Angkor Thom: Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King

Our next "possibility of visit" was the Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King.  On the elephant parade grounds of Angkor Thom, the king would ride in on his elephant, disembark, and preview his army, gifts from merchants, or address his people.

 Basically, this area was the king's grand hall.  On the other side of the grounds, were 12 towers, each one housing the king's mistresses or where the merchants would stay before presenting their goods to the king.  During festivals, ropes were tied between the towers and acrobats performed high-wired tricks to the delight of the crowds below.  The walls have elephants carved into the walls, as well as an eagle-like creature, holding up the platform.

 
Next to the Terrace of the Elephants is the Terrace of the Leper King.  There is a question as to which king it was named for, but it is believed that the king contracted leprosy.  He then slept with this 12 mistresses, giving them leprosy.  He made his ministers sleep with his mistresses, and they got leprosy.  Soon, everyone had it.  The cravings on the walls of this terrace are of people and as you moved around the structure, the people start to get leprosy-- indicated by cuts on the skins.  If the skin is smooth, that person is a healthy person.  By the end of the wall, most everyone was a leper.

Or, all of this could represent Yama, the god of death and this was where the royal crematorium was held.  

 On top of the Terrace of the Leper King, are five statues.  The middle one is Buddha and King and the remaining four are the King's ministers, looking out in each direction, helping the King watch over his kingdom.  The heads are missing now, so we decided to fill in for a bit.