Khu Bua

Khu Bua (Thai: คูบัว, pronounced [kʰūː būa̯]) is an archaeological site located in the Khu Bua subdistrict, 12 km southeast of the city of Ratchaburi, Thailand. It dates from the 6th century and belongs to the Dvaravati culture, of which it was one of the major centres. The moated town is among the largest of the central plain, and appears to have prospered into the 11th century. Excavation in the 1950s and 1960s recovered stucco and terracotta sculpture, wheels of the law and imported glass beads, most of it now held in national museums.

The remains are predominantly Buddhist, both Theravada and Mahayana, although Brahmanical material has also been found. Sculpture from the site has been used to argue where the Viṣṇu of Pong Tuek was carved, and the possibility that Si Thep held some control over Khu Bua in the 8th century has been raised as a question. The town has been placed on inland routes to the tin and lead of the western hills, and the later town of Ratchaburi has been treated as growing out of it.