Terrace of the Leper King

Historic Site in Siem Reap

Terrace Of The Leper King
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Jasoneppink

The Terrace of the Leper King (Khmer: ព្រះលានស្តេចគម្លង់, Preah Lean Sdach Kumlung) is situated in the northwest corner of the Royal Square in Angkor Thom, Cambodia. Built in the Bayon style during the reign of Jayavarman VII, the terrace gets its modern name from an 8th-century sculpture found at the site. An inscription from the 14th-15th century associates the statue with Dharmaraja, a title for Yama, the Hindu god of death, also known as the “ruler of the order.”

The statue was dubbed the “Leper King” because its discoloration and the moss covering it gave the appearance of leprosy, as well as a reference to a Cambodian legend about Yasovarman I, an Angkorian king believed to have suffered from leprosy. However, the local name for the figure is Dharmaraja, as indicated by the inscription at the base of the original statue.

The U-shaped structure is believed by some to have been used as a royal cremation site.

Legacy of Terrace of the Leper King

Yukio Mishima, the Japanese playwright, used the theme of the Terrace of the Leper King as inspiration for his final play, The Terrace of the Leper King (1970). The play tells the story of King Jayavarman VII, who returns victorious from battle against the Chams and commissions the construction of the Bayon Temple. As the project progresses, the king begins to show signs of leprosy, which worsens as the temple is built. Eventually, he becomes blind and dies upon the temple’s completion.

The Terrace of the Leper King appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Siem Reap!

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Visiting Terrace of the Leper King

Address: Terrace of the Leper King, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia

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