Terrace Of The Leper King | Preah Ponlea Sdach Komlong | Angkor Wat

Terrace Of The Leper King | Preah Ponlea Sdach Komlong | Angkor Wat

The Terrace of the Leper King is located in the northwest corner of the Royal Square of Angkor Thom, Cambodia. The Terrace of the Leper King was built in the Bayon style under Jayavarman VII, though its modern name derives from a 15th century sculpture discovered at the site.

The name Terrace of the Leper King is taken from the naked statue on the top of the terrace.

The statue was called the “Leper King” because discolouration and moss growing on it was reminiscent of a person with leprosy, and also because it fit in with a Cambodia legend of an Angkorian king Yasovarman I who had leprosy. The name that the Cambodians know him by, however, is Dharmaraja, as this is what was etched at the bottom of the original statue.

The statue depicts the Hindu god Yama, the god of death. The U-shaped structure is thought by some to have been used as a royal cremation site.