Phra Prang Sam Yod or Monkey Temple
Lopburi, Thailand

Open : 6.00 AM - 6.00 PM from Wednesdays-Sundays. Admission is 30 baht.

          Located on Vichayen Road, approximately 200 meters from the railway station, Phra Prang Sam Yot is Lop Buri’s best known landmark and provincial symbol. A former Hindu shrine built in the 13th century in the classic Bayon style of Khmer architecture, the compound comprises three Prangs (towers) linked by corridors. The three laterite and sandstone spires, each decorated with classic stucco, are believed to have originally represented the Hindu Trimurti; Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver) and Shiva (the Destroyer).

          During the reign of King Narai, the shrine was converted into a Buddhist temple and a brick hall was built in the east to house a grand U Thong-style Buddha image. Buddha images were later added to the two Prangs.

          The temple is located on a mound on the west side of the railway, near San PhraKan, another shrine.