CHURCHES
There are many facilities for visitors to undertake Buddhist studies. The International Buddhist Meditation Center has details of English-language courses at wats in and around Bangkok .
Most other religious denominations are represented in Thailand . Christ Church hold Anglican and Episcopalian services. The Holy Redeemer Catholic Church hold services every Sunday. The Jewish Association of Thailand has occasional services at the Jewish Community Center. The Haroon Mosque has services for Muslims.
Built on the cone of an extinct volcano, between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, during the height of the Khmer empire, Phanom Rung was an important link on the pilgrimage road from Phimai, near Korat, on the empire's border, and Angkor Wat, 240km to the east. It is highly revered by the Thai people and was the recipient of a 17-year, multi-million baht restoration, which was completed in 1988. The local people are so proud of the temple and the restoration work that every April, during the Songkran festival, they hold a separate celebration to commemorate its completion with a procession, sound and light shows and open-air theatre in the temple complex,.
The only blight upon the restoration of Phanom Rung was that, during the early sixties, art robbers had stolen a decorative lintel that had once graced the entranceway at the east corner of the temple complex. Known as the Narai Lintel, it was eventually traced to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1976 by Professor Diskul of Silpakorn University , Bangkok . In early 1988, with completion of the restoration nearing, Thailand launched a massive diplomatic and media offensive to have the lintel returned. Newspapers printed vitriolic editorials condemning the Art Institute, Thais and Americans demonstrated on its steps, and the famous Thai rock group Carabou had a hit with "Take back Michael Jackson -Give us back Phra Narai." The Narai lintel was returned in 1989.
Since the restoration's completion, the temple is now at the centre of the spacious Phanom Rung Historical Park . From the temple's vantage point, atop its small hill in mostly flat Northeast Thailand , there is a commanding view of the Dongrek mountains on the Cambodian border - beyond which lies Angkor Wat. However, it is for the remarkable stone relief carvings, that the temple is best beloved. Images of Shiva and Vishnu, Naga (serpents), sculptures of Vaishnava and Shaiva, and reliefs of events from the Hindu creation story, adorn the many walls and porticos. But many experts concur that the most beautiful sculpture of all at Phanom Rung is the Narai Lintel, which is now back atop its entranceway, looking east, towards Angkor .
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