A week in Cambodia -11/18/2023-11/24/2023

Siam Reap-11/22/2023

Day 5- Preah Khan Temple

Preah Khan, which translates as the “sacred sword,” is a large and grand ancient temple built in the late 12th century under the reign of King Jayavarman VII, one of the most famous king of the Khmer Empire. Located about 4 miles north of Angkor Wat temple, Preah Khan is a main tourist attraction in the Angkor Archeological Park and is listed as Unesco’s World Heritage Site in Siem Reap province. Preah Khan temple was built to honor of King Jayavarman VII's father who in turn built the nearby Ta Prohm to honor his mother.

From 1967 to 1975, civil war engulfed Cambodia and left monuments like Preah Khan in disrepair and since 1991 Preah Khan has undergone extensive restoration work by the World Monuments Fund. It was one of the first major post-war restoration projects in Cambodia.

Much of what we know about Preah Khan comes from a sandstone stele discovered in 1939. Its inscriptions praise Lokeshvara and Buddha while providing a detailed history of Preah Khan. King Jayavarman VII and his revered father are both honored. The stele also reveals Preah Khan’s full name, Nagara Jayasri, meaning Holy City of Victory.

Long walkway before entering the entrance of the temple.  There are four gates that allow entry into the temple complex, and each has a causeway over the moat.

We are entering via the West, which is the main entrance.

Boundary carved posts in front of the West Gate

Giant sculptures of Nagas at the entrance.

Nagas are considered to be divine or semi-divine beings that reside in the netherworld and can occasionally take human or part-human form.

a

The  railings of the causeways in front of the exterior gate show the famous scene of the churning of the Ocean of Milk, the body of the snake supported and hold by gods on the one and demons on the other side.

Closer look at the sculptures.

Reverse view from the entrance looking at the parking lot.

Panoramic view of the outer wall looking at the West entrance.

The West Gopura

First temple from the west entrance.

Entrance from the west Gopura

A 16ft. Garuda sculpture holding Nagas.  On top in the niche is a statue of Buddha

Moat surrounding the temple

Panoramic view of the moat.

West Gopuram entry tower.

A central doorway, which is high enough to be passed by chariots, is flanked by two more doorways for pedestrians. The roof of the main gate at the east has been restored in recent years.

The complex is surrounded by a sprawling Jungle.

We are now at the South gate with a large pediment over its porch. 

Like the other gateways,  the southern Gopuram is flanked by two gigantic guardian figures, which are in a pretty proper state of conservation. One of the threshold guardians is depicted in the typical aggressive attitude to deter forces of evil from entering the sacred area, while its counterpart seems to be slightly more gentle and inviting

Our guide told us that the head of the 2 guardians were chopped off and stolen in the 1940's.

Closer view at the Dvarapalas

Details on the top pediment of the entrance way.

The interior.

Inside there is a super long corridor with a door at about every 15 ft.

The doors gets smaller as we moved further in.

Vietnam launched an invasion in Cambodia in the late 1978 to remove Pol Pot and you can see bullet holes inside the temple when the Khmer rouge were fighting with the Vietnamese.

We are almost at the end of the corridor and the doors are getting a lot smaller that you have to bend down to go through.

On the right is pedestal that used to hold some type of sculpture.

Our tour guide explaining that all the Khmer Rouge destroyed Temples and written records while looters took full advantage of the instability. Statues and architectural elements were taken directly from temples and archaeological sites, often crossing the border to Thailand before finding their way onto the international art market.

Writing in Vietnamese and was carved by soldiers who occupied the temple as a base for several years.  This writing was from 1970-1972, a time when the Vietnamese and the Khmer rouge were still allied.

Linga (Phallic Emblem of Shiva) with architecture Base.

In India and other countries influenced by Hindu theology, including Cambodia, adoration of the linga is understood to be worship of the great generative principle of the universe, conceptualized as an aspect of Shiva. Because some of the Khmer kings identified themselves with Shiva, they placed a linga at the summit of their most important temples as part of their royal paraphernalia.

A large stupa inside the central sanctuary.

Next...Presh Khan Temple continuation