The town of many castles

ONCE A QUIET backwater in the lower Northeast, Buri Ram is now drawing visitors from all over the world for its castles and not just the kind that date back more than a millennium.

First, there was the 32,600-seat, FIFA-standard football stadium that’s home to Thailand’s 2011 and 2013 champions Buriram United, more correctly known as the I-Mobile Stadium. Then came the Buriram United International Circuit (BRIC), home to the country’s motorsport, and more recently the Amari Buriram United, Thailand’s first football-themed hotel.

And Buri Ram has just become home to another major landmark, Buriram Castle, a sparkling new lifestyle community mall that’s been pulling in the crowds since its soft opening last year.

 “We have designed these landmark destinations in Buri Ram to create jobs and income for local people. Buriram Castle will increase this city’s assets in the surrounding land area. These venues bring in new numbers. In the past, Buri Ram was merely a city to pass through and we were lucky to see 600,000 visitors a year. The Buriram United Football Club brought this up to 1.8 million tourists a year. The opening of the racetrack and Buriram Castle further integrate the city’s tourism and we anticipate that we will soon surpass 2.5 million people per year. Assuming they each spend an average of Bt2,000, that brings in at least Bt4-Bt5 billion per year,” said Newin Chidchob, owner of Buriram United Football Club, during the grand opening of Buriram Castle.

The lifestyle mall is home to several well-known restaurants and a food court that has gathered leading providers of quality food. The mall is also brimming with shops and hosts the Buriram Mega Store as well as a spa and beauty zone. A playground for the kids will open soon. Visitors will be able to shop for souvenirs developed by the Buriram brand right at the entrance. 

Another highlight is the 12 Shiva Garden park, a green space boasting large, colourful gardens of orchids and rare plants. It is also the location of the “Great Siwa Leung”, a lingam carved of sandstone and standing more than nine metres tall, making it the largest in the world. It is surrounded by a stone garden of Kamasutra carvings depicting the sacred lovemaking of the gods, which represents the birth of the universe. A jogging path allows visitors and exercise enthusiasts to make their way around the castle and enjoy the beauty.

Buriram Castle is located between I-Mobile Stadium and the Chang International Circuit (BRIC) and is designed after village settlements, which thrived around the stone castle in the past. 

Buriram Castle is also home to a a reconstruction of the Khmer Hindu temple complex Prasat Phanom Rung and the positioning of the building has been perfectly calculated so that the sunset shines through the door exactly as at Phanom Rung. Inside is a Trophy Hall of Fame in which the local people take great pride.