Prasat Sdok Kok Thom

Prasat Sdok Kok Thom is an 11th-century Khmer Hindu temple located in Khok Sung District, Sa Kaeo Province, near the Thailand-Cambodia border. Built during the reign of King Udayadityavarman II and dedicated to Shiva, it is the largest and most important Khmer temple in eastern Thailand. The site is renowned for the Sdok Kok Thom inscription (K.235) and now operates as a historical park managed by the Fine Arts Department.

Visitors can expect a restored laterite and sandstone Khmer temple complex set in a quiet, open rural landscape. The site includes a central prang, surrounding galleries, gopuras, moat traces, and baray. Visitors can walk through the enclosure, view carved lintels and inscriptions, read interpretive panels, and explore the landscaped park grounds. The atmosphere is tranquil and uncrowded, suitable for sightseeing and photography.

Constructed in the 11th century during the reign of Khmer King Udayadityavarman II, Prasat Sdok Kok Thom served as a major Shaivite Hindu temple of the Khmer Empire. It was built of laterite and sandstone in the Baphuon style. The site is historically significant for the discovery of the Sdok Kok Thom inscription (K.235), dated to 1053 CE, which provides a detailed genealogy of Khmer kings and priests and chronology of the empire.

The temple represents Khmer Hindu religious architecture dedicated to Shiva and reflects the spread of Khmer culture into present-day eastern Thailand. It later saw Buddhist use and remains an important archaeological and cultural heritage site illustrating Khmer art, epigraphy and religious traditions, now preserved as a historical park by the Fine Arts Department.