The way to Ban Kruat Quarry meanders along rural roads passing through a landscape of rice paddy and tapioca plantations interspersed with ponds and remnants of the forest that once covered this area. The roads are tarmaced for the most part but in places are deeply potholed. An all-weather concrete surface takes you the final few kilometers.

The quarry entrance is marked by two weathered outcrops of sandstone showing layers laid down during the Mesozoic era 186 to 250 million years ago. At times throughout this period areas of northeastern Thailand and Cambodia were under a shallow sea with silt and sand being washed down from higher ground, the layers eventually forming the sandstone so sort after by the Khmer craftsmen. Millions of years ago, the Cambodian landmass pushed up against northeastern Thailand causing the leading edge of the Thai plate to raise. The result can be seen in the dramatic Dangrak mountain range with an average elevation of 500 meters above sea level. Its comparatively gentle slope on the Thai side contrasts strikingly with the almost shear escarpment dropping into Cambodia. In places the sandstone has weathered leaving behind boulders and exposed outcrops sculptured by the forces of nature. The quarry is an expansive boulder field covering over 480 hectares of pleasantly rolling countryside, with rocks scattered amongst shady woods, open scrub, tapioca and rubber plantations. Sandstone could be carved in detail and was structurally robust but required a skilled work force to extract, transport and then hoist it into position.

The quarrymen scoured the terrain searching for suitable stone amongst the thousands of boulders and exposed outcrops. From the remains visible today it would appear that many of the blocks were destined for eventual use as lintels and up stands though there are smaller, square blocks in a few locations. Thankfully for visitors a good selection is easily accessible from the car park with a concrete path winding its way up the hill.

To extract the blocks the outline would be marked using parallel lines of small, chiseled indentations about 15 to 20 cm apart, some still visible today. Then the stone between the lines was chipped away forming a deep trench around the block. Once completed the huge slabs lay like giant shortbread biscuits ready to be freed. Extraction started by removing the unwanted stone at the side to expose the bottom of the trench. Using chisels as wedges they would hammer into the base until the block cracked along the stress line. These marks can still be seen on some bedrock like claw marks. Several blocks would be prepared in this way, each one cut free and removed in turn as its base became exposed. It is still possible to see this process in its various stages of completion from stones bearing dotted tramlines like fossilized perforations, all the way through to complete blocks ready to be cut free. In some locations the stones have long since been removed leaving behind a shallow indentation in the bedrock like impressions on a pillow where someone once lay. To move the blocks, holes were drilled in their sides into which large wooden pegs were driven. Ropes were attached to the pegs and the stones hauled out by teams of ox or elephants and dragged away.

Ancient Khmer monuments often give the appearance of being jumbled up with masonry joins and holes cutting through intricately carved panels with no relation to the design. This is due to the building method; the roughly dressed stones were hoisted into positioned then carved in detail later. Finally the holes and gaps were filled and the buildings painted hiding the blemishes we see exposed today.

Long ago the hills would have resounded to the clank of hammers and chisels, men calling out instructions, the creaking of rope coming under strain and the dull thud and grinding of blocks being pulled free. Today the hills are silent except for the sounds of nature. Only the scattered, scarred rocks bear witness to the industry of the past. Though not as spectacular as the completed temples, Ban Kruat is nonetheless archeologically important and a rewarding departure from the usual tour destinations for those in search of historical and cultural curiosities.

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