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Preah
Khan
Preah Khan is north east of Angkor Thom and was built
during the second half of the 12th century, with the central
sanctuary dedicated in 1191. It was
a large monastery and university for the Khmer empire and is at the center of a
group of temples that sit within a manmade reservoir that still retains water
during the rainy season. It served
as a temporary capital while Angkor Thom was being rebuilt after the Chams
invaded and sacked the capital in 1177. Preah
Khan was the ancient city of
Nagarajayacri
, Thai for the “Sacred Sword”, the meaning of Preah Khan.
While the Khmer were originally Mahayanist Buddhists, at some point
during the 13th century Hinduism became popular and parts of Preah
Khan were turned into Hindu shrines, and images of Buddha were hacked off.
Photographs in this section include shots of Preah Khan’s
skyline, some of the walkways through the various buildings, and a fine example
of an Aspara. Other shots have been
grouped in sub-directories as described below:
 | Inside
Shot – Several shots as I tried to use the limited natural light and
long exposures to capture this jumble of pieces including the part of a
window, a column, and several other carved items. |
|
Eastern Gopura
– Various shots of the rear
entrance to Preah Khan, including the enclosure wall, the terrace near the
Gopura, and the jungle surrounding the path that leads east to Neak Paen.
You can see the entrance tower with the tree that has grown up around
the building and some detail carvings above the doorway. |
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Palma's
Place