On the Trail of Khmer Ruins in ThailandPrepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International
Without question, Angkor Wat in Cambodia is one of the finest archaeological sites the world has ever seen. Visitors who come to Southeast Asia usually have Angkor Wat in mind but for some reason or other they cannot visit the site. Not all is lost, however. Khmer temples, such as those in Angkor, are scattered all across Thailand, and visiting them is quite simple. One can join a Royal Orchid Holidays tour, or through Royal Orchid Holidays Fly-Drive program, by renting a car for a day or two. Behind the driver's wheel give you the chance to linger at a site as long as you want. And the roads, especially in the East and Southeast are excellent, and what is hard to believe, with little traffic. But first, let's take a look at Angkor for a better understanding of Angkor, and why are there temples in Thailand?
Established between the 10th and 14th centuries AD, Angkor Wat in Cambodia served as the hub for the vast Khmer Empire. Administered, at the height of its power, by god-kings like Suriyavarman II, Angkor was connected to these outlying reaches of the empire by a system of military highways. These outposts included Banteay Srei, Preah Vihear, Wat Phu in distant Laos, and Phanom Rung and Phimai in Siam or what is Thailand today.
By the mid-19th century, when the frontiers of present-day Indochina were clearly defined by French imperialism, the Khmer Empire had long since disappeared and Cambodia was but a mere fraction of its former size. In time these outposts were forgotten and fell into ruin. Although Angkor Wat remains within Cambodia, the bulk of the Khmer past now lay outside Cambodia, most notably Wat Phu in southern Laos, and a series of magnificent sites strung like beads on a necklace across Thailand's Tung Kula Rong Hai - the "Weeping Plain" of the lower Northeast.
It's not only these major ruins that dot the maps of this area but countless smaller ones as well. They appear at the most unlikely places. To visit them takes a bit of exploring. The best way is behind the driver's wheel of your own vehicle, or a rented one, and follow a detailed map. There are several excellent guidebooks on the market, including Lonely Planet, and Insight Guide Thailand, I wrote in detail about Khmer ruins in the chapter “Digging into Southeast Asia's Past” in Return to Adventure Southeast Asia. Both Avis and Budget car rentals provide maps for their customers.
Thailand has always valued her historic treasures, and has long their full potential as tourist attractions.
The most important of these sites have been painstakingly and successfully restored by the Department of Fine Arts. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is able to promote a "Khmer Culture Route" in lower Isaan which offers the visitor an unparalleled opportunity to explore the glories of the Khmer past. The most prominent of these is Phimai, the westernmost site and certainly the best known of them. Phimai can be found at the small town of Phimai, 59 kilometres northeast of Khorat, on a turning off from National Highway 2 to Khon Kaen. In distant times the site was directly linked by road to Angkor. There are clear indications that Phimai was the main religious and administrative centre of the Khmer northwest.
The complex at Phimai dates originally from the reign of Suriyavarman 11, during the first part of the 12th century. The temple was constructed with white, finely grained sandstone, in the same style as Angkor Wat. Like Angkor, too, Phimai was first dedicated to the cult of Vishnu. The central sanctuary tower and much of the immediate surrounding which survive today date from this early period.
Phimai may be the best-known and most easily accessible Khmer temple site in Northeast Thailand, but Buriram's Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung is perhaps better preserved. It is my favourite site. It is easy to reach, just 18 kilometres to the south of Route 24, the main highway between Khorat and Ubon Ratchathani. Phanom Rung is quite interesting, being a mixing of Thai and Khmer. It was constructed between the 10th and 13th centuries, but the greater part of the work was completed in the reign of King Suriyavarman II (1113 -1150 AD), during the period when the architecture of the Kingdom of Angkor reached its apogee.
About eight kilometres south of Phanom Rung, on the vast plain approaching the Cambodian frontier, stands the old Khmer sanctuary of Prasat Muang Tam. The ruin dates to the late 10th century AD. Surrounded by a high laterite wall, the complex includes magnificent stepped tanks which have been restored and filled with lotus flowers. The mellow sandstone of the sanctuary walls and beautifully carved lintels contrast with the darker, coarser laterite of the surrounding sanctuary walls.
Surin province is gem for Khmer ruins. Motorists should follow Route 24 from Ban Ta Ko and proceed east to Amphur Prasat and the junction for Surin, some 25 kilometres to the north. This province is closely linked with neighbouring Cambodia. Fine examples of the areas Khmer past may be found at Prasat Ban Pluang, near the road junction at Prasat, as well as at Prasat Sikhoraphum, 32 kilometres beyond Surin on Route 2077 to Sisaket.
Both sites have been beautifully restored. Ban Pluang, which dates from the second half of the 11th century and was once an important stop on the road between Angkor and Phimai, is a square sandstone tower built on a laterite platform. The surrounding moats and ponds have been turned into an attractive garden to very pleasing effect. By contrast Sikhoraphum, which has also been carefully restored, consists of five brick prangs on a square laterite platform surrounded by lilyfilled ponds. The lintel and pillars of the central prang are beautifully carved with heavenly dancing girls, or aspires, and other scenes from Hindu mythology.
Finally, further along Route 2077 we come to the heavy laterite sanctuary of Prasat Kamphaeng Yai. And beyond that is magnificent Preah Vihear (known to the Thais as Khao Phra Viharn) just across the Cambodian border from Ubon Ratchathani. Unfortunately it is not advisable to travel to the site. Although on last motor trip to the area a few months ago, I was told I could make the drive but turned around and returned to Thailand when I heard gunfire.
A Khmer ruin that I really enjoy is Wat Phu near Pakse in neighboring Laos. If you have an ROH Fly-Drive program, you can leave the vehicles at the border and travel by bus to the ruin. You can do the whole trip in half a day, but it's a half a day you will never forget.
There's one other Khmer site I'd like to mention, and that is Preah Vihear. It's located in Cambodia but access is through Thailand. Again, you can leave your rent-a-car at the border and hike to the site. I will write more about Preah Vihear in detail later as I think it is well worth a visit for those who are interested in Khmer temples and ruins.
Next week we will travel to Harry's New York Bar for a few drinks. But what Harry's New York bar is that? Paris, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, or Venice?
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q. Dear Mr. Stephens
My wife read that the best time of the year to travel to Koh Samui is in the summer. I say that is the best time to travel to Phuket. Can you settle the argument for us? Thank you, Rodger Kent, London
A. Dear Mr. Kent,
I hope I don’t make enemies but your wife is right, and then so are you. The Northeast monsoons begin blowing in October and the weather can bring on wind and rain. Phuket then make a fine alternative. Of course, any time in Phuket is good. 'HS
Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)
Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited. | 
