Preah Khan

We spent Christmas Eve revisiting two of the Angkor temples we saw in 2009. The first was the massive (140 acre) complex of Preah Khan (“Sacred Sword“ in Khmer), which was built in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII and served simultaneously as temple, monastery and university. It was consecrated as a multi-faith temple, catering to worshippers of Buddha, Shiva and Vishnu, plus a further 282 gods. The main deity was Lokesvara, made in the likeness of the king’s father, and placed in the central – Buddhist – sanctuary.
Much of the complex is overgrown by trees and remains unrestored. Among the highlights of Preah Khan are the causeways from each cardinal direction flanked by demigods and demons bearing nagas. The outer wall is lined with 2.5m tall stone garudas. The central sanctuary and other buildings are covered with fantastic stone carvings, including stone Dvarapalas (swordsman) guarding the entries, a hall of dancers, ornate wall and pillar carvings, etc. it’s hard to imagine how it all must have looked in its heyday.Read more