[2024 Siem Reap Attraction] Travel Guide for Preah Ponlea Sdach Komlong (Terrace Of The Leper King) (Updated Oct)
Historical Sites
Statues/Sculptures
Address:
Leper King Terrace, Siem Reap
Opening times:
Opens at 7:30-17:30Open
Recommended sightseeing time:
30 minutes
The Terrace of the Leper King
Don’t miss:
- the nine-headed nagas
- the ladies wear a crown of nagas
- beautiful carvings in the inner wall as well as the exterior wall
The Terrace of the Leper King (or Leper King Terrace) is located in the northwest corner of the Royal Square of Angkor Thom, Cambodia. The statue was called the "Leper King" because discolouration and moss growing on it was reminiscent of a person with leprosy, and also because of a Cambodian legend of an Angkorian king Yasovarman I who had leprosy.
Some scholars thought that the statue represented Kubera, guarding the underworlds with his yakshas, but some considered the statue as Yama, the god of the dead.
The Terrace of the Leper King has carvings of nagas (dragons), demons and various mythical beings. The inner wall was built first, and the outer wall was added later covering the inner wall. Archaeologists excavated the inner wall in the late 1990s.
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.
#historical #temples #awesomepic #2023旅行願望 #2023trip #2023travel #2023travelwish
TimentoDiver
The Royal Palace ground
#bucketlistreboot
The terrace of the leper king was built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. Both the terrace of the elephant to the south and the terrace of the leper to the north, form the eastern boundary of the royal palace grounds
It is around 600 metres north from the Bayon temple.
The unusual name comes from a 15th century statue Hindu god Yama that was completely covered in moss and locals thought it resembled somebody with leprosy.
The terrace is 25 metres long completely covered in cravings, mostly female celestial beings, Garudas and Naga snakes.
The terrace is one of the most visited sites in Angkor Park, it is located at the centre, whichever way you go, will pass this spot.
Raymond TCY
The Smile of Angkor (Part Eight)
Another sunny morning, our little TUTU leisurely crosses the jungle again, even more relaxed are the people riding on elephants, this ancient mode of transportation is more suitable for the tall jungle
The light has just moved to the edge of the stone corridor, where Apsara fairies dance in various poses hidden in the darkness. A palm-sized spider, indifferent to everything, weaves a silver web in a corner of the stone gate. We walk into this tall tower mountain, where large murals exquisitely tempt us deeper
Across the forest, the Zodiac Towers emerge. Walking down from the viewing platform, while admiring the countless war elephants carved on the walls, to the north is the famous Leper King Terrace. The layered and intertwined Buddha statues in various postures dazzle me, stars twinkle, and my head spins (why don't you try walking a few hundred meters under the midday sun with no shade?)
In the evening, one cannot simply stay in the hotel. Once again at Angkor Wat, following the many tourists, we listen to the guide talk about the past. Ancient legends are carved on the walls, and the most beautiful is the soft light of the sunset filtering through the countless pillars in the cloister, dividing it into beams of light, with monks in robes passing by, flickering in and out of the light...
Following the steep stairs, the children and I climb to the third floor, said to be the gateway to heaven. Corridors lead us round and round, directionless, occasionally a beam of light shines on a Buddha statue in a dark stone chamber, glittering with gold
Palm trees cannot hide the grandeur and splendor of the temple, as the sunset gradually merges into the vast mist
Night falls, and it's time to go to Pub Street for my beer