Terrace of the Elephants
Exiting the Baphuon and moving down further the road, is the impressive Terrace of the Elephants. As the name implies, it is not a temple by itself but rather a terrace. Archaeologists postulated that the this terrace may have been used in performances and parades much like how royalty and political leaders do it these days.
The Terrace of the Elephants is so named because of the presence of a huge number of elephant carvings on the terrace face itself. The trunks of the elephants were carved in such a way that they would appear as pillars. The main entrance of the terrace itself features four such elephants. On closer inspection, one can notice that the trunks of the elephants themselves have carvings on them.
However, the Terrace of the Elephants doesn’t only feature elephants but other mythical creatures, birdlike winged creatures, some of the have female features too. These creatures seem to adorn the rest of the terrace. One look at the length of the terrace and one would have been impressed.
Some of the walls also feature scenes from everyday life. Perhaps an efforts to still be able to connect royalty with the people.
The terrace impressive as it is, is merely the entrance to the royal palace that lies behind it. It is really impressive how the ancient Khmers invested so much effort into these structures. One could not help but stand in awe of them.
Tags: Angkor Thom, Cambodia, elephant, heritage, Siem Reap, terrace, UNESCO, world
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