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Phimai
had
previously
been
an
important
town
at
the
time
of
the
Khmer
Empire.
The
temple
Prasat
Hin
Phimai,
located
in
the
center
of
the
town,
was
one
of
the
major
Khmer
temples
in
ancient
Thailand,
connected
with
Angkor
by
an
ancient
Khmer
Highway,
and
oriented
to
face
Angkor
as
its
cardinal
direction.
The
site
is
now
protected
as
the
Phimai
Historical
Park.
The
temple
marks
one
end
of
the
Ancient
Khmer
Highway
from
Angkor.
As
the
enclosed
area
of
1020x580m
is
comparable
with
that
of
Angkor
Wat,
it
is
suggested
to
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,
Bayon
and
Khmer
temple
style.
However,
even
though
the
Khmer
at
that
time
were
Hindu,
the
temple
was
built
as
a
Buddhist
temple,[1]
since
the
inhabitants
of
the
Khorat
area
had
been
Buddhists
as
far
back
as
the
7th
century.
Inscriptions
name
the
site
Vimayapura
(which
means
city
of
Vimaya),
which
developed
into
the
Thai
name
Phimai.
In
the
aftermath
of
the
fall
of
the
Ayutthaya
Kingdom
in
1767,
attempts
were
made
to
set
up
five
separate
states,
with
Prince
Teppipit,
a
son
of
King
Borommakot,
attempting
to
establish
Phimai
as
one,
ruling
over
eastern
provinces
including
Nakhon
Ratchasima.
As
the
weakest
of
the
five,
Prince
Teppipit
was
the
first
to
be
defeated
and
was
executed
in
1768.
The
first
inventory
of
the
ruins
was
done
in
1901
by
the
French
geographer
Etienne
Aymonier.
The
site
was
put
under
Thai
governmental
protection
by
announcement
in
the
Government
Gazette,
Volume
53,
section
34,
on
September
27,
1936.
Most
of
the
restorations
were
done
from
1964
to
1969
as
a
joint
Thai-French
project.
The
historical
park,
now
managed
by
the
Fine
Arts
Department,
was
officially
opened
by
Princess
Maha
Chakri
Sirindhorn
on
April
12,
1989..
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