Mueang Fa Daet Song Yang

It is situated in Ban Sema, Tambon Nong Paeng. It is 19 kilometres from the city. Take Highway No. 214 (Kalasin – Roi Et) for 13 kilometres until reaching Kamalasai district, then turn right along Highway No. 2367 for 6 kilometres, turn right again for 400 metres to reach Fa Daet Song Yang. The town is sometimes called Fa Daet Sung Yang, or some people call it Mueang Sema due to its geographical look that resembles Sema - a boundary stone. It is an ancient town surrounded by earthen mounds with the length of about 5 kilometres. The moat sits in the middle of the two earthen mounds. From archaeological findings, it was found that the town had been inhabited since the pre-history period. During the 8th - 10th Century, or the Dvaravati period, the city became more developed. Evidence for its civilization are religious ruins in and around the city such as a large number of sandstone boundary markers with bas-reliefs depicting the Jataka stories and life of the Lord Buddha. Some of these have been kept at Wat Pho Chai Semaram in the city; and some of them remain in situ. Some of them are showcased at Khon Kaen National Museum. Aside from that, there are ancient ruins scattered in and around the city such as Phrathat Yakhu and groups of chedis at Non Wat Sung, Non Fa Yat and Non Fa Daet. On 27 September, 1936, the Fine Arts Department registered Fa Daet Song Yang as an ancient monument. 

Phrathat Yakhu or Phrathat Yai is the largest chedi in Fa Daet Song Yang. It is an octagonal-shaped chedi, made of bricks. Evidence shows that it was constructed for three periods. The pedestal was in a redented square shape, with staircases at the four directions and decorated with stucco built during the Dvaravati period. The upper pedestal was in an octagonal shape, built on top of the original one and supporting an old chedi of the Ayutthaya period. The body and the top were created in the Rattanakosin period. Around the Phrathat, there are boundary stones with bas-reliefs depicting the life of the Lord Buddha. For this Phrathat, local people believe that it stores the bones of a respected senior monk. It can be noticed that when Mueang Chiang Som won the battle, they destroyed everything in Fa Daet Song Yang, except for Phrathat Yakhu. For this reason, the remains of the Phrathat are still in perfect condition. In the month of May every year, there will be the annual Rocket Festival, which is the ceremony to ask for rain to make the village live in peace.