Neak Pean, sometimes written as Neak Poan, is a Buddhist temple which sits in the middle of a circular artificial island in Jayatataka Baray.
It was built by the prolific king Jayavarman VII in the middle of the 12th century.
The temple was originally designed as a hospital, it was thought bathing in the pools here would cure disease.
Each of the four pools are said to represent wind, fire, water and earth.
Nowadays, the temple is part of the Angkor Wat Grand Circuit Tour and is widely visited by tourists.
- Location
- History
1. Location
Neak Pean is located in the centre of the Preah Khan baray which is an ancient reservoir known as Jayatataka.
It is located about 1km east of Preah Khan, with Prasat Prei and Banteay Prei to the North west. To the north is Krol Ko and Ta Som temple is to the east.
2. History
Neak Pean was built by King Jayavarman VII in the 12th century as a Buddhist temple. It was thought that it was built as a hospital where bathing in one of the pools would cure disease. Each of the four pools represent water, earth, fire and water.
They are connected to a central pool (a replica of Lake Anavatapta in the Himalayas) by a stone channel. Each of these channels are looked over by an Elephant, Bull, Horse, and Lion – one of the Four Great Animals.
Each channel represents the head of one of the great animals except for the east which is a human head instead of a bull.
When the temple was first built, the sculptures of the four heads sat on the floor of the lake. They can still be seen in the dry season when the water is low, but are completely covered in the rainy season.