Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
At the end of the causeway rises the mighty central
pyramid
(24m high), which
consists of five steep tiers divided by galleries into three enclosures (although the
topmost tier remains out of bounds and steep wooden steps now replace the hopelessly
eroded original stone staircases). Each gallery has elaborate
gopuras
at the four cardinal
points - the outermost of the three eastern gopuras is particularly impressive, topped
by a lotus-petal motif and with engaging square carvings depicting the animals of
Chinese astrology. Further carvings can be found on the other gopuras, with intricate
but shallow designs etched out of the blackish, hard-looking sandstone.
The outermost (third) enclosure is also where you'll find Baphuon's most memorable
and unsual feature. Rising above the enclosure, the entire west-facing wall at the base of
the pyramid has been moulded into the form of a gigantic
reclining Buddha
. It's a
remarkable sight, although the roughness of the stones from which the Buddha is formed
means that it can be surprisingly di
cult to make out the shape within the stones - at
least until you've seen it, when it becomes suddenly obvious, like some clever optical
illusion. If you can't immediately see it, try again from a vantage point somewhere right
outside the temple, since it can actually be easier to perceive from a distance.
3
Phimeanakas
The state temple of Suryavarman I,
Phimeanakas
originally stood in the grounds of the
royal palace. Subsequently used for many purposes, it was absorbed into Angkor Thom
around two hundred years later. The temple is relatively small and simple in plan, with
three, steep rectangular tiers, surrounded by a small moat and all the temple buildings
crammed on the topmost level. Elephants (damaged) stand at the corners of each level,
while lions flank the stairs.
The temple is designed to be approached from the east; the stairs up to the top are
steep and narrow and don't allow you to step off onto the first two levels. Once at the
top, you can walk around the surrounding gallery, at whose centre a single cruciform
sanctuary tower is raised on a platform. Zhou Daguan recorded that the sanctuary was
said to be home to a spirit that took the form of a nine-headed serpent by day and a
beautiful lady after dark. The king was obliged to visit her every night before seeing his
wife, or else disaster would follow.
To the north of the temple are two paved
bathing
ponds
, the smaller for women and
the larger for men.
Tep Pranam and Preah Palilay
Tep Pranam
, a couple of hundred metres northeast from the Terrace of the Leper King,
dates from the ninth-century reign of Yasovarman I, although not much survives of the
temple now bar an impressive, 6m-high Buddha, seated in the bhumispara (earth-
witnessing)
mudra
. The Buddha actually only dates from around the sixteenth century
and appears to reuse stones from the original temple, while the head may be more
recent than the body on which it sits.
Further west, set in an area of quiet woodland, is
Preah Palilay
. Of the former temple
only the central sandstone sanctuary - dating from the first half of the twelfth century
- survives more or less intact. It too has a large seated Buddha, of modern provenance.
Thommanon
Consecrated to Vishnu, the small but florid
THOMMANON
Hindu temple was built by
Suryavarman II in the early twelfth century, probably at the beginning of his reign (and
therefore roughly contemporaneous with Angkor Wat). The temple follows the
standard layout of the time, with a cell-like sanctuary, topped with a tower and
connected to a mandapa (antechamber). Gopuras stand to the east and west, although
the planned north and south gopuras were apparently never built and the wall that
originally enclosed the entire complex has now almost completely vanished.
