Maeung Fa Daet Song Yang is a significant moated archaeological site in Northeast Thailand along the Pao River.

The site is located in the Kamalasai district, Kalasin province on the Khorat Plateau with the Sakhon Nakhon basin to the north, and the Chi River system to the south.

[5] It was originally thought that the waterways may have provided protection for the people living in Mueang Fa Daet but the position of stupas outside of the moat may disagree with that.

[7] Muang Fa Daet Song Yang is a moated monastery with a water reservoir, several scattered structures, and a large ceremonial center.

[6] The site also features Dvaravati style architecture including an ubosot and over 170 sema stones, which are boundary markers that had religious scenes depicted on them.

[6] More evidence pointing to this site being a monastery besides looking at the specific stupa bases are the numerous carvings and inscriptions found depicting Buddhist religious imagery with Dvaravati-style iconography.

[1] Across the Khorat Plateau and Chao Phraya Basin around this time, the early historical period, themes of Dvaravati ideologies, architecture, and sculptures can be found, as there was an increase of large ceremonial centers, changing the archaeological landscape.

[7] There is also evidence that this site might have been a place of pottery production with large amounts of clay and remnants of a kiln left behind[8] The narrative art found on many sema stones is also believed to have originated in Mueang Fa Daet.

[5] The appearance of narrative art sema stones is very limited with the site of Muang Fa Daed having the largest number with a total of 15.

[5] It’s evident that there is contact with others, as ideas, religions, and cultures flow and interacted within the site of Mueang Fa Daet Song Yang.

One interpretation, from art historians, is that the links from the Khorat Plateau to outside contact were mainly the Chao Phraya River Valley in central Thailand, a place where the Dvaravati culture and styles thrived.

[9] Close connections were seen in Buddhist art and pottery styles (cord-marked) between the southwest Dvaravati culture and that of Mueang Fa Daet.

Excavations of the site Mueang Fa Deat Song Yang had many secondary jar burials that were on mounds and surrounded by moats and with them, they found iron slag.

The jar burials that were excavated from Mueang Fa Daet Song Yang included bronze ornaments (bells, rings, and bracelets), iron implements, pottery vessels, and glass beads along with human bones and skulls.