Neak Pean, Siem Reap

 Neak Pean or Neak Poan is a man-made island in the center of Jayatataka Baray. This temple though very small is different from any other temples. One might be delighted or might be disappointed to see just a small temple in the middle of a pond.

History of temple:

• Jayavarman VII built Neak Pean in the 12th century and he used to visit this place from Preah Khan. It was built as a Buddhist temple on a man-made island at the center of Jayatataka Baray. Jaya named after Jaya(varman)'s reservoir
• Pronounced as "Neerk Porn", Neak translates to "Naga" and Pean is entwined, so the word means entwined naga. The temple in center of pond is encircled by two naga whose tails are entwined.

Architecture and layout of temple:

The temple was built as a place for healing, where the water coming from four conduits supplied water to the pond. It was believed that a dip in the pond, healed people of any illness and rejuvenated them. 

Central Sanctuary:

The ideology behind the temple, rests on Hindu belief of balance. In the center of the pond is an east facing circular single shrine measuring 14 meters, which arises from the pond. The base of temple is encircled by two nagas, Nanda, which is another name for Shesha and is the King of Naga, and Upananda. They face in east direction gurarding with their hoods raised.  Their  tails are entwined in the west, giving temple its name of Neak Pean.

   

The temple stands on a fully bloomed double lotus on top of seven laterite tiers, petals curl upwards outside.

Inside the sanctuary was once an image of Buddha which is no longer there.  Image of Avalokiteshwar can be seen outside the temple with tri-headed elephant in between each image. Behind the images are false doors.

The central pond represents the mythical lake Anvatapta(अनवतप्त), tapta is heat so anavtapta is means place devoid of heat. The Anvatapta is said to have four mouths representing fire, earth, water and air. Said to be located in the Himalayas, near Mount Kailash, the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Indus and Brahmaputra have their origin flowing in different directions.

The four springs at Anavtapta has an elephant head on the east, bull mouth on south, west has horse's mouth and north has a lion's mouth. This strangely coincides with the animals on the Asoka Sarnath pillar.

This also very closely resembles the pattern at Neak Pean with gargolyes at four corners: elephant, lion, horse. But, for reasons unknown the bull has been replaced by a man's open mouth through which the water flowed out. Here, lion stood for fire, horse for air, elephant for water, and man for earth.

A sick person was sent to the pool of that element with which he would be suffering. This is parallel to Ayurveda's philosophy of healing where, in a human body all these elements exist in balance and any disturbance in them creates an illness.

Since, I could not click any pictures, I am putting some picture from EFEO here

gargoyle in the form of human head in east edicule

details of gargoyle

edicule north, gargoyle in the form of a lion's head

gargoyle in the form of horse's head in west edicule

edicule south, gargoyle in the form of a lion

This central pond is surrounded by four other ponds or srah in each cardinal direction, representing fire, earth, water and wind which in turn have eight ponds around. This gives an impression of 8-petaled lotus. The outermost ponds do not exist now.

It is said that a Buddhist priest would stand on the steps of central pond and poured sacred water into the main pond. This water would flow through the shaped spout on the worshipper who would be sitting under one of the spouts. Water flowing throwing the mouth would fall on the fall and he would be purified and healed.

Balaha: A stone horse, Balaha stands between the two naga facing the temple. He is seen half submerged in water.

The story of Balaha centers around a group of merchants whose ship got wrecked. They swam ashore to an island, Tamradvipa which was inhabited by demons. They were given shelter by women who took them to their home. They started living there and were very happy.

One day, the captain of the ship saw a house with no doors and windows and also heard sounds of weeping and miseries. Looking inside, he saw the merchants who were supposed to be lost. He told the merchants that they had to escape as they were all in the clutches of demons.

Balaha,who is said to be a reincarnation of Boddhisattva Avalokiteshwara, came to their rescue and once a month, he visited the island and the merchants would cling to his body to escape.

When fully exposed in the absence of water, he is seen with sailors clinging to him.

It is understood that bronze lion statues were once placed there symbolizing Kubera, the god of wealth. In the 14th century, when Siam conquered Angkor, they took those statues and brought them to their capital, Ayutthaya.

When Burma attacked Ayutthaya in 1765, they took those bronze lions to Mandalay where they remain there till date.

wooden walkway across Jayatataka Baray 

From the road, a wooden walkway connects to the island.

Jayatataka Baray

blooming water lily

small shrine

could not see anything inside

The temple stands on a fully bloomed double lotus, petals curling outside, west side with entwined tails of naga

east side of temple with Balaha and raised heads of naga

Statue of Lokeshwar and three-headed elephant

Balaha- the flying horse facing the temple

Balaha and hooded naga guarding the temple

central pool with side pool and edicule

East and north edicules

spout under the edicule connecting water of central pond and side pond

 north facing edicule

relief work on edicule facing west

discarded pillar used as a seating area

a small shrine under a tree

inside the shrine

I was disappointed that the water level was high which had covered all the figures in edicule

shrine with east and south edicules

walkway under a canopy of trees

time to eat

souvenirs

I could'nt stop myself from taking a picture of this cute boy

Temple timings: 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM

Angkor Pass is required

Prasat Preah Khan, Siem Reap, Central Sanctuary and 1st enclosure

This section of the temple is sanctum sanctorum and most sacred. It is surrounded by 1st enclosure which houses small temples.

