Tonle Snguot Temple

It is a single tower of sandstone with the remaining traces of a library, and an entrance gopura and wall. It also had a basin in the northeast. It is one of the four “hospital chapels” located around the perimeter of Angkor Thom. Hospital Chapels, a name coined by early French researchers, were constructed during the King Jayavarman VII era (from around 1181 – 1220 AD).

Recently the central shrine has undergone a massive restoration revealing much more of its ornate decoration. Also, during archeological excavations held over time, a Dvarapala guardian statue, ceramics, Hospital stele, and other pieces have been found here including a statue of a medicine Buddha which now resides at the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum.

While the site is small it is somewhat fascinating for the variety of art from the era condensed into a small temple and it’s a peaceful spot to visit out to the north of Angkor Thom.

Contemporary Research

In 2017, excavations at Tonle Snguot uncovered Buddhist statues including a rare statue of the Medicine Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru, and evidence of habitation contemporaneous with the hospital’s operation (Tonle Snguot: Preliminary Research Results from an Angkorian Hospital Site, 2018). Statuary discovered at the site is on display at the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum in Siem Reap.

Inscriptions – two were recorded from the site

  • K. 955 – a stele from which 30 + 30 + 28 lines of Sanskrit
  • K. 1112 – 2 lines of Khmer described as graffiti
  • unregistered – a stele found in 2020 featuring 55 lines of Sanskrit

Historical Images – from circa 1954 via Fonds Cambodge

Map

Site Info

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..

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