Phimeanakas

Temple in Siem Reap

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Diego Delso

Phimeanakas or Prasat Vimean Akas, located at Angkor, Cambodia, is a Hindu temple built in the Khleang style at the end of the 10th century, during the reign of Rajendravarman (941–968) and later completed by Suryavarman I. The temple is constructed as a three-tiered pyramid, originally serving as a Hindu temple. Atop the pyramid was a tower, and galleries were placed around the top platform. Phimeanakas is situated within the walled enclosure of the Royal Palace of Angkor Thom, just north of the Baphuon temple.

Description of Phimeanakas

The temple was a central feature of Suryavarman I’s capital, with the buildings from his reign enclosed by a 600 by 250-meter wall that included five gopurams (entrance towers) and the Southern and Northern Khleangs.

The tower of Phimeanakas was originally topped with a golden pinnacle, as noted by Zhou Daguan in his 1297 account The Customs of Cambodia. According to local legend, the king spent the first watch of each night with a woman believed to represent a Nāga in the tower. During this time, the queen was not allowed to enter. Only during the second watch would the king return to his palace with the queen. If the Nāga, considered the supreme landowner of the Khmer territory, failed to appear one night, it was believed that the king’s reign would be short-lived. Conversely, if the king failed to appear, it was said that disaster would strike the kingdom.

One of the stele records how Jayavarman VII, while on a military campaign in Champa, learned of the death of his father Dharanindravarman II and hurried back to aid King Yasovarman II. His second wife, Indradevi, is credited with composing an inscription in flawless Sanskrit, which included a panegyric to her sister Jayarajadevi, and provided biographical details about Jayavarman VII.

The Phimeanakas appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Siem Reap!

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