The inner sanctuary
The inner sanctuary is surrounded by galleries with gopuras providing entrance. The lintels and pediments on top of the gopuras contain finely carved depictions of Shiva as well as stories from the life of the Buddha and the Indian epic Ramayana.
Phimai Khmer temple ruins
The inner sanctuary contains three prangs. The central and largest one represents Mount Meru, the center of the universe in Hindu cosmology. It enshrined the sacred linga, the symbol of the Hindu God Shiva.
The central prang contains inscriptions dedicated to the Buddha, indicating that Phimai was built as a Buddhist temple. This sandstone prang was built during the 11th or 12th century.
The two other towers, the Prang Hin Daeng and the Prang Bhramadat are smaller and were built during the 13th century.
The latter prang contained a statue of Khmer King Jayavarman VII, that is now on display in the Phimai National Museum nearby the site.
Phimai historical park was renovated during the second half of the 1960's. It is placed on UNESCO's tentative list for future listing as a World Heritage Site.