Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [383]
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Ban Prasat is 45km northeast of Khorat, off Hwy 2, and buses (ordinary/2nd class 28/35B, 45 minutes) heading to Phimai will drop you off. Motorcycle taxis waiting at the highway will zip you around to all the sites, including a bit of sightseeing time, for 50B.
Sandstone Reclining Buddha Image
Housed inside Wat Dhammachakra Sema Ram (daylight hr), which locals call Wat Phra Non (Sleeping Buddha Temple), is Thailand’s oldest reclining Buddha. Dating back to the 7th or 8th century BC, the 13.3m-long Dvaravati-style image is unique in that it hasn’t been covered with a layer of stucco and a coat of whitewash. It actually looks as old as it is. The crude but appealing image is protected from the elements by a huge roof. On display nearby is a stone rendition of the Buddhist Wheel of Law that is thought to pre-date the Buddha image.
The temple is 40km southwest of Khorat in Sung Noen, on the railway line to Bangkok (although only three local trains stop here). From Khorat the train costs 6B, and takes 40 minutes. It can also be reached by bus (21B, 30 minutes) from either terminal in Khorat. From Sung Noen you’ll have to hire a motorcycle taxi for the final 4.5km to the wát. Expect to pay about 100B for the return trip.
The large Mueang Sema Historical Site, which you pass on the way to the reclining Buddha, has just a few foundations and the remains of a moat. It’s only really of interest to archaeologists and picnickers.
Pak Thong Chai
Amphoe Pak Thong Chai became one of Thailand’s most famous silk-weaving centres when Jim Thompson started buying silk here (for more on Thompson, see Click here). Today there are around 10 mechanised silk factories in the district and thousands of families still work hand-looms at home in every village in the district. Pak Thong Chai is known for turning out new fashions, but some shops stock traditional styles, like mát·mèe, from other provinces.
Because Pak Thong Chai is a fairly large town, it’s not nearly as fun a place to visit as other Isan silk centres like Chonabot (Click here) or Ban Tha Sawang (Click here), but Macchada (0 4444 1684; 8am-5pm), at the southern end of the main road through town, where you can watch weavers working, is worth seeking out if you do come here. There are large highway signs directing you to the Silk Cultural Centre, but it’s been closed for years.
Pak Thong Chai is 30km south of Khorat on Rte 304. Buses (23B, 40 minutes) leave from Terminal 1 every half-hour.
Phimai
The otherwise mundane little town of Phimai has one of Thailand’s finest surviving Khmer temple complexes right at its heart. Reminiscent of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, Prasat Phimai once stood on an important trade route linking the Khmer capital of Angkor with the northern reaches of the realm. Peppered with ruins and surrounded by ragged sections of the ancient town wall, modern-day Phimai still offers a little taste of that historic heyday.
There’s almost nothing to do here once you’ve wandered the ruins, but if you prefer the quiet life you’ll probably enjoy a night or two here. However, those with discerning tastes will probably want to daytrip it out of Khorat.
SIGHTS
Phimai Historical Park
Started by Khmer King Jayavarman V (AD 968–1001) during the late 10th century and finished by King Suriyavarman I (AD 1002–49) in the early 11th century, this Hindu-Mahayana Buddhist temple projects a majesty that transcends its size. Although pre-dating Angkor Wat by a century or so, Prasat Phimai (0 4447 1568; Th Anantajinda; admission 100B; 7.30am-6pm) nevertheless shares a number of design features with its more famous cousin, not least the roof of its 28m-tall main shrine. However, unlike most Khmer temples, this one faces south. It may well be wishful thinking, but tourist brochures claim it might have been the model for Angkor Wat.
Unlike so many of northeastern Thailand’s Khmer temples, Prasat Phimai has been elegantly reconstructed by the Fine Arts Department and is one of the most complete monuments on the circuit. A free brochure provides a good overview