Crowning glory

A massive lotus crown in the grounds of Prasat Phnom Wan in Isaan, with yours truly giving it some perspective

Occasionally you will see them on the floor but normally they will be almost out of view, at the very pinnacle of the sandstone towers that dominate the Khmer temples in Cambodia and Thailand. On my trip to Isaan last October, there were a few to be spotted and I've posted some examples here. I'm talking about the massive sandstone lotus crowns that sit at the top of the central sanctuary of most temples. Of course, if they have fallen down over time or remain on the ground despite renovations as in the case of the temples in Isaan, then you can understand why, simply because of their size and weight. Up close they are impressive to say the least and they come in different shapes and sizes.

A lotus crown in situ, atop the central tower at Prasat Phnom Rung

A lotus crown from Prasat Prang Ku to be found at Phimai Museum

Lotus crowns in the courtyard at Isaan's Prasat Muang Tam

These lotus crowns are from Prasat Sikhoraphum in Isaan province

Closing the Phimai chapter

A small but perfectly formed lintel of Vishnu riding Garuda with dancers, nagas and vegetal scrolling

This is a final look at some of the iconography and sculptures on show at Phimai Museum in Isaan (northeast Thailand), which I visited last October. I couldn't gain access to the indoor exhibitions as the museum was closed on the day of my visit (Monday) but there is a wealth of carvings in an outdoor storage area that reminded me of the compound at Angkor Conservation in Siem Reap. Over 350,000 visitors go to Prasat Phimai each year but only 10% of those visit the museum.
On a totally separate note, the offices at Hanuman are a buzz of activity just now as Hollywood are here... well, not Hollywood exactly but a National Geographic film crew are using the building to recreate an office environment for a television programme they are filming here called Banged Up Abroad. A few of the Hanuman staff have been drafted in as extras, so they'll be able to see themselves on the international Nat Geo channel in a few months, which will be a wonderful experience for them.

A massive statue of Shiva in the outdoor storage area at Phimai Museum

As everyone will know, this Phimai lintel shows Krishna killing the serpent Kaliya

This delightful lintel comes from Prasat Muang Tam and shows a deity, possibly Vishnu with followers above a kala head

A large pediment on the outside wall of the museum buildings, from Prasat Phimai, showing Indra as the central theme

Close-up detail of Indra aboard his 3-headed vehicle, Airavata

Another Phimai lintel, this time showing 2 monkeys attacking a deity, taken from the Ramayana story

A line of Buddhas meditate above a row of hamsas, again from Prasat Phimai

Lintel haven

A lintel found at Prasat Phimai and now kept at the nearby museum, this depicts a hungry simha lion eating foliage

One of the positive features of the outdoor exhibition-cum-storage area at Phimai Museum is that many of the artifacts have explanation signs to provide you with more information about what you are looking at. There are up to fifty lintels or part-lintels under the corrugated iron roof, another ten line the outside wall of the exhibition building and many more are inside. Unfortunately I couldn't gain access to the indoor exhibitions, so that will have to wait for another visit. The outdoor exhibits are in pretty good condition and besides the lintels, there are countless antefixes (miniature temple reproductions that line the upper levels of larger temple towers), lions, nandi, colonettes and other sculptures om display. A treasure trove for an Angkor-phile like myself.

In front of this broken pediment depicting Vishnu, is a miniature sandstone antefix

This row of five standing Buddhas teaching was located at Prasat Phimai

This enormous sandstone antefix shows Yama on his buffalo

Vishnu riding Garuda is depicted on this lintel from Prasat Bai Baek

This lintel, from Prasat Ban Prasat, shows Indra on a 3-headed Airavata above a kala

In this scene from the Ramayana epic, demons battle the monkey army, from Prasat Phimai

The central deity at the top of the lintel is surrounded by followers, giving offerings, from Prasat Phimai

Outdoor show

Phimai Museum is located on the banks of a river, not far from Prasat Phimai

Here's a brief look at Phimai Museum. More photos of the exhibits to follow. Well, the ones I could see which are housed in the outdoor exhibition area, which is much like an overflow storage depot. The doors to the indoor exhibition rooms remained closed as it was Monday, and everything is shut on Mondays, even though the staff were in the building, but couldn't be persuaded to open the doors. My silver tongue failed to work on this occasion.

Looking across a small lake to the main exhibition buildings of the museum. The outdoor storage area is on the right, out of shot.

