Si Maha Phot

One of Thailand's most productive excavation sites is to be found at Si Maha Phot, 23 km (14 mi.) south-east of the town. Numerous remains of 6th-7th c. Hindu temples (Dvaravati period) have been unearthed here. Many of the finds, including stumps of pillars, plinths, boundary stones, sculptures of lions and nagas, and a 2-m (61/2-ft) tall sandstone lingam (phallus) are displayed near the dam. Laterite, found in abundance in this area, was used for the construction, which was decorated with stucco. The most beautiful pieces found include a stone statue of a standing Buddha, probably dating from the 8th c., several 7th/8th c. Vishnu sculptures (the Indian Gupta or post-Gupta influences are clearly recognizable) and a 1.7-m (51/2-ft) tall stone sculpture of a seated Ganesha (6th/7th c.), one of the most marvelous Hindu sculptures ever found in Thailand, now exhibited in the National Museum in Bangkok. Similar rich finds were only uncovered at excavations in Nakhon Pathom and Lopburi.