Phimai Historical Park

Khmer Buddhist Sanctuary Of About The Late 11th To 12th Century, Linked To Angkor By An Ancient Road; On Thailand'S UNESCO Tentative List · Phimai, Nakhon Ratchasima

Phimai Historical Park protects Prasat Hin Phimai, the largest and one of the most important Khmer sanctuaries in Thailand, standing in the middle of the small town of Phimai on the Mun River about 60 km north-east of Nakhon Ratchasima. Built mostly in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries as a Mahayana Buddhist temple, it lay at the end of an ancient road that ran south-east across the plateau to Angkor, and unusually it faces south, towards the Khmer capital. Visitors enter over a naga bridge through gates in a red sandstone wall to a gallery enclosing the central prang, a tall tower of pale grey-white sandstone whose curved, corn-cob profile is often said to have influenced Angkor Wat. Its lintels and pediments carve Buddhist deities, the Buddha sheltered by the naga, and scenes from the Ramayana. The Phimai National Museum nearby holds statues and lintels from across the region, the Sai Ngam banyan grove shades picnickers outside town, and every November the town races long boats on the river and cooks its own pad Phimai noodles.

Anantachinda Road, Nai Mueang, Phimai, Phimai, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30110, Thailand

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: Phimai Historical Park opens every day, with no weekly closing day, from about 7 am to about 6 pm, with last entry shortly before closing. Phimai National Museum keeps shorter hours, about 9 am to 4 pm, and like other Thai national museums may close on some weekdays, often Monday and Tuesday, and on some public holidays; check. Sai Ngam is open land with stalls through the day. Buses back to Korat thin out in the early evening. The traps that ruin a day are arriving at the museum on its closed day, reaching the ruins at noon in April, missing the last minivan back to Korat, and turning up during the November festival with no room booked. Confirm current times before relying on them.

Phimai Historical Park on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos