Prasat Hin Phanom Rung is a one-hour drive south of Buriram. It is a Khmer Empire temple originally dedicated to the Hindu God, Shiva. The site was developed between the 11th and 13th centuries and thought to be a stopping point between Angkor and Phimai. The surrounding plains, much like the rest of Isan, are completely flat and present limitless horizons in all directions. But, Phanom Rung occupies a commanding position on top of the rim of an extinct volcano. The restoration of the site took 17 years and was rounded off by the retrieval of the Phra Narai lintel in 1988 – it had disappeared in the 1960s and was located in a museum in Chicago. 

Above: The Phra Narai lintel.

The processional walkway consists of a laterite base flanked by seventy sandstone lotus bud posts.