A treasure trove of carvings and sculptures in the outdoor storage area

Another view of the outdoor storage area, with numerous lintels and other pieces on show

A perfect example of the lintels on display in the outdoor storage facility, most are sign-posted, like this red sandstone lintel depicting Buddhas in meditation

Disappointment

The head of Jayavarman VII in the Guimet Museum in Paris

I have a bunch of pictures from the Phimai Museum to post here very soon but one of the really disappointing elements of not gaining access to the inner exhibition rooms - my visit was on a Monday when everything seems to shut down in Isaan except the temple itself - was not being able to see the statue of Jayavarman VII, which was found in the ruins at Phimai and now resides in the museum. I've seen practically identical statues in the museums in Phnom Penh and the Guimet in Paris (pictured above), so missing out on the one in Phimai was a real bummer. And yes, it's high-time a proper motion picture was put together about the life and times of this 12th century mesmeric leader who presided over battles, carried out incredible construction projects, major temples as well as schools, hospitals and roads, as well as introducing a new Mahayana Buddhism to the country. They would do well to read the fictionalized account of his life in Geoff Ryman's superb novel, The King's Last Song as a starting point.

A sandstone copy of the Jayavarman VII statue found in Phimai, the original now resides in the nearby museum

Lingering look at Phimai

Looking towards the main enclosure at Prasat Phimai, from the pond at the southwest corner

These are a last lingering look at Prasat Phimai in Isaan province in northeast Thailand, from my visit last October. Yes, it's taken me that long to post these pictures onto my blog. Next I will post some photos from the nearby Phimai museum, even though it was closed on the day of my visit. I was able to have a good look at the sculptures in the gardens but even with a lot of pleading, the museum manager refused point-blank to let me inside the main exhibition rooms. Instead she sat watching the television, eating some noodles. Gggrrr.

This is the public entrance to Prasat Phimai, cost of entry 100 Baht

A pediment on the main sanctuary showing a scene from the Battle of Lanka with Brahma riding his hamsa below a beautiful temple at the top

The immaculately tended lawns within the main sanctuary

A look at the central tower, or prang, from the west

The outer northern enclosure wall that is surrounded by the roads of the city of Phimai

The prang of Prasat Phimai as seen from the northern outer gopura

There's more from Phimai

The central prang, or tower and mandapa at Prasat Phimai

More from Prasat Phimai in Isaan. There were few people at Phimai during the time of my visit, so I was able to appreciate the temple in its peaceful and well-appointed surroundings. Outside the walls of the temple lies the city of Phimai and closeby is the Phimai museum. These are just a small selection of my photographs. For starters, you can see other pictures here, here, here and here.

A defaced lintel on the west face that in its original form showed the building of the causeway to Lanka with monkeys carrying stones and other characters

A lintel from the east side of the mandapa at Prasat Phimai showing Rama crossing the river Gunga

A lintel and pediment combination from the central mandapa at Prasat Phimai. The pediment shows Shiva receiving tributes from the gods.

Rama has been captured by the coils of a snake and his monkey followers below are suitably distressed by his predicament

A series of cross-legged wise men or rishis in the top level, with hamsas underneath

The central tower, or prang, in the main sanctuary of the prasat

A weathered lintel above the south-east gallery of enclosure 1 showing a 10-armed Trailokyavijaya and followers

An inner lintel with a seated Buddha surrounded by worshippers and hamsas underneath

An unfinished lintel in the surrounding gallery, giving you some idea of how these wonderful pieces were carved

Taking a walk through Phimai

The Phimai Historical Park welcomes visitors - pity they can't spell

Take a trip with me through the temple of Prasat Phimai in Isaan in northeast Thailand. It's the most important of the Khmer temples in that country so it was first on my list when I visited Isaan for the very first time in October last year. Known as the city of Vimaya when it was originally constructed in the late 11th century, it's orientation is unusual, as it faces south. For many years the temple site was in ruins until the Thai authorities set about conserving it in the 1960s. The mandapa and main sanctuary is highly decorated with numerous lintels and pediments though many have been moved for safekeeping and now reside in the nearby Phimai museum. The main approach is across the naga bridge and through the outer gopura of the second enclosure. Once through that, the causeway is flanked by corner ponds before the inner enclosure contains the central sanctuary, or prang, alongwith three other buildings. As with all of the temples I visited in Isaan, the whole site was almost polished in its appearance, well-tended lawns and no litter. Spoiled by the broken ruins that I've encountered across Cambodia, and the sense of adventure associated with the temple sites, this felt like high-end temple touring for people who don't like to get their feet dirty. A very different feeling from touring temples in Cambodia.

A lintel frieze of eight dancers on the outer southern gopura

Looking through the outer gopura into the inner second enclosure and the prang

A look at the lawns and dry pools that occupy the second enclosure that leads onto the central sanctuary

A lintel with a grinning kala face and Vishnu holding an elephant and a lion in his hands

Monks enter the central prang of Prasat Phimai

Shiva, with 8 arms, dancing on the southern porch of the mandapa. In the bottom right is Nandi, Shiva's bull.

Intricate decorative carving on the side wall of the central sanctuary

A worn lintel of Krishna killing Kamsa above the eastern doorway

The Krishna lintel and a pediment scene from the Battle of Lanka with Brahma present

4-armed Vishnu on a lintel of the central sanctuary, northern face