The spectacular ruins of the Khmer temple sanctuary of Prasat Phanom Rung and nearby Prasat Muang Tam are just a two-hour drive from Nakhon Ratchasima, more commonly known as Korat, in the southernmost part of the Isaan, Thailand’s large north-eastern region.
Popular with Thai tourists, the Isaan is relatively off-the-beaten-track for foreign travellers. It was that, and a magazine assignment, that motivated us to do a road trip of the region.
We’ve only had a few hours sleep, arriving late the night before on a bus from Bangkok, when at 4am we pile into the car in the pitch-black dark with our cameras and tripod. Bleary-eyed we may be, but it’s hard not to be energised at the prospect of seeing the sunrise at Prasat Phanom Rung.
It turns out to be a two-hour drive through a deluge in what is the country’s driest month, and the journey is somewhat dreamlike. We both doze for most of the drive and when I pry my eyes open, glimpses of the wipers sweeping water across the windscreen, rain hitting the glassy bitumen road, the headlights of oncoming cars, and locals kneeling to offer alms to monks imprint themselves on my memory.
The downpour slows to a drizzle by the time the first light appears on the horizon. The black sky turns cobalt blue then transforms into pastel pink and peach by the time the car pulls up at the entrance. By the time Terence and I are climbing the stairs to Prasat Phanom Rung, the rain has stopped completely and the sky is baby blue. Just a few puddles hint at the overnight torrent.
So why have we gotten up at such an ungodly hour to travel to this place Buddhists and Hindus regard as ‘home of the gods’? We’ve missed by one week the rare spectacle that is ‘the miracle of Khao Phanom Rung’, when at sunrise the sanctuary doors are so perfectly aligned that on a cloudless day a single shaft of light shines through all fifteen temple doorways. The partial illumination that occurs over following days is also meant to be special so we’re hoping to capture something of the event’s magic.
When we first see the splendid temple complex set on the summit of an extinct volcano, from the top of the steep narrow stairs, our original intention no longer matters. Built between the 10th and 13th centuries, overlooking lotus ponds and set within lush gardens of crimson frangipani, Phanom Rung – ‘big mountain’ in Khmer – is breathtaking.
We’re satisfied to simply clamber the ruins, taking in the intricate carvings and ambling the grounds of what Hindus believe is the heavenly home of Shiva. We’re so enchanted by the temple and setting that we almost miss the sunlight illuminating the temple’s interior rooms and catch it just before it passes.
Considered by many to be the finest example of Khmer architecture in Thailand, Prasat Phanom Rung is the second most significant Khmer temple in the Isaan region. The most important, second only to the Khmer city complexes in Cambodia, is sprawling Prasat Hin Phimai, 60km northeast of Korat, where we’ll head later that day.
Yet bafflingly, apart from a Thai family arriving to pay homage to the deities as we leave, we’re the only visitors at Prasat Phanom Rung that morning. It’s the same case at nearby Prasat Muang Tam or ‘temple of the lower city’, situated 8km away, down on the plains, in a tranquil farming village that is surrounding by verdant rice paddies.
Not as highly ranked as Prasat Phanom Rung, it’s thought that Prasat Muang Tam was a place of worship for pilgrims to Prasat Phanom Rung and for the local community, as inscriptions dedicated to the goddesses of water and of rice ask for protection.
Only a few children play among the ruins of Prasat Muang Tam, yet it’s equally as elegant, and, its setting among shady trees, manicured lawns and more lotus ponds, is just as captivating as that of Prasat Phanom Rung.
If you’re staying at a Dusit hotel or you drop into one of their restaurants or bars, pick up a complimentary copy of the current issue of the hotel magazine, EIGHT, which features our Isaan road trip story.
TRIP ESSENTIALS
When to Go: while visited by Thai tourists and expats married to Thais, the Isaan region is for foreign travellers about as off-the-beaten-track as travel gets in Thailand so there’s no period when you need to avoid the high season crowds of other regions. Contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Surin Office ++66 (0) 4451 4447 or check the website www.tatnews.org for dates for the astrological event The Miracle of the Khao Phanom Rung, or The Ascent of Khao Phanom Rung.
Getting There: we took a bus to Korat from Bangkok’s colossal Northern Bus Terminal. Take the BTS to Mo Chit and then get a taxi; ask the BTS staff to write down the name of the terminal in Thai to give to the taxi driver. Once at the bus terminal, the ground floor Information Desk staff can direct you up to the ticket windows for the Korat buses. Tickets cost us the equivalent of US$10 each and the trip – in the rain – took 4.5 hours. It was an old bus but seats were super-spacious, there was a movie, and snacks and softdrinks were distributed.
Getting Around: we’ve driven hire cars the length and breadth of Thailand, where Terence finds driving fairly easy. We’d highly recommend it. As we were on assignment this trip, which means Terence is shooting photos from the time he wakes until the time he sleeps, we hired a driver. It took us a long time and our best contacts to find an English-speaking driver in the Isaan, but it was worth it, he was brilliant. Narawat is knowledgeable and flexible; his number is 081 579 0388.
Accommodation: In Korat, we were hosted by the Dusit Princess Korat, the city’s most luxurious hotel, where we were given a very comfortable suite. The hotel has two good restaurants and a cocktail bar, which does potent martinis that can all too easily be knocked back after a long day on the road (ouch) and there are plenty of food stalls close by. Booked online (www.dusit.com), the best rate for rooms is 1,550 Baht or about US$50/£31/35 Euros at today’s exchange rate.
2 comments
Asaf Braverman says:
July 12, 2011 at 8:15 pm (UTC 10 )
Thanks for opening a window into this hidden gem. Having been to Seam Riep in Cambodia and seen the many Khmer temples there, I am delighted to learn there are more across the border. I will keep Prasat Phanom Run and Prasta Muang Tam in mind for our next visit to Thailand.
Lara Dunston says:
July 15, 2011 at 6:40 pm (UTC 10 )
Hi Asaf – so glad you’ve discovered these through us. Did you see our post on Prasat Phimai also? You can include it on the same trip. If you’re coming from Bangkok and basing yourself at Khorat you could easily do them in a weekend, although it’s an interesting region to spend longer in if you have time. We actually went to Siem Reap and all the Angkor temples after visiting these. Absolutely loved them! Thanks for dropping by!