Abstract:
Nakhon Champasri is an important ancient community in Mahasarakam Province with evidence of human settlement from prehistoric times. The area had been developed continuously until the twelfth Buddhist Century or around the seventh century AD. The community had absorbed the Dharavadi culture from the central region, as evidenced by the digging of the moats along the town walls in rectangular shapes with arched corners. Around the 16th Buddhist Century, the Khmer influence had taken some role in the area, with the construction of Ku-noi and the digging of the baray, an artificial body of water, and with the expansion of the moats over the original ones, another moat around the original ones, to retain water for the community. Later in the 18th Buddhist Century, during the reign of King Jayavoraman VII, there was the construction of the Arokaya-sal or a place for the sick (Ku-Santarat). Later on in the same century, the community collapsed. The Lao ethnic group then migrated into the Nakhon Champasri area and settled there, dealing in agriculture in 2417 B.E. They have been living in the area up to the present. At present Mahasarakam Province has a master plan to develop Nakhon Champasri and the excavation site where Phra That Na-doon was located. It is a plan for area development in the primary stage. This research presents the concepts for the area development in response to the above-mentioned plan to develop the area as a major tourist attraction and historical study site. In doing the research, the physical aspects of the area were studied, as well as the conditions of the present community in the Nakhon Champasri area. The concepts of archeological site conservation were also studied. Then the principles and concepts were applied in the development and the conservation of important historical sites, while sustaining the co-existence of the community and Nakhon Champasri. Indeed, once the area has been improved and developed, the community is to be encouraged to help look after the landscape of the archeological site. A spirit and consciousness to value and to feel the need to maintain the history of the community for posterity should be fostered among community members.