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Prasat Meuang Tam

In the little village of Khok Meuang, the restored Khmer temple of Prasat Meuang Tam (Lower City; admission 100B; 7am-6pm) is an ideal bolt-on to any visit to Phanom Rung, which is only 8km to the northwest. Dating back to the late 10th or early 11th century and sponsored by King Jayavarman V, this is Isan’s third most interesting temple complex (after Phanom Rung and Phimai; fourth if you count Khao Phra Wihan) in terms of size, atmosphere and the quality of restoration work. The whole complex (once a shrine to Shiva) is surrounded by laterite walls, within which are four lotus-filled reservoirs, each guarded by whimsical five-headed naga.

Sandstone galleries and gopura, the latter exquisitely carved, surround five prang (Khmer-style tower on temples). The principal prang could not be rebuilt and the remaining towers, being brick, aren’t nearly as tall or as imposing as the sandstone prang at Phanom Rung. However, they do hold some superb lintels, including one depicting Shiva and his consort Uma riding the sacred bull, Nandi. The temple’s plan is based on the same design as that of Angkor Wat: the prang stand for the five peaks of Mt Meru, the mythical abode of the Hindu gods, and Barai Meuang Tam (a 510m-by-1090m reservoir across the road) represents the surrounding ocean.

Begin your visit in the small information centre (admission free; 8am-4.30pm). You can also enquire here about the village’s homestay (08 1068 6898; per person 150B, with meals 300B) program.

Any motorcycle-taxi driver will add Meuang Tam onto a trip to Phanom Rung for about 100B.

Other Khmer Ruins

For those with an insatiable appetite for Khmer ruins, the area around Phanom Rung offers a smorgasbord of lesser-known sites that, taken together, create a picture of the crucial role this region once played in the Khmer empire. Even history buffs will likely find these places of only minor interest, but driving through this rice-growing region offers an unvarnished look at village life and will surely be an enlightening trip. Note that many roads around here are in terrible shape and signage is somewhat erratic.

All of the following sites, restored or stabilised to some degree by the Fine Arts Department, are free of charge and open during daylight hours.

Kuti Reusi Nong Bua Rai sits between Phanom Rung and Meuang Tam, and Kuti Reusi Khok Meuang is just northwest of Prasat Meuang Tam, opposite Barai Meuang Tam. So you might as well stop if you’re heading this way.

Little of Prasat Khao Plaibat is left standing. But the adventure of finding it, along with cool views of both Phanom Rung and the Dangrek Mountains on the Cambodian border, make it worth seeking out. The seldom-used trail starts at Wat Khao Plaibat, about 4km from Prasat Meuang Tam. Walk around the gate next to the giant Buddha image, veer right at the gù·ì (monks’ quarters) and slip through the barbed-wire fence. From here follow the strips of orange cloth tied to trees. The walk up the hill should take less than 30 minutes if you don’t get lost along the way, though it’s likely you will.

Prasat Ban Khok Ngio, 3km before Ban Pakham, is the only one of these sites that can conveniently be reached by public transport; any srng·ta·ou heading south from Nang Rong will drop you off.

Archaeologists assume that much of the rock used to build these ancient structures came from the widely scattered Lang Hin Dtat Ban Kruat (Ban Kruat Quarry). It’s actually more interesting for its beauty and serenity than its history. Stand in front of the big rock at the entrance to hear a bizarre echo effect from the little waterfall.

Also near Ban Kruat are Tao Sawai and Tao Nai Chian, two kilns that supplied pottery to much of the Khmer empire between the 10th and 12th centuries. Today they’re little more than piles of dirt with roofs over them.

You can easily tack on Prasat Ta Meuan (Click here), a secluded Khmer complex on the Thai–Cambodian border. Although it lies in Surin Province, it is more conveniently visited from this region. It’s 55km from Phanom