The Terrace of the Leper King (or Leper King Terrace) (, ''Preah Lean Sdach Kumlung'') is located in the northwest corner of the Royal Square of
Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom ( km, អង្គរធំ ; meaning "Great City"), alternatively Nokor Thom ( km, នគរធំ ) located in present-day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire, Khmer Empire. It was established in ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
.
It was built in the
Bayon
The Bayon ( km, ប្រាសាទបាយ័ន, ) is a richly decorated Khmer temple related to Buddhism at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the state temple of the King Jayavarman VII ( km, ព្រះ ...
style under
Jayavarman VII
Jayavarman VII, posthumous name of Mahaparamasaugata ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៧, c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani.
He was ...
, though its modern name derives from a 15th-century sculpture discovered at the site. The statue depicts the Hindu god
Yama
Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...
, the god of
death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
.
The statue was called the "Leper King" because discolouration and
moss
Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...
growing on it was reminiscent of a person with
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
, and also because it fit in with a Cambodian legend of an Angkorian king
Yasovarman I
Yasovarman I ( km, ព្រះបាទយសោវរ្ម័នទី១) was an Angkorian king who reigned in 889–910 CE. He was called " Leper King".
Early years
Yasovarman was a son of King Indravarman I and his wife Indradevi.
Yaaso ...
who had leprosy. The name that the Cambodians know him by, however, is ''Dharmaraja'',
[''Dharmaraja'', 'King of ]Dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
' is a title of Yama. as this is what was etched at the bottom of the original statue.
The U-shaped structure is thought by some to have been used as a royal
cremation
Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a Cadaver, dead body through Combustion, burning.
Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India ...
site.
Gallery
File:Terrace of the Leper King.jpg, Terrace of the Leper King
File:LeperKing.JPG, The statue which gave the terrace its name has been replaced by a replica.
References
External links
Terrace of the Leper King - Comprehensive Photographic Documentationby khmer-heritage.de
Angkorian sites in Siem Reap Province
Cambodian legends
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