The Phimai Historical Park(Thai: อุทยาน ประวัติศาสตร์ พิมาย, IPA: [ʔùttʰáʔjaːn pràʔwàttìʔsàːt pʰímaːj]) includes the ruins of Phimai, an ancient city with a temple precinct of the Khmer Empire of Angkor. It is located in the northeast region of Thailand in Phimai County the Nakhon Ratchasima Province.
background
history
The city itself is under the name Vimai or Vimayapura ("The City of Vimais") a foundation of the Khmer. It was fortified in the 11th century and developed into a spiritual center of the Khmer Empire.
In an inscription from 1082 in Prasat Hin Phanom Wan not far south of Phimai, written in Sanskrit and Khmer, the city is named together with King Jayavarman VI. called. About a century later, Phimai is described in the Preah Khan inscription as the end point of a 225-kilometer road that connected Phimai with the capital, Angkor. When the Chinese ambassador Zhou Daguan (also Chou Ta-Kuan) was in Angkor from 1296-1297, he wrote a detailed report in which he mentioned P'u-mai as one of around 90 provinces of the Khmer Empire.
landscape
Phimai was built on a naturally secured site where the Maenam Mun (Mun river) makes a sharp curve to the south and the chakrai channel (Khlong Chakrai) opens. Here the land is a little raised and surrounded on three sides by water. The land not only offers enough space for a temple, but also for a settlement. A baray, the "Sa Pleng", was created east of the city.
The whole system is oriented to the south, with a slight deviation to the south-southeast. Historians attribute this deviation to the turn to Angkor. You enter the city through the main gate in the south, the Pratu Chai (ประตูชัย, Victory Gate) and was renovated only a few years ago by the “Fine Arts Department”. It is so high that you can cross it on an elephant. Further city gates are located in the north and west city walls, which enclose a rectangular area 655 meters wide and 1033 meters long. There is no eastern gate or eastern city wall; they were probably eroded by the Mun River. The city walls and gates were built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII.
The temple area of Phimai is laid out concentrically like that of Angkor Wat: the inner area is a rectangle of 83 meters x 74 meters. It is offset slightly to the north from the center of the outer area. This has a size of 274 x 220 meters. The outer area is also offset to the north from the center of the third area and is delimited by the city wall. If you add the moat that was dug in front of the city wall and was fed by the Mun River, as well as the four ponds of the inner area, the entire complex represents an ambitious model of the universe: several mountain ranges and oceans surround the center of the world, Mount Meru.
restoration
The first written records about the facility come from the French geographer Étienne Aymonier in 1901. The area has been under the protection of the Thai government since its publication in the Government Gazette (Volume 53, Section 34) on September 27, 1936. Restoration work began in the 1950s. The preliminary technical investigations were carried out by Bernard-Philippe Groslier, who through his conservation work on Angkor Wat had gained relevant experience. Under the direction of Prince Yachai Chitrabongse, the area was restored from 1964 to 1969 by the Thai Fine Arts Department. On April 12, 1989, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was finally able to open the “Phimai Historical Park”.
Southern access to the temple via the "Naga Bridge"
The main sanctuary
Window in the gallery that surrounds the temple
Interior view of the Prang Brahmadat with a replica of a statue of Jayavarman VII.
Arrival / mobility
The historical park is located in the middle of today's small town Phimai. For directions see Phimai # arrival. The actual city center is only 1 kilometer wide, so all paths within it are within walking distance. In Phimai there are also cycle rickshaws (Thai sǎam lɔ̂ɔ). A ride in the city usually costs 10 THB (as of June 2012).
Fees / permits
Tourist Attractions
shop
kitchen
literature
- Smitthi Siribhadra, Elizabeth Moore: Palaces Of The Gods, Khmer Art & Architecture In Thailand. River Books, Bangkok 1992, ISBN 0-500-97450-0
- Michael Freeman: Phimaiปราสาท พิมาย. River Books, Bangkok 1998 2nd ed., ISBN 974-8225-36-4
Web links
- Computer reconstruction of the Phimai Historical Park from Calgary University (in English)
- Helpful blog with practical information and reports on events in Phimai (elsewhere it is difficult to get information in English - not to mention German - about this little touristic place)
