Phanom Rung is one of Thailand's most amazing Khmer architecture site, aged over a thousand years old. Built on an extinct volcano, it was originally a Hindu religious site and later became a Buddhist one. Several additions were made during the 15th-18th Buddhist century.
The first thing noticed on arrival is a grand stairway from the foot of the hill up to the top. Most of the sanctuary buildings are made of laterite and sandstone, all with elaborate designs. The buildings are lined all the way to the main pagoda whose layout is according to Hindu belief of the layout of God Shiva’s heaven.
The large main pagoda has a square base facing the East. Exquisite designs on the pagoda, columns, doorway, and lintels tell a story of Hindu gods. Each building features descriptive motifs reciting a purpose of its construction, functionality and beliefs of ancient people.