Wat Thong Thua and Mueang Phaniant Ancient Remains 7th Century Khmer Settlement Chanthaburi Thailand

Boran Sathan Muang Paniat โบราณสถานเมืองเพนียด and Wat Thong Thua

Wat Thong Thua is located 4 kilometers from town on Sukhumvit Highway and is the site of an ancient Bot built over a Khmer-style temple. It also has a large collection of ancient Khmer sculptures such as lintels, sandstone door columns carved in various designs, and inscription stones. Nearby is the Mueang Phaniat archaeological site, which includes the remains of a laterite base of a large Khmer religious sanctuary and moats marking the town limit to the south. The ancient town is believed to have been dated from the 12th-16th centuries B.E. (Buddhist Era).

The Mueang Phaniant ancient remains are part of the broader archaeological context surrounding Wat Thong Thua. The site includes the remains of a large Khmer religious sanctuary and moats that mark the town limit to the south.

The site is unique in that it represents an early - Chenla-period - port originally founded as far back as the 6th to 7th centuries.

The earliest Paniat inscription found to date belongs to the reign of Isanavarman I, the existence of at least three Thala Borivat style lintels indicates that the initial incarnation of the settlement predates both the aforementioned ruler's early 7th-century timeframe and the bulk of constructions found at Sambor Prei Kuk. Indeed with the exception of a few scattered isolates, this is the only site outside of far-flung Sambhupura and Thala Borivat itself, possessing such a cluster of artefacts from that early period.

The enclosed area still features a significant collection of ruins, mounds and ancient ponds although the solitary standing structure is the restored laterite pond known as Ku Paniat, which dates to the late 9th century. The locations of at least five, former, ancient sanctuary sites have been identified and include; Wat Thong Thua, Prasat Paniat Rang, Prasat Somphan, Prasat Ti and Prasat Chi.

A wealth of artefacts has been retrieved from the site and have been transferred to museums such as the Prachinburi National Museum, Bangkok National Museum and in the case of several inscriptions, the Kanchanaphisek National Museum a spectacular collection is still housed at the Wat Thong Thua Museum.

The Ancient Phaniat Museum at Wat Thong Thua exhibits antiquities found in Phaniat, with several artifacts predating thousands of years, indicating a long history of Phaniat since the ancient Khmer era. The highlight relic is the lintel in an ancient Khmer motif of Thala Barivat, considered the oldest of its kind.

The ancient site takes a lot of imagination to picture what it once looked like due to the poor state of restoration. The small temple museum that is nearby is the real highlight of the area. It has some really amazing artifacts and worth a visit to see.

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