Preah Palilay Temple

Preah Palilay (Khmer: ប្រាសាទព្រះបាលិលេយ្យ) is a small but fascinating ancient temple located in Angkor Thom, only a short walk to the north-west of Terrace of Leper King and Tep Pranam. The site’s contemporary name, Preah Palilay, has the meaning Sacred Forest of Palilay whilst the original site name is unknown.

At its eastern entrance it features a beautiful, but ruinous, 30m long cruciform-shaped sandstone terrace featuring an arrangement of seven-headed naga balustrade that featured Dvarapala (guardians) and lion statues at its entrance, remnants of which can still be seen. The terrace leads to a seated Buddha statue in the style of the late/post-Angkor era (14-15th century on).

The walled enclosure that follows features a single gopura (gate), cruciform shaped with three entrances, and features some spectacular and controversial pediment reliefs that we’ll return to later. Inside, the singular sanctuary rises from an incredibly ornate three-tiered base, offering a staircase at each cardinal point leading up the tiered base to its doorways on each side. This sanctuary is also of a cruciform layout featuring doorways at each cardinal point, as mentioned that lead into a small chamber all joining to the central chamber where a statue of the Buddha was uncovered by French archaeologist, Henri Marchal.

The Buddha statue was noted to be very deteriorated, likely over 2m tall, seated in the attesting to the earth position, and still retaining black and red lacquering, and gold gilding. Remnants of that Buddha still remain among the mass of stone masonry rubble inside the temple. Marchal also noted it likely, as evidenced by matching grooves, that the central chamber had wooden doors.

Above the central chamber, the temple rises up in the shape of a chimney with its facade lost to time and the point of a great mystery. The earliest research at the site did not provide a solution to this problem nor remnants that would have covered the structure. Some have compared its current state to that of the central feature of the Bayon, noting the similarities, suggesting that Preah Palilay may have supported a face tower, but it remains speculation. This theory would seem unlikely once looking inside and noting that the upper section of the tower is created of recycled masonry, many of which feature carvings similar in fashion to that of the remnants north of the Leper King Terrace.

The terrace & Buddha

The gopura

As mentioned, the gopura has three entrances, with the pediments displaying scenes from the life of the Buddha including on the east-facing pediment of the northern one shows a forest of Parileyyaka scene, others including Sujata’s offering of rice-milk to the Buddha-to-be, and the subjugation of the elephant Nalagiri.

The main sanctuary & enclosure

Things to take notice of include the ornate tiered base of the temple, the amazing array of remnants with relief carvings scattered around inside the enclosure, and the remaining decoration on the pilasters. A popular photo spot is from the temple’s southern side where a pair of trees have stunningly overtaken the staircase.

Only the lintels of the east and west door are in situ, one featured Brahma on a three-headed Hamsa (mythical bird), one with a standing Buddha atop a pedestal flanked by worshippers, and one with Indra on a three-headed Airvata (elephant).

History

The coexistence of Hindu and Buddhist elements along with lacking a foundation stele or inscriptions have made it somewhat difficult to date this temple. Some ascribe it to Jayavarman VIII reign, but it seems difficult to explain how the Buddhist imagery could have survived from the much-heralded iconoclast fury of that epoch that saw the removal of Buddhist iconography. Noting the art styles deployed, Henri Marchal speculated the sanctuary as dating to the first half of the 12th century according to its decoration, while the gopura to the late 13th and other areas, notably the style of the Buddhas which Vittorio Roveda suggests to be of Theravadin style of 13-14th century.

The temple was first cleared by Henri Marchal in 1918-19, while the gopura was restored via the technique of anastylosis by Maurice Glaize in 1937-38. The below illustrations are from Marchal’s publication on the site in 1922.

The origin of the name Palilay is speculated to originate from a Buddhist story and in particular the forest where he lived (Nhim Sotheavin). Parileyyaka was the name of the forest where he was served by elephants (and a monkey?) of the same name, a narrative that is also depicted in the north pediment of the gopura. Perhaps also worth noting then, is the elephant statue originally found at the site.

Historical Photos (Property of EFEO – see more)

The historical photos from the site show many things that we are not able to see today that add to a fuller view of the site, taking note of the guardian statue, chaitya, standing Buddha statues, and the unique elephant statue.

References and further reading

• Marchal Henri. Le temple de Prah Palilay. In: Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient. Tome 22, 1922. pp. 101-134.