While Angkor Wat stands in meticulously restored grandeur, Ta Prohm has been surrendered to the wild embrace of the jungle. Towering silk-cotton trees and strangler figs entwine themselves around crumbling sandstone walls, their roots creeping through sacred corridors like ghostly fingers reclaiming what was once theirs. This temple complex was constructed in 1186 AD during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, one of the most prolific & devout rulers of the Khmer Empire.

Lacking any inscriptions describing its foundation, the mysterious history of Banteay Samre is left to speculation. According to local lore, construction may have initially commenced around 967AD for the Samré people, an isolated ethnic group believed to have inhabited the area long before the rise of the Khmer Empire. Historians believe it was later completed in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman II or his successor, King Yasovarman II.

This significant temple complex, within the dense jungles on the northern edge of the Angkor Archaeological Park, was commissioned by the great King Jayavarman VII in honour of his father and the Bodhisattva of universal compassion, Avalokiteshvara. Known as Preah Khan, or the Sacred Sword, the temple was erected in 1191 during the golden years of the ancient Khmer Empire.

Long before the iconic towers of Angkor Wat pierced the Cambodian skyline, another monument stood at the cradle of Khmer imperial ambition. Built in 881AD by King Indravarman I, Bakong Temple is considered the first large scale sandstone pyramid of the Angkorian period and the spiritual prototype for the grandeur that would come centuries later.

Consumed by jungle and time, very little is known about this temple ruin but it is believed this stone monument was once an ancient hermitage, a meditation retreat for elite monks or a sanctuary for sacred manuscripts. Located near the northwest corner of the holy reservoir of East Baray, deep inside the Angkor Archaeological Park, it was designed and constructed by King Jayavarman VII during the late 12th century.

Built in the late 12th century under the rule of King Jayavarman VII, the long terrace fronts the eastern side of the Royal Palace within the walled city of Angkor Thom. It served as a grand platform from which the king could view military parades, public ceremonies and state functions. The terrace, also known in some records as the Terrace of Honour, is richly decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures of life sized elephants.

Preah Ko is a profoundly significant temple that often gets overshadowed by the grandeur of Angkor Wat and Bayon. Preah Ko, which translates to “Sacred Bull,” was the very first temple built in the ancient city of Hariharalaya, located in present-day Roluos, 15 kilometres southeast of Siem Reap. This temple predates Angkor Wat by over two centuries and is key to understanding the architectural and spiritual foundation of the Khmer empire.

The great city of Angkor Thom isn’t just a ruin, it’s a palimpsest of power, religion, blood and time. It’s where Hindu deities once danced with Buddhist ideals and where a king tried to become a god in the eyes of the world. Carved into the Cambodian jungle in 1181AD by the empire’s most ambitious rule King Jayavarman VII, this immense stone citadel rose as the crowning capital of the ancient Khmer Empire.

Located within the Royal Square at the ancient city of Angkor Thom, the Terrace of the Leper King is an elevated stone platform, adorned with a series of enigmatic bas reliefs, which dates back to the late Angkorian period during the reign of King Jayavarman VII.

Chiselled from rose-pink sandstone, this beautiful, miniature Hindu temple was built in 967AD and is the only major temple credited to be built not by a monarch but by a Brahmin of royal descent. Named Yajnavaraha, it is believed he was an important scholar, philanthropist and royal physician who helped those who suffered from illness, poverty or injustice.