Table Of Content

·THE JOURNAL 01!' THE SIA·M SOCIETY X.V I I VOLlJJ\II~ ( PA.R':r l) BANGKOK 1923. Tssnnrl to :\Tom lwrR nf tlw 8<w~ety April 10::2~. Pri.e e to Nun-Jicmhcrs Tcs. 8.00 .. '\ LON DO:N: LU7.AC &. Co. THE SIAf\1 SOCIETY <FOUNDED 1904) For tho Investigation ancl Encouragmnm1t of Art:-;, Sdonce and Liturature in relation to Sinm, nnd. 1wighhouring eountries. PATRON: HI H M:AJEB'rY 'ri-lE Kl.~O. VICE·PATRON: 'HIS H,lWAL Fl f(HI~ES~ PIUNCE DAJIHWNG I{.A.TANUHHA_B, HONORARY VICE•PRESIDENT: HIS .ROYAL HrGHNl~SS 'l'I·I:I!:l PB.INCE OF KA1\1BABNG BE.JRA COUNCIL IN 1923 PRESIDENT: W. A. GHA.HAM, M:.R.A.S., F.RU.~. VICE-PRESIDENTS: PRY A INDRA 1\'ION'l'RI. ' PnoF, G. OCEDES, M:.l't.A.S .• B. 0. OAJtTWRIGH'l', H. A. HON. SECRETARY: ,T. MICHELL, F. H.G.S. HON. TREASURER: J. G. RAGGJ. HON. LIBRARIAN AND EDITOR: ' PROF. G. OO!iDES, M.H. . A.S. MEMBERS OF CllllNCIL: l:tEvD. L, A. OHOHIN. DR. ELDON R. JAMBS. Du. A. F. G. KBRH.. W. H. MUNDIE, M.A. W. NUN~. 1\-IA,TOit R SEIDENFADEN. C.re\. SEYMOUR SEWELL, 1\'LA., M.H.A.S. E. J. WALTON. HONORARY MEMBERS: H. H. H. 'J'HE PRINUE OF ;JAINAD,-Banukok RfHH'.I' IU~V. BISHQP R. M. J. PERLWS,-!Jrtnyk()k W . •1 . ARCHEH, O.M.G.,-Londori, ;J. CROSBY, O.I.E., O.B.E.,-Batavia. PLWFESSOR F. LORGEOU,-Pmi.~ MONSIEUR A. PA VIB,·-Prwis SJH. Fm.NEST M. SATOW,-London 8IB J. GEORGE SOO'l"J',-London ,J. liU,\IAN VANDER HEIDE,-Benm~ez, Holland DR. 0 ..B . BRADLEY,-'Ual·ifm·nia ltONALD W. GIBUN,-London A. J. IRWIN,-London D1t. H . .UA~'[PHELL 1-IIG-HE'l',-Winoh.ester DR. PAUL TUXEN,-Oopenhctgen CORRESPONDING MEMBERS: l'ROF.Ii:SSOR L. FINOT,-Ifanoi 'J' A W Kl~ IN KO,-jJfwndalay .H. WARINGTON SMYTH,-l'he 'l'runsvaal l'R\.JlnTISSOR UON'l'ii; F. L. PULLI~,-Bolo{/11-11 J:>l-WFESSOH A. UA.BA'l'ON,-l)w·is W. G. UitAIB,-A De1·deen .T. A. OAJ3L:E,-Louo'on. G. 0. H. S'l'IHLING,-Nm·tltern S!,.a.u Stct-tes, lJm•nw. CONTENTS PAGE. M.uoR E. SEIDENFADEN.-An (~.XClll'Rion to Phimt1i l Dn. A. 11'. G. KERlt.-Meteol'Olog·icnJ obHf;J'V<ttions made in Chiengmai, 1910-1914. 21 Notes of the <pU1rtnr 35 Annual Report (1922) 38 Additions to the Lilmtry 47 Errata. Page :3, line 16 from top, read: the construction of thi.s part of the line , .J., line 5 from top, J"tlad : poin,t , 11, line :3 fL·om top, l'ead: i~lentify , 3.5, .list of members rosigned, read H. '0. AntlersCli, not A. C. Anderson t-el ~ :::,i 0 ,"""' !t-el I .:.::.,.i.".' a e:. An Excursion to Phimai · a temple city in the Khorat province. Lecture delivered before the Siam Society on 16th J)ine l920 by MAJOR ERIK SEIDENI<'ADEN late of the Provincial Gendarmerie. 1'hough we in Siam cannot boast of such splendid and mighty temple ruins aB those of Angkor Thom or Angkor W1~t in Cambodia, still we have got some which are well worth visiting as for 'instance those hi Sukhothai, Sawankhu.lok, Lopburi or l)himai-not to speak of others, '':"hich to a certain point arc still :finer, but are far away in Lhe wildernesses of Southeastern Khorat or at the frontier of the Ubon province and Cambodia. Lying in the midst of virgin forest they defy all others than the indefatigable traveller who is prepared to spend weeks in visiting them. Phimai however is not too far away, and can easily be visited in the course of a few days, being one of· the flnest exnmples of Khmer architecture which we possess in Siam. It is about the temple in Phirm1i and how to reach it, that this paper is going to tell. Phimai or VimiLya as its old name sounds is situated in the produce of NakhGn Rajasima (also called KhoriLt) about 56 kilometres or 35 miles toN. E. of the provincial capital of the AtHne name. Phimai was no dolibt fonnerly, i. e. in the dttys when the Cam bodian sway extended over the greater. part of tha present Sittrn, the capital of a big province and the seat of a vice-roy,-subject direetly to the Khmer kingin Angkor Thou~ (Nttldton T~uang of the Siumef:le). 't'hiH fact iB proved, not only by Sl:lveml inscriptions on the walls of its grand temple, but also by the exiHten':le of the remain8 or tt great chaussee rurmingfrom l'himai in 11 S. E. direction down over the D~tngrck hill~> (that formidttble harrier between the N. E. Siamm;e plateau~ Cambodia as well as the Prachinprovince) to Angkor .. the Great, the ancien£ and glorious capital of the Khmer.