Inner enclosure

Phimai

Two kinds of stone were used in construction. The first, a soft red sandstone used for the walls, is now weathered and blackened from exposure to the elements. The original reddish coloring, seen in new blocks used for restoration, is due to the stone's high iron content. A more durable, dense white sandstone has been used for the lintels, doorframes, windows, and columns. Notable also are the rounded balusters of the windows, a design frequently seen in India.

The use of a contrasting stone for decoration has been invented and reinvented for thousands of years, going all the way back to the Maltese Temples of the Mediterranean chalcolithic (fourth millennium BC).