Kanchanaburi

Muang Singh town was built between 857 and 1157 when the Khmer Kingdom was still prosperous.

It was later abandoned until the reign of King Rama I when Muang Singh was rebuilt as a Kanchanaburi border town.

The only archeological site with a religious structure built in the middle of the city is the Khmer Prasat Mueang Sing (Tower of the City of Lions) where the heavy influence of the late Lop Buri arts is clearly visible.

The ancient site is located on a steep bank of Khwae Noi River where the waterway narrows and becomes fast flowing.

The city walls, which were made of rectangular laterite, are approximately 800 meters in width, 1,500 meters in length and 5 meters in height.

The compound is believed to have been the westernmost outpost of the Angkor-centered Khmer empire.

Remains dating back some 2,000 years have been discovered, and artifacts, including temple carvings, religious statuary and pottery shards indicate that the city must have been inhabited from approximately the 12th to 14th centuries.

The historical park is open daily from 8 a.m.- 4.30 p.m. Admission fee is 100 baht. Call 0 3452 8456-7 for additional information.

Visitors can take a train from Kanchanaburi to Tha Kilen Railway Station and continue on foot or by local transport to Prasat Muang Sing, which is just 1.5 kilometers away.

Trains depart from Kanchanaburi Railway Station every day at 6.11 a.m. (arriving at Tha Kilen at 7.28 a.m.), 11 p.m. (arriving at 11.59 a.m.) and 4.37 p.m. (arriving at 5.42 p.m.).
To return to Kanchanaburi, trains depart from Tha Kilen Station at 6.22 a.m., 1.51 p.m. and 4.31 p.m.