Khon Kaen province
province in northeastern Thailand
Khon Kaen (Thai: ขอนแก่น, pronounced [kʰɔ̌ːn kɛ̀n]; Northeastern Thai: ขอนแก่น, pronounced [kʰɔ̌ːn kɛ́n]) is one of Thailand's 76 provinces (changwat). It is a triply-landlocked province in central northeastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north, clockwise) Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Kalasin, Maha Sarakham, Buriram, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Phetchabun, and Loei.
A Sanskrit inscription of the Zhēnlà king Citrasena comes from the moated site of Wat Si Mueang Aem, and the oldest inscription from the province, of the eighth century, is in Old Mon. Khon Kaen University and the provincial hospitals make the city a medical and educational centre of Isan.
History
Several bronze and iron tools used as axes have been discovered in the province, along with a bronze ring attached to a skeleton. A copper axe from the province, of 4,600 to 4,800 years ago (2800 to 2600 BC), has been reported as the oldest in Southeast Asia.
A Sanskrit inscription of the Zhēnlà king Citrasena comes from Wat Si Mueang Aem, a moated site about 200 m from the Suea Ten canal. Brick ruins, a stone Nandi and a shivalinga have been found inside the moat. Chaowanee Lekkla places it 500 km north-west of Sambor Prei Kuk by that canal.
The public source identifies “Khon Kaen province” as province in northeastern Thailand. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Khon, Kaen and province.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Khon Kaen province”, the useful work is to connect “province in northeastern Thailand” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q327533. VIAF identifies the subject as 123175848. The Library of Congress control number is n82061365. Authority coordinates are 16.445, 102.834. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Khon Kaen province”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Khon Kaen province primary sources, Khon Kaen province archive and Khon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Khon Kaen province”?
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- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Khon Kaen province” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.