Terrace of the Leper King
.jpg)
The Terrace of the Leper King (or Leper King Terrace; Khmer: ព្រះលានស្តេចគម្លង់ Preah Lean Sdach Kumlung) is located in the northwest corner of the Royal Square of Angkor Thom, Cambodia.
It was built in the Bayon style under Jayavarman VII, though its modern name is from an 8th-century sculpture discovered at the site. A datable inscription of the 14th-15th century identifies it with Dharmaraja, the "King of the Order", which is an epithet of Yama, the Indic god of death and ruler of the underworld.
The statue was called the "Leper King" because discolouration and moss growing on it looked similar to the symptoms of leprosy, connecting it to the Cambodian legend of Angkorian king Yasovarman I having the disease.[1] The name Cambodians know the image as is Dharmaraja, as this is what was etched at the bottom of the original statue.[citation needed]
The U-shaped structure is thought by some[who?] to have been used as a royal cremation site.
Legacy
[edit]Yukio Mishima's final play before his death in 1970 was The Terrace of the Leper King.[2] The play revolves around King Jayavarman VII returning triumphant from his battle against the Chams and commissions the Temple of Bayon. After announcing the project, the king’s sees his perfect skin show the first signs of leprosy. His leprosy spreads apace with the construction of the temple; he eventually goes blind and dies at its completion.
Gallery
[edit]- Terrace of the Leper King
-
Terrace of the Leper King -
The statue which gave the terrace its name has been replaced by a replica.
References
[edit]
- ^ Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & the Greater Mekong by Nick Ray, Tim Bewer, Andrew Burke, Thomas Huhti, Siradeth Seng. Page 212. Footscray; Oakland; London: Lonely Planet Publications, 2007.
- ^ Raeside, James (2003-01-01). "This death in life: leprosy in Mishima Yukios Rai l no terasu and beyond". Japan Forum. 15 (1): 99–123. doi:10.1080/0955580032000077757. ISSN 0955-5803.
External links
[edit]- Terrace of the Leper King – Comprehensive Photographic Documentation by khmer-heritage.de
13°26′54″N 103°51′31″E / 13.44833°N 103.85861°E
 | This Cambodia-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |