Phimeanakas

Construction: Late 10th/Early 11th century

Religion: Hindu
Style : Kleang
King : Jayavarman V   (968 – 1001 )
Location : Angkor Thom, in the centre of the royal city, behind the Terrace of the elephants.

The small stairway pyramid type temple which is inside the court of Angkor Thom. It is the small temple because the king does the ceremony; it is located on the center of the court. The fact that Pimeanakas is not aligned perfectly compared to Victory Gate let’s suppose that it would have been initially built at the time of Phnom Bakheng with which it is aligned, and then rebuilt then.

Unfortunately, this Royal temple presents only very few sculptures having survived and is not very interesting from this point of view. On the other hand, of the top, the sight on Angkor Thom is particularly interesting. But to reach it, you will have to use with many precautions the western staircase, on our photograph, only staircase practicable but nevertheless very abrupt, which makes the descent rather perilous.

This temple is associated with a curious legend according to which it was inhabited by the spirit of a giant snake with nine heads which appeared every evening under the features of beautiful young woman with which the King was to couple himself under sorrow that a serious misfortune does not occur with its people or himself. The scandalmongers claim that the King would have imagined this legend to give himself more freedom.