ROYAL PALAIS
Royal palace featuring the Phimeanakas temple and five pools, two of which are still in use. The royal pool was built in the century.
The Royal Palace extends over a length of 600 meters north of the Baphuon. It is bordered on the east by the Terrace of the Elephants, which constitutes its entrance, and on its perimeter by a wall 6 meters high. It includes the temple of Phimeanakas and five basins, two of which are still in water. The southwestern part of the enclosure probably housed the royal residences. One can sympathize with the dismay of the historians in charge of interpreting a site that was occupied by a whole line of monarchs, each of whom tried to modify it according to his whims, making any architectural analysis difficult. But if there is one place in the Palace that you should not miss, it is the "royal pool": 50 m wide by 145 m long! Built in the 10th century, this pool was filled in during the reign of Jayavarman VII before being cleaned and put back in water later. Surprisingly, the southern edge of the basin is much higher than its northern edge, without knowing the reason. On the tiers are a series of bas-reliefs representing fish and other aquatic animals. They are surmounted by naga, various animals, garouda as well as the princess Nagi, whose hood is bristling with snakes. The whole is crowned with small figurines coming out of the stone at mid-body. The small basin to the east has also been filled in and was once used as a nursery. When it was excavated in 1956, many jewels were found, probably lost by the nobility (or their concubines) of the time.
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