Prasart Ban Panna

Prasart Ban Panna is a single-tower Khmer sanctuary in Sawang Daen Din district, built from laterite with a carved sandstone door frame. It dates to the early 13th century, one of roughly 102 Arogyasala — hospital chapels — that King Jayavarman VII commissioned across the Khmer Empire. Entry is free and the site is open daily from 06:00 to 18:00.

The tower faces east, its laterite blocks now rounded and lichen-stained, with a sandstone lintel over the doorway still showing traces of carved relief. Immediately southeast of the tower sits a small rectangular reservoir, lined with layered sandstone and still holding water through the dry season — a design feature specific to Jayavarman VII’s hospital shrines, which paired a chapel with a source of ritual water rather than standing alone as a temple to a major deity. Frangipani and tamarind trees have grown up around the structure over the centuries, their roots working into gaps between the laterite blocks.

The site has been a registered national monument since 8 March 1925 (B.E. 2468), but it sees little day-to-day upkeep beyond the surrounding village’s care — no fencing, no signage beyond a small plaque, no souvenir stalls. Rice paddies and small farmhouses ring the plot, and the loudest sound most mornings is roosters from the neighbouring village rather than tour groups.

Insider Tip: Go before 9 AM. The laterite blocks catch low morning light at an angle that makes the carved lintel far easier to photograph than at midday, and the paddies around the site are still cool enough to walk comfortably.

Bring water and sun protection — there’s no shade shelter at the tower itself, and the surrounding fields offer none either. Comfortable shoes help on the uneven laterite underfoot. For more ancient Khmer-period stonework in the province, Phra That Narai Cheng Weng sits closer to Sakon Nakhon city, while Ban Kut Na Kham Arts and Crafts Centre makes a good craft-focused stop on the same day trip.