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Preah Khan

Wars between the Khmers and the Chams were not uncommon during the time of the Khmer Empire in present-day Cambodia. Around 1191 AD a great battle was won by the Khmer Emperor Jayavarman VII on the site of Angkor. This Buddhist emperor erected a temple on the spot where this battle was fought and dedicated the place to his father Dharanindra Varman II.

Jayavarman VII was of the Buddhist religion and the building he had built was a monastery large enough to serve as a temporary city while awaiting the end of the construction of Angkor Thom, his new capital, the old capital having been conquered and destroyed by the Chams.

Preah Khan means "Sacred Sword" in Khmer.

 

Architecture

 

The Preah Khan temple covers an area of ​​56 hectares and is surrounded by a wall of 800 by 700 meters. The height of the wall is 5 meters. This enclosure is itself surrounded by wide moats.

This enclosure wall is decorated with sandstone Garudas (sacred bird-man of Buddhism, inherited from the Hindu tradition). These statues are the guardians of the temple.

 

To cross the moat, paved causeways adorned with balustrades composed of statues of Devas (angels) and Asuras (demons) were built. These causeways resemble those that give access to Angkor Thom. 

The temple itself was built "flat", unlike Angkor Wat. 

The various buildings that make up the temple are spaced out, probably to make room for the wooden houses that housed the approximately 15,000 inhabitants.

The main entrance to the temple is guarded by tall statues of Dvarapalas (guardian deity of the gates of Hindu and Buddhist temples). These statues are decapitated. 

Nature reclaimed its rights after the Khmers abandoned the place after the decline of their empire and huge roots of giant trees invaded the place.

 

about the place, Angkor:

Angkor is certainly the best known and most visited site in Cambodia. 

The Khmer Empire dominated the Indochinese peninsula from the 9th to the 13th century. The history of this empire is a long series of wars and internal struggles for power. 

Angkor was chosen as the capital of the empire at the end of the 11th century. 

The archaeological site consists of about 200 temples and important hydraulic achievements.

Spoken comments in the film: 

The complex of Buddhist temples of Preah Khan in Angkor was built at the end of the 12th century, to celebrate the victory of the Khmer emperor Jayavarman VII over the Chams, a competing kingdom of the Khmer empire. The temple was actually a real city where some 15,000 inhabitants lived. Preah Khan also housed the imperial court while waiting for the end of the construction of Angkor Thom, the place chosen by Jayavarman VII to become his new capital.