Muang Sing, or Lion City, preserves the remains of a 13th-century Khmer outpost that may have been a relay point for trade along Mae Nam Khwae Noi. The restored ruins show a Bayon style of architecture and were built for Mahayana Buddhism. The park's remaining shrines are constructed mostly of laterite blocks and are spread around a 102-hectare forested compound surrounded by a huge city wall.
Around the wall are additional layers of ramparts and moats, which are visible outside the main entrance. The ponds inside the wall were probably used for religious purposes.
There are two large main monuments and the remants of two others. The principal shrine, Prasat Muang Sing , is in the centre and faces east (the cardinal direction of most Angkor temples). Inside are replica statues of the eight-armed Bodhisattva Avalokitesavara and the goddess Prajnaparamita; the latter was probably installed in the other large shrine.
Outside the wall, right next to the river, is a burial site that shows two skeletons, pottery and jewellery thought to date back 2000 years.
Muang Sing is 40km west of Kanchanaburi. Tha Kilen train station (100B) is a 1.5km walk away, but it's best to come with your own transport since the trains are infrequent and the grounds are large.
