners. They are 5-headed nagas without head ornaments. Mueang Tam Stone Castle is open daily from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Admission fee: Thai citizens 20 Baht, Foreigners 100 Baht (Discounted combo tickets for Phanom Rung Stone Castle and Mueang Tam Castle are available: Thai citizens 30 Baht, Foreigners 150 Baht). For inquiries, please contact Phanom Rung Historical Park Office at Tel. 0 4466 6251-2.