Preah Khan - West Gate. This is now the main entrance for visitors to the temple.
Preah Khan - South Gate
Preah Khan - The East Gate entry received visitors from the sacred "baray" or reservoir that lies about 620 meters east.
Each of these smaller structures originally housed a linga-yoni altar. Many altars are still intact. It is mind-boggling to imagine the number and varieties of rituals being performed at any one time in this massive complex.
The "Kalasha" pot crowning the most holy places in a Hindu temple is filled with symbolism. Shaped like a flower bud or pot, one interpretation is that it represents a womb, and the creative aspect of the feminine divine that the Khmers respected. Cereals and precious stones were often placed inside the Kalasha. Some temples hid ‘the golden person’ (Suvarna Purusha) inside the pot. More info at Hindu-Blog.com
The stone Kalasha, probably once covered with gold, has components like the foot-hold, the egg or womb, the neck, the lotus-band, the rid and the bud. The foot-hold is sometimes shaped like a lotus whose petals open out (see next photo) and the egg shaped pot sits on it. More info at Hindu-Blog.com
This Kalasha has now fallen to the ground but once you're familiar with the shape it is easy to locate. One interpretation is that parts of the Kalasha represent the roots of the inverted tree mentioned in the Upanishads. In the Puranas, Kalasha is one of the fourteen precious gems that manifested from the churning of the sea of milk, depicted in may Khmer ruins (Samudra Manthan). More info at Hindu-Blog.com
Female "devata" in niches grace all the courtyards of Preah Khan temple.
Female devata also appear on the higher areas of the structures of Preah Khan temple.
Decorative false doors were popular themes in Khmer architecture.
This view of the east wall shows giant trees growing out of the temple structure.
A shady corner decorated with carved foliage. Note the empty frames where Buddha images were excised during the religious conflicts that followed. Ultimately, Buddhism won and Cambodia has been a Buddhist nation since the reign of Jayavarman VII.
Women hold their hands in a position of respect for Buddha images long since removed.
This temple in an inner courtyard of Preah Khan shows Hindu holy men, called "ruisi" or "rishi" in Sanskrit , in meditation.
To the north of Preah Khan a large field is scattered with the building blocks of fallen structures.
This charming entry pavilion stands just outside the East Gate on the road leading to the sacred "baray" or reservoir. It's former use is unknown.
The "Kalasha" above the temple is still intact, and confirms the sacred purpose of the structure.
Round-columned temple at Preah Khan. This building may have been the single most surprising thing I encountered in Cambodia. Reminiscent of a Greek temple with its round columns it is entirely unique in Khmer architecture. Why it is the only temple in this structure is unknown. It's purpose is unknown.
Round-columned temple at Preah Khan. Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques propose that it may have been a granary. I am not familiar with their logic in making that statement, but as these photos show it is a distinctly impractical building; there is little room inside and if there were stairs to reach the second level they are gone now..
Round-columned temple at Preah Khan.
