Closing the Phimai chapter

A small but perfectly formed lintel of Vishnu riding Garuda with dancers, nagas and vegetal scrolling

This is a final look at some of the iconography and sculptures on show at Phimai Museum in Isaan (northeast Thailand), which I visited last October. I couldn't gain access to the indoor exhibitions as the museum was closed on the day of my visit (Monday) but there is a wealth of carvings in an outdoor storage area that reminded me of the compound at Angkor Conservation in Siem Reap. Over 350,000 visitors go to Prasat Phimai each year but only 10% of those visit the museum.
On a totally separate note, the offices at Hanuman are a buzz of activity just now as Hollywood are here... well, not Hollywood exactly but a National Geographic film crew are using the building to recreate an office environment for a television programme they are filming here called Banged Up Abroad. A few of the Hanuman staff have been drafted in as extras, so they'll be able to see themselves on the international Nat Geo channel in a few months, which will be a wonderful experience for them.

A massive statue of Shiva in the outdoor storage area at Phimai Museum

As everyone will know, this Phimai lintel shows Krishna killing the serpent Kaliya

This delightful lintel comes from Prasat Muang Tam and shows a deity, possibly Vishnu with followers above a kala head

A large pediment on the outside wall of the museum buildings, from Prasat Phimai, showing Indra as the central theme

Close-up detail of Indra aboard his 3-headed vehicle, Airavata

Another Phimai lintel, this time showing 2 monkeys attacking a deity, taken from the Ramayana story

A line of Buddhas meditate above a row of hamsas, again from Prasat Phimai

Lintel haven

A lintel found at Prasat Phimai and now kept at the nearby museum, this depicts a hungry simha lion eating foliage

One of the positive features of the outdoor exhibition-cum-storage area at Phimai Museum is that many of the artifacts have explanation signs to provide you with more information about what you are looking at. There are up to fifty lintels or part-lintels under the corrugated iron roof, another ten line the outside wall of the exhibition building and many more are inside. Unfortunately I couldn't gain access to the indoor exhibitions, so that will have to wait for another visit. The outdoor exhibits are in pretty good condition and besides the lintels, there are countless antefixes (miniature temple reproductions that line the upper levels of larger temple towers), lions, nandi, colonettes and other sculptures om display. A treasure trove for an Angkor-phile like myself.

In front of this broken pediment depicting Vishnu, is a miniature sandstone antefix

This row of five standing Buddhas teaching was located at Prasat Phimai

This enormous sandstone antefix shows Yama on his buffalo

Vishnu riding Garuda is depicted on this lintel from Prasat Bai Baek

This lintel, from Prasat Ban Prasat, shows Indra on a 3-headed Airavata above a kala

In this scene from the Ramayana epic, demons battle the monkey army, from Prasat Phimai

The central deity at the top of the lintel is surrounded by followers, giving offerings, from Prasat Phimai

Outdoor show

Phimai Museum is located on the banks of a river, not far from Prasat Phimai

Here's a brief look at Phimai Museum. More photos of the exhibits to follow. Well, the ones I could see which are housed in the outdoor exhibition area, which is much like an overflow storage depot. The doors to the indoor exhibition rooms remained closed as it was Monday, and everything is shut on Mondays, even though the staff were in the building, but couldn't be persuaded to open the doors. My silver tongue failed to work on this occasion.

Looking across a small lake to the main exhibition buildings of the museum. The outdoor storage area is on the right, out of shot.

A treasure trove of carvings and sculptures in the outdoor storage area

Another view of the outdoor storage area, with numerous lintels and other pieces on show

A perfect example of the lintels on display in the outdoor storage facility, most are sign-posted, like this red sandstone lintel depicting Buddhas in meditation

Disappointment

The head of Jayavarman VII in the Guimet Museum in Paris

I have a bunch of pictures from the Phimai Museum to post here very soon but one of the really disappointing elements of not gaining access to the inner exhibition rooms - my visit was on a Monday when everything seems to shut down in Isaan except the temple itself - was not being able to see the statue of Jayavarman VII, which was found in the ruins at Phimai and now resides in the museum. I've seen practically identical statues in the museums in Phnom Penh and the Guimet in Paris (pictured above), so missing out on the one in Phimai was a real bummer. And yes, it's high-time a proper motion picture was put together about the life and times of this 12th century mesmeric leader who presided over battles, carried out incredible construction projects, major temples as well as schools, hospitals and roads, as well as introducing a new Mahayana Buddhism to the country. They would do well to read the fictionalized account of his life in Geoff Ryman's superb novel, The King's Last Song as a starting point.

A sandstone copy of the Jayavarman VII statue found in Phimai, the original now resides in the nearby museum