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example in Thailand. It begins on a slope 400m east of the main tower, with three earthen terraces. Next comes a cruciform base for what may have been a wooden pavilion. To the right of this is a stone hall known locally as Rohng Chang Pheuak (White Elephant Hall) where royalty bathed and changed clothes before entering the temple complex. Flower garlands to be used as offerings in the temple may also have been handed out here. After you step down from the pavilion area, you’ll come to a 160m promenade paved with laterite and sandstone blocks, and flanked by sandstone pillars with early Angkor style (AD 1100–80) lotus-bud tops. The promenade ends at the first and largest of three naga bridges. The first is flanked by 16 five-headed naga (mythical serpentlike beings with magical powers) in the classic Angkor style. In fact, these figures are identical to those found at Angkor Wat.

After passing this bridge and climbing the stairs you come to the magnificent east gallery leading into the main sanctuary. The central rah·sàht (building with a cruciform ground plan and needle-like spire) has a gallery on each of its four sides and the entrance to each gallery is itself a smaller version of the main tower. The galleries have curvilinear roofs and false-balustrade windows. Once inside the temple walls, have a look at each of the galleries and the gopura (entrance pavilion), paying particular attention to the lintels over the porticoes. The craftsmanship at Phanom Rung represents the pinnacle of Khmer artistic achievement, on par with the reliefs at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Sculpture

The Phanom Rung complex was originally constructed as a Hindu monument and exhibits iconography related to the worship of Vishnu and Shiva. Excellent sculptures of both Vaishnava and Shaiva deities can be seen in the lintels or pediments over the doorways to the central monuments and in various other key points on the sanctuary exterior. On the east portico of the mon·dòp (square, spired building) is a Nataraja (Dancing Shiva), which is late Baphuan or early Angkor style, while on the south entrance are the remains of Shiva and Uma riding their bull mount, Nandi. The central cell of the rah·sàht contains a Shivalingam (phallus image).

Several sculpted images of Vishnu and his incarnations, Rama and Krishna, decorate various other lintels and cornices. Probably the most beautiful is the Phra Narai lintel, a relief depicting a reclining Vishnu (Narayana) in the Hindu creation myth. Growing from his navel is a lotus that branches into several blossoms, on one of which sits the creator god, Brahma. On either side of Vishnu are heads of Kala, the god of time and death. He is asleep on the milky sea of eternity, here represented by a naga. This lintel sits above the eastern gate (the main entrance) beneath the Shiva Nataraja relief.

Getting There & Away

The easiest way to the ruins from Nang Rong is to arrange a ride from your hotel (expect to pay about 800B). Otherwise, srng·ta·ou (20B, 45 minutes) leave every half-hour from the old market on the east end of town, for Laan Jod Rod Kheun Khao Phanom Rung, a parking area at the foot of the mountain used by some tour buses. From here there are many srng·ta·ou waiting to shuttle tourists the rest of the way. They charge 40B per person, though on weekdays you may have to wait quite a while for the 15 passengers needed before departing. A motorcycle taxi from here should cost around 100B, including waiting time while you tour the ruins. Another option is the Nang Rong–Chanthaburi bus (20B, 30 minutes), which passes through Ban Ta Pek hourly. Then a motorcycle taxi from Ban Ta Pek will probably cost 150B, or you can charter a srng·ta·ou for 500B.

Those coming from further abroad should get a bus (see the table above for details) to Ban Tako, a well-marked turn-off about 14km east of Nang Rong. Here you can wait for one of the buses or srng·ta·ou (10B) from Nang Rong and then continue as described previously, or just take a motorcycle taxi (300B return) all the way to Phanom Rung.

AROUND PHANOM RUNG

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