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