Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
statue. It is yet another of Angkor's mysteries. The original of the statue is held at Phnom
Penh's National Museum, and various theories have been advanced to explain its mean-
ing. Legend has it that at least two of the Angkor kings had leprosy, and the statue may
represent one of them. Another theory - a more likely explanation - is that the statue is of
Yama, the god of death, and that the Terrace of the Leper King housed the royal cremat-
orium.
The front retaining walls of the terrace are decorated with at least five tiers of meticu-
lously executed carvings of seated
apsaras;
other figures include kings wearing pointed
diadems, armed with short double-edged swords and accompanied by the court and prin-
cesses, the latter adorned with beautiful rows of pearls.
On the southern side of the Terrace of the Leper King (facing the Terrace of Elephants),
there is access to the front wall of a hidden terrace that was covered up when the outer
structure was built - a terrace within a terrace. The four tiers of
apsaras
and other figures,
including
nagas,
look as fresh as if they had been carved yesterday, thanks to being
covered up for centuries. Some of the figures carry fearsome expressions. As you follow
the inner wall of the Terrace of the Leper King, notice the increasingly rough chisel marks
on the figures, an indication that this wall was never completed, like many of the temples
at Angkor.
CUNNING LINGAS
Fertility symbols are prominent around the temples of Angkor. The
linga
is a phallic symbol and
would have originally been located within the towers of most Hindu temples. It sits inside a
yoni,
the
female fertility symbol, combining to produce holy water, charged with the sexual energy of creation.
Brahmans poured the water over the
linga
and it drained through the
yoni
and out of the temples
through elaborate gutters to anoint the pilgrims outside.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Terrace of
Elephants
The 350m-long Terrace of Elephants was used as a giant viewing stand for public cere-
monies and served as a base for the king's grand audience hall. As you stand here, try to
imagine the pomp and grandeur of the Khmer empire at its height, with infantry, cavalry,
