Khmer temples in Isan
Prasat Phanom Rung
As part of our ongoing work to find potential places of interest, we went to Buriram and Surin provinces in Isaan, North-East Thailand.
In Buriram we visited two famous ones Khmer temples, Prasat Phanom Rung and Prasat Meaung Tam, both impressive temple ruins in good condition. Although much smaller than Phanom Rung, Prasat Meaung Tam is particularly photogenic due to its moat surrounding the main Temple building. During our visit both temples were flooded by hordes of school children and some tourists, not really great unfortunately.
A friend who lives in Surin informed us about some very remote Khmer temples along the Thai-Cambodia border, which are rarely visited, too far from the beaten tourist track. Another reason is the location, on disputed land as both Thailand and Cambodia claim both temples a la Preah Vihar!
Prasat Phanom Rung
We were very interested in seeing these temples and decided to visit them that morning. The first one we visited was Ta Muean, consisting of just a single building with a partially collapsed tower, close to the road. Prasat Ta Muean is the third building of the group of Ta Muean structures in this area and built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.
Prasat Ta Muean Thom
Next was Prasat Ta Muean Tod, just 200 meters away, slightly larger, three buildings in better condition and with a small lake nearby. The 3rd, Prasat Ta Muean Thom, was a 20 minute drive away and the most interesting, with the remains of 5 buildings; a central tower, 2 'libraries', and 2 smaller towers, plus a mix of Thai and Cambodian soldiers peacefully guarding the temple! Interestingly, this was the only temple I'd ever seen with some kind of drain from the main tower. The large stones leading to the tower also show faded carvings, one of which resembles an elephant.
A good half hour drive further on we found the highlight, Prasat Ta Khwai (probably the same 12th - 13th century), again with Thai and Cambodian soldiers watching us. The naga blocks are in place, but curiously never finished. The sand stone tower looks very impressive. At all four temples we were the only visitors and this made it a very rewarding 'Indiana Jones' experience!
For the enthusiast, Phuchan already has a 4-day temple tour, phuchan.com/tour/4-days-in-and-around-isaan, but it is possible to modify it and visit these four unique temples as well!
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Phanomrung and the mueng tam are almost in my backyard, don't want to say too much about it, you have to experience it yourself, but 1 tip go busloads of Chinese people in the afternoon and I don't know what.
Last week a German guided muengtam 2 people nice and quiet
I think this is such a beautiful complex in the last photo, I visited it with my girlfriend and some family, really beautiful and worth a visit.
The area is also very beautiful and very quiet
Don't forget the Prasat Hin Phimai in Phimai, also a very beautiful temple with an important function in the time of building Ankor Wat. There was a direct connecting road between the two temples.
As a lover, I can certainly recommend Wat Po in Laos, accessible via Pakse/Champassak. Beautifully situated on the only hill in the area. Years ago I was there all alone: my driver had to leave me alone to have the two flat tires repaired… . Experienced a wonderful mystical moment. According to some sources, the temple was a resting place on the road from Angkor to Pimai.
Here, a few kilometers from Sawang Daen Din, we have a beautiful Khmer temple. Once a year a large folk festival is organized. All my Belgian visitors were, just like me, very enthusiastic about it! Towards Sakon Nakhon you have a beautiful complex, Phu Phek, climb 540 stairs to have a beautiful view. Another beautiful Khmer temple, the Phrathat Narajengweng, according to legend, built by women, is also located near Sakon Nakhon. The last temple I mentioned is written phonetically.
Beautiful and very specific with its huge rust-brown stones.
I was once told that all the Khmer temples mentioned above are built in such a way that if you stand at the front, say the entrance, and you see the sun rise early in the morning through the back entrance, you can see the way towards the Ankor Wat sees as the main temple in the east.
Alex
We were at the entrance of Phanom Rung at 8 o'clock in the morning and could walk through without even having to pay. When the first buses arrived, we already had enough head start to view everything in peace. https://www.thailandblog.nl/reisverhalen/we-hebben-haar-weerstaan/
These 2 books contain an exhaustive survey of all Khmer buildings, how many have not yet been removed by smugglers, you can let us know on this blog:
https://www.whitlotusbooks.com/books/khmer-heritage-in-thailand
https://www.whitelotusbooks.com/books/isan-travels-northeast-thailands-economy-in-1883-1884
The last volume is the travel notes of the Khmers who conducted the survey.
In January 2023 I made a bicycle tour mainly in Buriram Province along all the Khmer sites that I could track down. The bike tour also follows a section of the Royal Khmer Route between Phimai and Angkor for three days, up to the Ta Muean group on the Cambodian border. The link is below. For those interested, each day's itinerary includes information about the Khmer sites visited.
https://www.routeyou.com/en/group/view/42050/aba-the-royal-khmer-road