The first enclosure or the inner enclosure, measuring 55 meters square, contains the central sanctuary and holds the highest sacred value within the temple. Positioned at the center and forming a cruciform layout, it offers views of gopuras in all four directions. This enclosure is divided into four sections, each filled with small shrines. Navigating the temple can be confusing, resembling a maze due to the many turns and balancing required on the large stones. At times, I found myself returning to the same spot.

 

Now, let's talk about navigating the temple. Brace yourself, as it can feel like a bit of a maze. With its twists and turns, finding your way around becomes quite an adventure. Balancing on the large stones adds an extra challenge, and you might even find yourself circling back to where you started. It's all part of the fun!

east entrance

entrance past Hall of Dancers

West of central sanctuary is a Shivlinga. It was probably moved from central sanctuary where the Lokeshwar image existed. The Sri Lankan style chedi was built and placed many years later. It must have been  erected when Theravada Buddhism replaced Mahayana in Cambodia.

looks like the King himself

Mandapa of Preah Khan:

 As you enter from the east, you'll encounter the Mandapa of Preah Khan, the main entrance to the central sanctuary.  Although you can approach the sanctuary from any direction, the east-facing entrance is considered the most auspicious.

The central sanctuary has a shikhar or a tower or meru over the main stupa. The east side connects to Hall of Dancers. This enclosure is divided into four parts by a cruciform gallery.

A bell-shaped chedi has replaced original image of Lokeshwar which once stood here.

On observing closely, one sees holes all around the central sanctuary. The walls are said to have gilded bronze plates fixed all around.

16th century stupa

Around 1,500 tons of bronze is said to have been used for bronze plates.

a prayer ceremony in progress

The stupa is still active. A prayer ceremony was taking place when we visited.

The central sanctuary is divided into four parts, and its beauty can be appreciated from any entrance.

Shrines in enclosure 1:

The first enclosure is a cramped space filled with 24 single shrines, some of which have been damaged over time. The shrines' exteriors are adorned with decorative vines, ascetics, and devtas. But some pediments are beautiful.

North-western courtyard:

In the northwestern courtyard, the temples are closely placed and irregularly arranged, creating a challenging path between them. I hopped from one to another. The shrines in this area feature sage figures in niches, with rich leaf decorations on top. Short pillars with pegs are a distinctive feature here.

Most of the time it was impossible to balance between the huge stones

The shrines have sage sitting cross legged in niches. Top of niches are richly decorated with leaves.

The temples in this courtyard are cramped. One special feature of this courtyard is the presence of short pillars with peg on top.

pillar with peg in courtyard

Was something kept on top of these pegs? Lotus petals can be seen on the pillar.

Apsara on a temple tile

pediment pieces on floor

hermits at the base of shrine

the walls decorated with creeper plant

Same style is seen in western temple

inside western temple

Shiva on pediment in one shrine

Shiva performing tandava

South-western courtyard:

The southwestern courtyard presents a more organized layout, added later to the temple. It is squeezed tightly but offers a neat arrangement. It faces the southwest, symbolizing ancestor shrines.

very narrow passage between two small shrines, pillar with peg visible straight ahead

closely spaced shrines

pediment showing Lokeshwar

very well preserved pediment of Lokeshwar

upper part of pediment missing, lower part shows ancient elephant riding practice

lintel and side of a small shrine

Shrine of Queen Indradevi and Queen Jayarajadevi:

Before exiting, don't miss the small shrine near the eastern side, which can be easily overlooked.

To the north of the eastern central tower, on the north side before the central shrine, this giant cottonwood tree has become integrated into the temple's wall. 

 

Nearby, there's a hidden shrine dedicated to Queen Indradevi.

Turning north side, ducking through a small "hole" is a small shrine of Queen Indradevi.

Queen Indradevi

Queen Indradevi was the sister of King's first wife, Jayarajadevi. She is said to be very smart and known for her wisdom. She was assigned as the head of a Buddhist temple. She taught woman-disciples and wrote the inscription known as the Phimeanakas Inscription which was found in the Phimeanakas temple. The inscription written in Sanskrit gives information about the King and the role of the two Queens in spreading Buddhism.

On the right side, crane your neck to see almost hidden image of Queen Jayarajadevi. King Jayavarman VII, first married Jayarajadevi before he became the king. After her demise, he married her sister, Indradevi.

A relief with Buddha figures on the north wall has suffered damage from water seepage. It was impossible getting a clear picture.

Dwarpala before exiting:

Just before entering the second enclosure, you'll encounter two beautiful Dwarpala images on either side. The lighting conditions may make it difficult to capture both together.

After exploring Prasat Preah Khan, most visitors exit through the east entrance. However, I recommend taking the opportunity to visit the nearby Neak Poan temple, a short six-minute journey from here.