As the northeastern part of Thailand was part of the Khmer Empire (once ruled by the Khmer Empire), Phimai's architecture and cultural decorations were built in
Khmer architecture. Art and architecture shown on the temple itself shows great evidence of the ancient Khmer civilization. ), inside the main prang (principal sanctuary tower). Despite the fact that Phimai was built in a similar fashion to Angkor and other Khmer Buddhist temples, the religious origin of some structures within Phimai's walls are still debated. Evidence of
Dvaravati influence, such as the sculpture of "the Wheel of Law" or the statue of Buddha, shows that Phimai was an important Buddhist spiritual location. Although a large quantity of Buddhist artwork has been uncovered in Phimai, evidence including the large pots that were embedded in some corners of the structure suggest that spiritual practices other than Buddhism were also practiced in Phimai. Phimai thus has been an important religious landmark for
Buddhists. The earliest engraved records of the Khmer is dated from the 6th century AD in the northeast of Thailand. For example, stone
Sanskrit inscriptions were found along with statues and engraved images of Hindu deities, such as the image of
Shiva's bull
Nandin. The king during that time, Mahendravarman, ordered his men to obliterate the engraved inscription. Modern scholars debate about the possibility that evidence may have been lost. Phimai, along with other Khmer temples in Thailand, were built mainly under the cause of the "Deveraja cult," or "the King that resembles a god." Jayavarman II was the most mentioned "devaraja." The
Devaraja cult developed the belief of worshiping Shiva and the principle that the king was an avatar of Shiva. The 10th century was the time of the reign of king
Rajendravarman II (944–968 AD), which was also a time when Khmer control was spreading into what is now northeastern Thailand. Consequently, temples in Thailand with the Kleang and Baphuon styles remain as evidence of this Khmer heritage. These structures shared the same signature of having three brick towers on a single platform, for instance, the Prasat Prang Ku in Si Saket province and Ban Phuluang in
Surin province. Each individual building has its own special features or functions. For example, Prang Brahmadat was built of
laterite blocks that form a square. Or Prang Hin Daeng which translates to "Red Stone Tower" which is also a square but was made of red sandstone. Or the main sanctuary built of white sandstone that is almost 32 meters long. The southern lintel has a statue of Buddha meditating with "seven hoods of naga
Muchalinda." Adjacent to this is a collection of statues of devils and animals depicted from the Tantric
Mahayana Buddhist scripture. Today Phimai is a well-known tourist attraction, especially among people interested in history and archaeology. Located in the middle of Phimai is a small rectangular gallery surrounding the courtyard, which has been newly rebuilt. Within the gallery, there is a
pre-Angkorian Buddhist inscription that tells the story of Prince
Siddhartha Gautama and his journey to becoming Buddha, along with other classic Buddhist stories. The
prang symbolize that the area is a sacred space. ==Within Phimai's wall==