Terrace of Elephants

The Terrace of Elephants with length of 350m long terrace was used as a giant viewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the king’s grand audience hall and also a platform from which to view his victorious returning army. It is part of the walled city of Angkor Thom, a ruined temple complex in Cambodia. It was attached to the palace of Phimeanakas, of which only a few ruins remain. Most of the original structure was made of organic material and has long since disappeared. Most of what remains are the foundation platforms of the complex. The terrace is named for the carvings of elephants on its eastern face.

From the bas relief wall and try to imagine the pomp and grandeur of the Khmer empire at its height, with infantry, cavalry, horse-drawn chariots and elephants parading across the Royal Square in a colourful procession, pennants and standards aloft. Looking on is the god-king, crowned with a gold diadem, shaded by multi-tiered parasols and attended by mandarins and handmaidens bearing gold and silver utensils.

The Terrace of Elephants has five outworks extending towards the Royal Square where three in the centre and one at each end. The middle section of the retaining wall is decorated with life-size garuda and lions; towards either end are the two parts of the famous parade of elephants, complete with their Khmer mahouts.