Was Prasat Phanom Rung consecrated coinciding with a solar eclipse?
The author has often been asked if Prasat Phanom Rung could have been consecrated coinciding with a solar eclipse on a day when the sun rose aligned with the structure of the temple. If the question implicates a total solar eclipse, the answer is: No! Total solar eclipses are much rarer than total lunar eclipses. From 700 AD to 931 AD(13) only one total eclipse was visible from Prasat Phanom Rung: 23 March 768, and did not coincide with the day when the sun rose illuminating the deity inside the central brick tower. 18 full moons months later, 5 September 769, the sun rose partially eclipsed (6%) and nearly aligned with the structure. In the 9th century AD we only have two candidates(14): Both partial solar eclipses and both one day after the sun rose aligned with the structure. None of the above described solar eclipses seem to be significant enough to connect the consecration of Prasat Phanom Rung to a past solar eclipse. Extending the above question to include lunar eclipses, the co
