the complex seen from above

The Phimai temple marks one end of the Ancient Khmer Highway from Angkor. As the enclosed area of 1020x580m it is comparable in size with that of Angkor Wat and must have been an important city in the Khmer empire. Most buildings are from the late 11th to the late 12th century, built in the Baphuon and Bayon style. Even though the Khmer at that time were Hindu, the temple was built as a Buddhist temple, as Buddhism in the Korat area dated back to the 7th century.