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Angkor Travel
Guide
Phimeanakas "Aerial Palace"
Location:
Phimeanakas is located inside the
enclosure of the Royal Palace of
Angkor Thom north of Baphuon (see
map page 80).
Access:
Phimeanakas can be reached on foot
either from Prah Palilay or from the
Terrace of the Elephants. Pass
through the gap in the south side of
the enclosing wall of Prah and walk
straight for about 200 meters (656
feet);
turn left to the east and right at
the first path, then follow it until
you reach the temple. Or walk across
the Terrace of Elephants at the
entrance closest to the Victory Gate
road and walk through an entry
tower; then follow the path until
you reach the temple. Alternatively,
return to the main road beside the
Terrace of the Leper King, turn
right and turn right again on the
first road, then drive straight to
the monument. Enter Phimeanakas from
the east entrance. It is possible to
leave by the south gate and walk
through a space in the enclosing
wall to the east entrance of the
Baphuon.
Tip: for those who want to climb to
the Central Sanctuary, use the west
stairway, which is in the best
condition.
Date: Late tenth century-beginning
of the 11th century
Kings: Jayavamen V and
Udayadityavarman I
Religion: Hindu
Art style: Kleng
Background
The temple of Phimeanakas is
situated near the center of the area
enclosed by the walls of the Royal
Palace. It must originally have been
crowned with a golden pinnacle, as
Zhou Daguan described it as the
Tower of Gold The temple is built of
roughly hewn sandstone blocks and
has little decoration.
According to legend there was a gold
tower (Phimeanakas ) inside the
royal palace of Angkor the Great
where a serpent-spirit with nine
heads lived. The spirit appeared to
the Khmer king disguised as a woman
and the king had to sleep with her
every night in the tower before he
joined his wives and concubines in
another part of the palace. If the
king missed even one night it was
believed he would die. In this way
the royal lineage of the Khmer was
perpetuated.
Layout
The general plan of Phimeanakas is
rectangular. the temple originally
consisted of a Central Sanctuary on
a tiered base and an enclosing wall.
The grounds around the sanctuary
included several courts and ponds.
A
laetrile wall encloses the temple
and a second enclosing wall was
built at a later date. Next there is
a dry moat. The sandstone entry
tower at the east is in the shape of
a cross with two wings; the lintels
have a central motif of a head of a
Kala and the window frame is
inscribed. These features are not
shown on the plan.: eave the tower
and walk towards the main sanctuary.
On the right (north) there is a pond
with molding and laetrile steps. It
may have been a part of the palace
reserved for woman. Return to the
center walkway; after leaving the
entry tower turn right and follow a
path until you come to another large
pond paved in laterite with
sandstone steps. It was bordered by
two stairways with bas0reliefs-along
the side there are serpents in
animal and human form surrounded by
serpent-princesses; on the top there
are male and female Garudas and
mythical winged figures. This entire
area was probably crowned by a
serpent balustrade and may have
served as a gallery for the
sovereign and dignitaries of the
court. It is separated from the
north-enclosing wall by paved
causeways and from another pond on
the east.
Central Sanctuary
The single sanctuary is on a base
with three laterite tiers. It is
approached by four steep stairways,
one on each side (1). these
stairways are framed by walls with
six projections- two per step
–decorated with lions. Elephants
once stood on sandstone pedestals in
the corners of the base but today
they are mostly broken.
Upper Terrace
The upper terrace affords a
spectacular view of the neighboring
temple of Baphuon. A narrow covered
sandstone gallery (2) with windows
and balusters at the edge of the
upper terrace is a unique
architectural feature. There were
small pavilions at the corners but
only vestiges remain.
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