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It had been a very long and tiring day exploring the temples along the Grand Circuit in Angkor, Cambodia. We had a tuk tuk driving us around, but there was still a lot of walking and climbing involved and that mixed with the heat of the day had us feeling pretty exhausted. Our last stop for the day was the large temple of Preah Khan, and despite our tired feet, it turned out to be the highlight of my day.
Another 12th century temple, Preah Khan is quite a large complex with many buildings and hallways to explore. It has also been left largely unrestored, so it has that adventure aspect to it as you wander through quiet hallways while trees and vegetation grow over the ancient walls and ruins.
Walking across a bridge to one of the four entrance gates at Preah Khan
Headless statues hold onto a Naga on the bridge that crosses the moat surrounding Preah Khan
A Naga guards the temple
Inside an ancient courtyard at Preah Khan
Giant tree roots strangle an ancient stone wall
A sandstone carving above a doorway at Preah Khan
A two story building shows the architectural brilliance of the Angkorians
An ancient walkway at Preah Khan
Intricate wall carvings at Preah Khan
Exploring a ruined hallway in Preah Khan
A tree growing on top of a wall
Looking up at a tall tree growing on the ruins of Preah Khan
Tree covered ruins
A beautifully preserved carving at Preah Khan
Exploring the temple ruins of Preah Khan
Walking towards an ancient doorway
The central shrine at Preah Khan
Stone carvings next to a doorway at Preah Khan
An amazing carving
Walking through an ancient stone hallway
After visiting all of the popular temples in Angkor, I now realise what I like so much about Preah Khan. It has many of the interesting features of the popular temples, but without the huge crowds that go with it. It has the amazing tree covered ruins that Ta Phrom is famous for, intricate carvings that people flock to Banteay Srei to see, even some of the beautiful covered hallways remind me of Angkor Wat. I’m not saying not to visit those other temples – they are all must sees – but Preah Khan has a bit of everything and you can see it all in peace, without huge crowds of people getting in your way. Definitely put it on your list.
So many temples! Even after three days of temple hopping around Angkor, I feel like I barely scratched the surface. Maybe the full week pass isn’t such a bad option after all. 😉
Hey Audrey. It’s amazing how much there is to see there. I think a week of temple hopping would kill me, but maybe stretched over a couple of weeks would be ok 🙂
So cool – I was in Angkor Wat earlier this month. I didn’t know about this place though! Wish I had known, it sounds wonderful. A very good excuse to go back though 🙂 Thanks for the awesome pics…
Hi Erika. You’re not alone – a lot of people don’t realise that there are lots of other temples besides Angkor Wat. It’s definitely a good excuse to go back 🙂
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I loved the way the trees grew around the structure and seemed to be part of them. You managed to capture them in your photos!
I really enjoyed those parts of the temple as well. Very interesting.
Unreal! Its amazing how much detail has survived the test of time…and tree roots.
Hey Dan. Yeah I was kind of walking around with my mouth wide open a lot. Quite spectacular.
Amazing photography.. It makes me wanna visit Cambodia…I really enjoy this post… Thanks…
What an amazing place! I like that you highlight the details along with the big picture.