Preah Palilay Temple, Angkor Thom

The Preah Palilay Temple, at Angkor Thom

The small temple at Preah Palilay is almost unknown and unvisited. The main sanctuary itself is in quite a state of ruin, but what makes the temple interesting are the large silk-cotton trees which grow out of the sanctuary's crumbling base, although some of the larger ones have been cut off at the trunks to avoid any further damage.

Preah Palilay is just north of the royal enclosure. You can reach it by taking a path from the west side of the Phimeanakas up past the royal bathing pools, or you can take the trail starting just north of the Terrace of the Leper King.

Between Preah Paililay and the Terrace of the Leper King is Tep Pranam, a very old Buddhist temple of which not much remains except a large stone platform. A large Buddha image sits at the western end of the platform, around which a contemporary monastery now operates.

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