Tamon Temple (Sambor Prei Kuk)

Located east of the main temple cluster of Sambor Prei Kuk, it’s also recorded as Prasat Russey Roliek. It’s a large rectangular brick temple opening to the east featuring an antechamber preceding the central chamber, only a handful of sites in Sambor Prei Kuk feature such.

It also features stunning reliefs on its sidewalls depicting what the French would call “flying palaces” or otherwise vimana, depicting an oval “window” with deities looking out upon the world, below which is a palace scene, a pedestal base, and at the very bottom a row of Garuda (sacred mythical bird) appearing to keep the whole ensemble aloft in mid-air. Incredible detail still remains in these features and each one adorning the exterior walls is unique, making it well worth the diversion to the site.

Moreover, above the false door, there is still incredible detail in the decorative lintel with Makara (mythical creature) on either side an oscillating garland carrying three motifs with hanging lotus beneath, all formed from reliefs in the brickwork.

Images from the 2022 visit when the site was under restoration/preservation works.

Historical Notes

This long building, open to the East 8° North., is reminiscent of the decoration of the N15 and N24 of Sambór-Prei Kük, as plan the buildings with two rooms, Pr. Borán, etc. It has false doors. Although the vault has partially collapsed inside, we can recognize that this very simple vault was not supported on the intermediate wall.

The exterior decoration is nothing new for us. The building reductions, very richly sculpted, have no floors and rest on the console with little monsters. Their pilasters are internally lined with small columns. They include a porch whose arch is similar to its counterpart in north and decorated with garlands. The same figures wearing the mukuta or cylindrical mitres occupy the voids and the general pediment. The building reductions of the small faces have less width and height and the body loses its additional columns. The well-preserved N. false door has a stone lintel and a brick false lintel; he is type I; the decoration of the medallions is, in the middle, of a bird, at the sides, of small characters. A frieze of ornate diamonds, the series of small oblique monsters adorn the lintel, at the bottom and at the top. The reduced building enclosed in the tympanum is confused; it consisted of four planes:

The floors rise above the lower body with great steepness; they are three in number, adorned with pilasters, a slightly protruding false niche and sconces in the form of a building. Their silhouette calls for gables; they are ruined.

This building was completed by a building to the northwest of which only a mound of rubble remains; some debris at the other angles may indicate, but very hypothetically, three other small buildings.

L’Art Khmer Primitif, Henri Parmentier, 1927

Rodney Charles LHuillier

Living in Asia for over a decade and now residing in beautiful Siem Reap. Rodney Charles L'Huillier has spent over seven years in Cambodia and is the author of Ancient Cambodia (2024) and Essential Siem Reap (2017, 2019). Contact via [email protected] - more..