Category:Kalasin Province

Map Keys
	Large Prasats		Arogyasalas
	Large Ruins		Dharmasalas
	Medium Prasats		Ancient Bridges
	Medium Ruins		Ancient Cities
	Medium Tuols		Ancient Kilns
	Small Prasats		Ancient Quarries
	Small Ruins		Ancient Reservoirs
	Small Tuols		Ancient Villages
	Museums		Carvings
	Depositories		Other Structures
	Wats		Prehistoric Sites
	Neak Ta's		Unknown Sites
	Unconfirmed Sites

Kalasin Province has a central position in the eastern half of the Khorat Plateau, is bordered by Udon Thani and Khon Kaen to the west, Maha Sarakham and Roi Et to the south and is separated from Sakon Nakhon and Mukdahan Provinces to the north and east by the still-forested Phu Phan Range. The province today is above average both in the number of inhabitants and in size although our ancient site listings are few and generally rather unimpressive.

The most important site is Muang Fa Daet Song Yang, a large Dvaravati settlement located in the south of the province and where occupation clearly continued into the Khmer period. The remainder of our scant ancient sites are clustered in this southern area which corresponds to the northern stretches of the Chi floodplain, with the exception of two remote sites located in the eastern region. A wide, flat valley on the present-day border of Mukdahan, is almost entirely enclosed by hills of the Phun Phan Range and we suspect that this naturally defended and fertile valley may well disclose additional ancient sites.

Otherwise, much of the province is not ideal for rice cultivation and the paucity of moated settlements suggests that its population size, and importance, in ancient times were very limited. Modern Highway 213 cuts east-west across the southern section of Kalasin and may correspond to an ancient route which would have connected Khon Kaen and points west to a Mekong River crossing opposite the Savannakhet region in Laos, and area which does display a number of confirmed Khmer sites.