Preah Khan Temple, also called Jayasri, meaning “Sacred Sword “, is one of the great temples of Angkor. The temple is very different from the other temples due to the look of ancient, formal, sacred but somewhat wild. Also, it is a maze of corridors with delicately-carved arches and covered with lichen. As a result, these factors attract a lot of tourists to discover. If you have any chance to visit Siem Reap, don’t forget to drop by this temple in order to understand more about its history.
History
In 1191, King Jayavarman VII ordered the construction of the temple in honor of his father, King Jayavarman VI. After Jayavarman VII died, follow-up kings converted it into a Hindu temple. Having the same fate as any temple in Angkor complex, Preah Khan was abandoned after the collapse of Khmer Empire.
Architecture
The temple is approximate 57 hectares, surrounded by a wall layer of 800m long, 700m wide, and a moat around. It was considered as a small city at that time because the archaeologists found out the proof of survival of a huge number of ancient residents here. Besides the main God, Lokesvaravara, the temple was also the place for worship other 430 gods.
In the heyday, there were thousands monks coming here. Temples bears sharply the spirituality since it witnessed the deaths of thousands of Cham prisoners as well as Cham king. Therefore, it was also said to be “the lake of blood”.
For those who appreciate the wilderness, Preah Khan will be not a bad option. The reason is because it lies deep in the forest, rather far from Angkor Wat. As a result, this place has not completely overwhelmed yet by tourists. Come to Preah Khan to get wonderful experiences about Khmer awesome architecture without crowding right now!
