The oldest part of this magnificent complex is 1,000 years old. A long walkway and flight of steps leads from the portal at Muang Tum to the middle sanctuary at Phanom Rung. The Hindu shrine at the top was meant to represent Shiva’s heavenly palace, Mt Kailash, and is still an awesome sight.
Phanom Rung was on the Angkor Highway which ran between Angkor Thom and Phimai when the Khmer Empire was at its zenith. Modern travellers have easier transport options for travelling to Phanom Rung than the ancient Khmers did.
Although it is 30kms from Phanom Rung, Nang Rong is the nearest town of any decent size. It is served by buses from Bangkok’s Morchit Terminal as well as other Isarn towns including Muang Buriram, Surin, Korat and Aranyaprathet. Once in Nang Rong, it is easy enough to arrange transport to Phanom Rung.
12GO Asia can help you with bus and train tickets to destinations in Isarn and throughout Thailand.
Buriram and the Phanom Rung Khmer temple ruins
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There are several ancient Khmer temple ruins scattered around the lower half of Thailand’s eastern Isarn region. For location, Phanom Rung is hard to beat. These nicely preserved ruins are perched 400 metres above the surrounding plains of Buriram Province. The site is actually an extinct volcano.