The massive cluster of banyan trees known locally as ‘Sai Yoi’ (sweeping banyans), once covered an area of 25,000 square feet in Phimai town centre with a lifespan of up to 350 years. The banyans once grew in awe-inspiring profusion. When Queen Sri Phatcharinthara (King Chulalongkorn’s Queen) visited Phimai in 1911. She was so impressed by their beauty, that she named the area ‘Sai-Ngarm’, which means ‘area of splendid banyans’.