Some 130
kilometres south of Phetchabun on Highway No. 21, and with
another 9 kilometres after a left turn, is the Si Thep
Historical Park. Si Thep is an ancient town where many
architectural structures still remain indicative of its past
prosperity during the 11th-18th Buddhist Centuries. It was
once the centre of contact between the Dvaravati kingdom in
the Central Plain basin and the Khmer kingdom in the
Northeast. A twin-city, there were over one hundred ancient
sites all built with bricks and laterite, most of which have
crumbled. There are also remains of several ponds spread out
all over the area. Most of the ancient relics recovered are
parts of architectural nature such as elaborate lintels,
plastered designs and Sema stone (used to mark out limits of
Buddhist temples) and human skeletons still adorned with
ornamental pieces.
