Terrace of Leper King

Terrace of the Leper King located just north of the Terrace Of Elephants, is a 7m high platform. On top of the platform stands an Angkor's mysteries as such a nude, though sexless statue. In the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh's National Museum houses the original statue, and various theories have been advanced to explain its meaning. Legend has it that at least tow of the Angkor kings had leprosy, and the statue may represent one of them. A more likely explanation is that the statue is of Yama, the god of death, and that the Terrace of the Leper King housed the royal crematorium.

The front retaining walls of the terrace are decorated with at least five tiers of meticulously executed carvings of seated apsara; armed with short double-edged swords, other figure include kings wearing pointed diadems and accompanied by the court and princesses, the latter adorned with beautiful rows of pearls. The terrace, built in the late 12th century, between the construction of Angkor Wat and the Bayon, once supported a pavilion made of lightweight materials.

Towards the southern side of the Terrace of the Leper King which facing the Terrace Of Elephants, there is access to the front wall of a hidden terrace that was covered up when the outer structure was built whereby a terrace within a terrace. Four tiers of apsara and other figures as well as naga are really well preserved. Some of the figures carry fearsome and eerie expressions.