Terrace of the Elephants – Layout, History & Hidden Quirks

The Terrace of the Elephants (Khmer: ព្រះលានជល់ដំរី) is one of the many iconic constructions of the Khmer Empire and a key highlight within the walled city of Angkor Thom. The long terrace, also known in some records as the Terrace of Honor, fronts the Royal Palace and has an entrance that once joined a causeway leading to Victory Gate of Angkor Thom which in turn led to the terrace of the East Baray.

The terrace is around 340m in length along a north-south axis with the Leper King Terrace to its north and the terrace/entrance gopura of Baphoun Temple to its south. Along its length, the front wall is decorated with near life-size carvings of elephants alternating with a section of garuda and standing lions. It features five outworks/perron, the central of which is a cruciform shape providing a grand staircase and platform connecting to the main entrance of the Royal Palace while the other four, of smaller scale, feature staircases up to the terrace. Each of these outworks is quite interesting, especially so the northernmost. Also keep in mind, that in its day, researchers note that parts of the terrace would have been complemented with a wooden beamed structure supporting a tiled roof of which only the foundation holes remain to be seen in places.

Many visitors will breeze past the front of the terrace admiring the elephants and such, completely missing some of the quirky features of this grand iconic structure. So, let’s start with a layout plan from the works of the late great Henri Marchal

1. Grand Entrance/Central Perron

A cruciform shape platform but here the walls are lined with standing garuda in some sections, alternating with standing lions. The first platform is topped with lion statues and naga balustrade. The next platform rises up around 1m with walls decorated with Asuras and Devas, the next platform features two lion statues again and remnants of its naga balustrade plus carvings of Hamsa (sacred geese) around its wall and figures of divinities in places. It rises slightly once more slightly and continuing straight ahead in a westerly direction is the entrance pavilion (or gopura) to the Royal Palace. Heading to the east and south of the cruciform is the remains of a naga balustrade joining to a platform that has a lower register of Hamsa extending all the way to the end. Also notable is the sema stone seen on the southern wing of the cruciform.

2. Royal Palace Entrance Terrace

Entrance pavilion to the Royal Palace. The inner walls of the terrace are also decorated with carvings of garuda holding naga in its feet, alternating with standing lions.

3. Lesser Staircases/Small Perron

To the north and south of the central staircase and cruciform are two lesser staircases that feature grand 3D-like carvings of the three-headed Airavata (mythical elephant) flanking either side of its stairs. Atop the platform, are the remains of two lion guardian statues.

4. Southern Grand Staircase/South Perron

Featuring 3D carvings of elephants coming out of the corners of the outer wall and lined with elephant carvings interjected with an array of other characters. Its stairs, also flanked by the three-headed elephant, Airavata. Similar to the Grand Entrance (1) atop it has another raised platform but here the characters lining the walls and appearing to hold up the platform are female divinities. To the south of here is Baphoun Temple’s entrance.

5 and 6. Elephant carvings

Elephant carvings line the walls and if you take the time to look, all are unique and performing different activities.

7. Northern Grand Staircase/North Perron

This is perhaps the most wondrous and curious section of the entire terrace and the grandest of the entrance staircases. Its east face features garuda and standing lions with divinities on the upper register, plus, a large three-headed elephant, Airavata, at the center with staircases on either side. On the north and south outer sidewall is an upper and lower register featuring horses playing a type of polo, chariots, men wrestling, etc., it’s a fascinating ensemble.

Atop the staircase, it features the remains of a grand screen, with an ensemble of royalty/devata surrounding a Kala head at the lower center in between two tri-headed Airavata. Behind this screen, a platform rises topped with a lotus-style crown that likely acted as a pedestal for a statue of something or someone that has never been found (some research suggests this may have been/become a stupa).

This platform is actually double-walled and tri-walled at its front. French researchers cleared away the landfill in the early 1900s revealing there is an inner wall, and at the front, a mid-wall both featuring extraordinary carvings. Later research showed that these were earlier constructions covered by the later addition of the outer walls. Those carvings include a five-headed horse, more elephants, and an array of divinities, some being quite unique.

Inscriptions

The site features a stone slab/stele that carries Khmer and Sanskrit text registered under K. 487/525. From the rubbing recorded under K. 525, it appears barely legible and to date, a translation has not been found by this author.

History of the Terrace of the Elephants

The earliest illustration of the Terrace of Elephants comes from the 1880 publication of L’Architeure Khmer by Louis Delaporte after the French Mekong Expedition of 1866 and later Mission D’Exploration des Monuments Khmer in 1873. In that, he writes of the terrace

Extremely picturesque terraces extended along the front of the park for a length of about three hundred meters. It was accessed by five staircases guarded by lions and nagas forming a balustrade and placed at the ends of very prominent belvederes. Their retaining walls were covered with large sculptures in high relief. For lack of time, we were only able to identify the two extreme projections: that of the elephants and that of the garudas arranged in a manner analogous to the previous and decorated with Krouths supporting dancers.

Both the Leper King Terrace and the Terrace of the Elephants, together known as the Royal Terraces, have a complex history of modifications as identified by the early French conservators and researchers, Henri Marchal and B.P. Groslier in the early to mid-1900s. Groslier would propose that the first state of the terraces was built in laterite from the beginning of the 11th century, later damaged by the Cham sack in 1177, then, this first state was covered at the beginning of the reign of Jayavarman VII under new terraces faced with sandstone, modified several times during the first years of the 13th century, and new transformations were still carried out between the 14th and 16th centuries.

B/W images via Fonds Cambodge/EFEO

Perhaps surprising when visiting the site today, heavily ruined, overgrown, and partly buried at the time, the extent of the terrace and its reliefs was not known prior to clearance works that began in the early 1900s. The site was first partly cleared in 1908 and later in 1916, Marchal cleared the northern section revealing the inner wall of reliefs on the northern staircase. An inscription was also discovered at that time. Later in 1934, another relief panel was discovered and in 1951 further clearance works were undertaken along with restoration works. In 1968, Groslier led major restoration works of the entire terrace with only the southern section completed, until 1992, when restoration works led by Christopher Pottier (EFEO) completed the northern section.

Recent Discoveries and Restoration Works

In 2021, excavations were carried out in front of the grand entrance (the area of the Royal Square) revealing a 6m wide road flanked by canals that led to the entrance stairs dating to the mid 9th-10th century receiving upgrades overtime plus a drainage system leading water away to the east. Evidence of post holes and remains of green roof tiles were also found suggesting that the road leading east from the entrance stairs was covered with a wooden structure during the 10th century. Three ritual deposits of lead/tin turtles were also found set in front of the staircase, along with a large volume of tiles, ceramics (Chinese & Khmer), iron tools, sandstone carvings, along with a road connecting the South Khleang to the Royal Palace and a pathway from the North Khleang to the Royal Palace (Khieu Chan, APSARA 2021).

In 2021/22 ASARA has been carrying out extensive restoration work on the terrace, removing the modern road and replacing it with green space and a pathway that replicates the location of the original entrance road to the Terrace of the Elephants/Royal Palace.

Nearby: See Angkor Thom for all the sites nearby

References

• Pottier Christophe. La restauration du perron nord de la terrasse des Éléphants à Angkor Thom. Rapport sur la première année de travaux (avril 1996-avril 1997). In: Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient. Tome 84, 1997. pp. 376-401;
• Marchal Henri. III. Notes sur les Terrasses des Eléphants, du Roi Lépreux et le Palais royal d’Ankor Thom. In: Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient. Tome 37, 1937. pp. 347-360;
• Delaporte Louis. L’Architeure Khmer. 1880