 Preah
Khan, meaning 'sacred sword,’ is a huge, highly explorable monastic
complex, full of carvings, passages and photo opportunities. It
originally served as a Buddhist monastery and school, engaging over 1000
monks. For a short period it was also the residence of King Jayavarman
VII during the reconstruction of his permanent home in Angkor Thom. In
harmony with the architecturally similar Ta Prohm that was dedicated to
Jayavarman VII's mother, Preah Khan is dedicated to his father. Features
of note: like most of Jayavarman VII's monuments, the Buddha images were
vandalized in the later Hindu resurgence. Some Buddha carvings in the
central corridor have been crudely carved over with Bodhisattvas, and in
a couple of odd cases, a lotus flower and a linga. Also note the
cylindrical columns on the building west of the main temple. It is one
of the only examples of round columns and may be from a later period. |
