Prasat Bai Baek

Prasat Bai Baek is a ruined 11th-century CE Hindu sanctuary in Jan Thop Phet Sub-district in Ban Kruat District of Buri Ram Province. The sanctuary was situated along the old Royal route from Angkor to Phimai and was precisely constructed on this alignment. The Khmer temple is located close to the Chong Sai Taku Pass on the border with Thailand and Cambodia. Jayavarman VII changed the royal road to the Ta Muean Pass, where he constructed an arogayasala and a dharmsala near Prasat Ta Muean Thom.

This small brick temple, consisting of just three towers, was until recently hidden in the forest just north of the border and was challenging to find without local assistance. Since 1990 CE, however, the surrounding land has been cleared for agriculture, leaving the miniature towers visible but in a setting that is not particularly attractive. The most notable feature of Bai Baek is the unusual use of two-tone brickwork - the only instance known in Thailand. The arrangement of red and white bricks - the former used above the doorways - shows that this was deliberate and not just because two different kilns are being used haphazardly. The significance, however, is lost.

Prasat Bai Baek is identical to the 12th century Angkor Wat, dedicated to Vishnu and has the same unique straight west orientation, the cardinal direction associated with Vishnu.

Another feature that sets Bai Baek apart is that the entrances to the towers face west. This direction is extremely rare (the best-known example is Angkor Wat); most Khmer temples are oriented to the east. Again, the reason is unknown. In the case of Angkor Wat, the fact that it was dedicated to Vishnu appears to be significant, although there is no complete agreement about even this the most thoroughly researched of all Khmer temples. Perhaps Bai Baek also was Vishnuite. The three towers, built very close together in a north-south row, face west. The other three sides of each tower have false doorways, as is usual.

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