Terrace of the Leper King

Like the nearby Terrace of the Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King (or Leper King Terrace) is one of many impressive sites you can discover in Angkor Thom, a few kilometres from Siem Reap. 

It is one of the many Angkor Wat attractions that draws crowds from all over the globe. An impressively large terrace, it is named after the Statue of the Leper King that sits on the top.

History of Terrace of the Leper King

It was built for Jayavarman VII in the late-12th century and later added to the following century by Jayavarman VIII. The latter extended the terrace with a new surrounding wall, but the old carvings were left preserved buried in earth behind the new wall.

Since then, the inner wall’s carvings have been excavated and you can walk through a passageway between the old and new walls to view the older carvings.

The temple is named after the 15th-century Statue of the Leper King atop it. The statue is of Yama, the Hindu god of death. However, the statue derived its name from its resemblance to someone with leprosy derived from its discolouration allied to the moss that grows upon it.

Incidentally, according to Khmer legend, Yasovarman I suffered from leprosy. However, Cambodians call the statue Dharmaraja, the name that was originally given to the statue.

Where is the Terrace of the Leper King?

The terrace is just to the north of the Terrace of the Elephants and Bayon temple in Angkor Thom, a few miles from Siem Reap.

How to Get to There?

Simply get a tuk tuk from Siem Reap, sit back and relax. Alternatively you can cycle to the site. It is easy to combine a tour of the terrace with the other surrounding sites such as Bayon, Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm.