Prasat Hin Phimai

Phimai is the largest Khmer complex in Thailand and the most completely rebuilt. It was raised in the late eleventh and twelfth centuries as a Buddhist sanctuary, connected to Angkor by an ancient road, and unlike almost every other temple of its kind it faces south rather than east, most likely toward the Khmer capital itself. The central prang is white sandstone, restored piece by piece using the anastylosis method, so the tower reads as a whole rather than a rubble field. Lintels over the doorways carry dancing figures and scenes from the Ramayana. The whole compound sits inside its galleries and moat in the middle of an ordinary market town.

What you actually see

• The central prang - the reassembled white sandstone tower on its platform.
• The carved lintels - dancing figures and Ramayana scenes over the doors.
• The galleries and gopuras - the enclosing walls and gateways around the courtyard.
• Sai Ngam - the vast spreading banyan grove on the edge of town.

When to go

November to February for the cool season; Isan in April is punishing and there is almost no shade inside the enclosure. Open daytime hours, with lighting on the prang in the evening. A festival with boat races and sound-and-light performances is held in November, when the town books out well in advance.

Honest expectations

Getting here means a bus to Nakhon Ratchasima and another local leg, which eats a morning. The restoration is thorough enough that some visitors find it feels rebuilt rather than ancient. The best lintels and sculpture have been moved to the museum a short walk away, which is a separate ticket. Midday heat on open stone is severe.

Nearby

The Phimai National Museum nearby and Phanom Rung a couple of hours southeast.