Retrace history with Phimai Stone Castle

This trip, we had the opportunity to visit Phimai Stone Castle. We traveled by rental car from the city center for about 1 hour. When we arrived, the entrance fee was 20 baht per person. The atmosphere was very nice. #VisitKorat #NakhonRatchasima #NakhonRatchasima Phimai Stone Castle was built around the end of the 16th Buddhist century and was extended again during the reign of King Jayavarman VII around the beginning of the 18th Buddhist century. It has a distinctive feature that is different from other stone castles in Thailand. That is, this stone castle faces south. It is assumed that the reason it faces south is to face the capital city of the Khmer Empire (Virtual Historical Park. n.y.: online). Other stone castles face east. It is also one of the most important religious sites in Mahayana Buddhism in Thailand. It is about 1,000 years old (Phimai Historical Park, Nakhon Ratchasima. n.y.: online). The construction style that occurred around the end of the 16th Buddhist century reflects the faith in religion. And it shows the great power that can bring a huge amount of human labor to join in building a religious site which is like a simulated universe in the human world (Virtual Historical Park. n.d.: online). That is, the Naga Bridge was found, raised from the ground about 2.50 meters, the bridge railing is made of the body of a Naga, located in front of the southern arch of the main prang. It is believed to be a symbol showing the connection between the human world and the heavenly world according to the beliefs in the universe in both Hinduism and Buddhism. The gate arch (gopura) and the wall are located in the middle of the wall, made of red sandstone, the gate arch and the covered walkway are made of sandstone, raised high, similar to the covered walkway on all 4 sides, the main prang is a large castle, built entirely of white sandstone, different from the gate arch and the wall made of red sandstone, located in the middle of the courtyard inside the covered walkway, Prang Phromthat, built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, inside the prang there is a sculpture celebrating the body of King Jayavarman VII (replica), the red stone prang is built of red sandstone, above the door frame there is a lintel carved with a story from the epic of Bharata. Karna (not Karna but Arjuna) hunting wild boar, Brahmin tower built of sandstone and laterite, located on the same base as the red stone prang (Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). n.d.: online) and there is a sign of the construction of Arokayasala, which is like a hospital, along the road from Cambodia to Phimai, according to the royal initiative of King Jayavarman VII (Virtual Historical Park. n.d.: online). #Recommended accommodation #Visit Korat #Phimai Stone Castle #Recommended tourist attractions