ปราสาทหินพิมาย / Prasat Hin Phimai
The Phimai Historical Park protects one of the most important Khmer temples of Thailand. The temple complex is located in the town of Phimai, in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima, in the north-eastern part of Thailand.
The construction of Hin Prasat Phimai dates to the late 11th century and was built after a large part of the Buddhist Kingdom of Dhvaravadi was conquered and became the domain of the Khmer Empire. The temple lies 260 km northwest of Angkor ( in present day Cambodia) and had a direct link to the Kymer capital.
Interestingly, it is evident from the statuary of Phimai that the temple was built as a Mahayana Buddhist sanctuary, and in this, Phimai is unique. All other Kymer templers such as Angkor Wat and nearby Prasat Phanomrung, were built as Hindu temples.
The first inventory of the ruins was done in 1901 by the French geographer Etienne Aymonier. The site was put under Thai governmental protection by announcement in the Government Gazette, Volume 53, section 34, on September 27, 1936. Most of the restorations were done from 1964 to 1969 as a joint Thai-French project.
