Prang Ban Si Da

A single leaning laterite tower is what actually survives at Prang Ban Si Da — not the three-prang complex some older travel listings describe, which mixes it up with a larger site elsewhere in the northeast. It stands on the grounds of Wat Phra Prang Sida in Sida district, about 85 km from central Nakhon Ratchasima, and entry is free.

Local heritage records place the tower among the region’s earlier Khmer-period religious structures, built in laterite rather than the carved sandstone of the better-known Prasat Hin Phimai, which it’s said to predate. The tower faces east, with the other three sides built as false doors — a standard Khmer sanctuary layout rather than a working set of entrances. Restoration has replaced deteriorated sections at the base with new laterite blocks, and the tower now leans enough that the Fine Arts Department has flagged it for ongoing conservation. The temple has since added a semicircular platform around the base (the original was square), an antiquities storage building, and two large Buddha statues nearby, so what you see today is a working mix of ancient core and modern temple additions rather than an untouched ruin.

Watch out: Don’t come expecting a Phimai-scale complex. This is one modest, weathered tower inside a working village temple — worth the detour if you’re already in Sida district or curious about the region’s older Khmer sites, not a standalone day-trip destination from Korat city.

The surrounding temple functions as a local knowledge and Khmer-art study centre, and the site draws crowds during Songkran when the community holds celebrations around it. To get here from Korat, take Highway 2 toward Khon Kaen, then Highway 202, turning off toward Sida district for the final stretch — there’s no direct public transport, so a car or motorbike is necessary. Pair the visit with Sema Ancient Remains in Sung Noen district for another early archaeological site in the province, or start from the Korat hub for the wider area.