Phimai, Nakhon Ratchasima · 15.2203°, 102.4939°
The largest Khmer temple in Thailand and terminus of the Ancient Khmer Highway from Angkor — 225 km of road, bridges and hospitals whose ceremonial gate faces Angkor itself. Built slightly before Angkor Wat, its central prang is widely seen as a design ancestor of that masterpiece; unusually for the empire, its heart is Tantric-Mahayana Buddhist.
Local legend weaves Phimai into the tale of Pachit and Oraphim — lovers whose trials named towns across the Khorat plateau; the temple's Buddhist dancer-lintels over Hindu doorframes record two faiths sharing one cosmology.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Khmer (Angkor)