PRASAT NEAK PEAN (Raja-Srei)

Date: late 12^th to early 13^th century

King: Jayavarman VII

Religion: Buddhism

Cleared: 1922-1924

Restoration: 1938-1939-1956

Art style: Bayon Temple

Neak Pean (Coiled serpent)is the next name means coiled serpent maybe the original mane was called Nirvana temple, the temple was located at the center of the Baray Jayatataka which has 900m wide by 3,500m long. The temple situated on the same axis of Preah Khan Temple, this temple was built on an artificial island which has 300m for each side and all of the corners of this island they found the small elephants but now they are all gone said of Mr. Henri Marchal was in Cambodia 1916-1933. This small temple was built by the king Jayavarman VII to consecrate to Buddha, but it has been used as the hospital also during his reign. There are 5 pools in this temple, the large pool 70m for each side is in the middle and there are 4 more pounds fare on the 4 cardinal points with 25squar meters. According to Mr. George Sodes could identified the central pool known as Anavatapata lake the mythical saint place in the Himalayas in India situated at the top of the universe. This lake gave birth to the 4 great rivers of the earth, the name of these rivers known as the Ganges- Pamapudra- Sarasvati and Mythical river. These 4 small pounds are corresponding to the 4 elements (earth, wind, fire and water element), they also known about the Anavatapata was fed by hot sprints and venerated in India for the curative powers of its water. There are 4 small chapels were built on the Embankment that had been served as for ablution place where the pilgrims and people in the old day could lean their stain or blemish off, so how can they blemish off? (The ablution) 

Normally when people came in this temple to make the ablution first they had to go to meet the fortune teller an then they have to tell the year- month and day that they were born and then the fortune teller could say they have to go to which chapel (east-west-north-south) that is depend on the prediction of the fortune teller. 

PRASAT NEAK PEAN

Well inside these chapels they were installed the human’s head at the east, elephant’s head at the north, horse’s head at the west and the lion’s head on south chapel that all these heads were represented doctors, so the patients had to go inside the chapel and sit on the floor print underneath of these heads and the fortune teller or their relative stand behind this chapel and go down to get water to pour in the small basin and thee water flowed by the water spout that connected with these heads. The water came out and pour on the patient, so the bad luck or the illness will be disappeared by this holy water, from here we could see the bodies of 2 serpents named Nanda and Upanada encircled the base of the island and their tails entwined on the west side. It is a configuration that gave the name of the temple, Neak Pean.  At the east of this tower, you could see the horse name Balaha flying to ward in order to rescue Simhala a beak, the small circular sandstone island comprised 15m in diameter this island supported the main tower which has 3 levels and decorated by lotus flower on the top. There is a real door opened to the east and three more sides are walled up by Lokesvara images, the pediments of the tower had different scenes of Buddha’s life. 

·         The east pediment showing the cutting of his hair

·         The west pediment Buddha protected by Musolinda serpent

·         The north pediment was how the grate departure of Buddha

·         The south pediment was show the Buddha meditated under the body tree.

The main tower was twinset by a large fig tree but was swept down by hurricane in 1935 and subsequently reconstructed by Mr. Maurice Glaize in 1938 and Mr. Henri Marchal cleaned the whole temple in 1922-1924. The description of Zhou Daguan (northern lake lies one and a quarter miles to the north of the walled city at its center stand a square tower of gold with several dozen stone rooms, if you are looking for the golden lions bronze elephants bronze oxen bronze horses here is where you will find them).