Category:Maha Sarakham 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

Present-day Maha Sarakham Province has a central location on the Khorat Plateau - in the region known as Isan (1) - with the provinces of Roi Et and Kalasin to the east, Khon Kaen to the west and Surin lying to the south. The region consists of a mixture of flat, rice-growing land and gently undulating stretches with cassava and sugarcane amongst other crops. The Chi River traverses the northern part of the province, passing close to the provincial capital, while the Mun River flows just south of the border in Surin. Otherwise, there are no significant geographical features.

Salt production was also a very important local industry in ancient times and certainly would have continued to be significant into the period of Khmer administration.

The location of Khmer-related sites reflects the geography with a concentration of moated village sites and reservoirs in the north and south - close to the fertile floodplains of the Mun and Chi. Later sites see a more even distribution throughout the province and include three intact Bayon-period sanctuaries. The aforementioned salt production also likely influenced settlement patterns to some extent and must have led to the establishment of transportation routes south to Surin and Nakhon Ratchasima.

The arogyasalas Ku Santarat Noi and Ku Mahathat are situated in the south-central and northeastern districts respectively with another Jayavarman VII sanctuary, Ku Ban Daeng, also located in the east, a short distance north of Santarat Noi. The important early settlement of Muang Nakhon Champa Si is also located in that area and shows signs of continuous occupation from the Dvaravati period into the Khmer era.

No large structures have been identified as yet and most of the remaining, smaller ruin and tuol sites are undated. The province is today largely rural as it probably was in Angkorian times. The province today flies somewhat under the radar in archaeological terms - clearly lacking the major draws of for instance Khorat and Buriram - and the relatively high number of smaller sites is again probably due to its central location. Routes connecting, what were certainly more important Khmer regions, of Khon Kaen and Khorat with Surin and Roi Et, as well as the distant but key provincial centre of Sakon Nakhon, couldn't avoid passing through Maha Sarakham.

(1) As mentioned elsewhere, numerous spelling variations also include; Issan, I-san, Esan etc