Tep Pranam

Featuring an active Buddhist temple, it can be combined with Preah Palilay, which is set amidst a quiet forest, as a detour around the hawkers near the Leper Terrace.

Meaning ‘the adoring/worshipping god’, Tep Pranam is the name of an enormous seated Buddha statue at one of the oldest temples at Angkor, located north of the Terrace of the Leper King in Angkor Thom. While the Buddha image is newer than the original structure, various aspects of the temple were later additions or renovations, and an active monastery on the site further testifies to the temple’s religious significance.

Visitors must walk across a laterite causeway with serpent balustrades and guardian lions to reach Tep Pranam. The Buddha statue, seated on a lotus pedestal, has been assembled from a number of different stones rather than being cast in one piece. The Buddha is depicted as sitting in the Bhumisparsa Mudra position, which represents “calling the earth to witness” his enlightenment.

The surrounding area of Tep Pranam is one of the most tranquil areas of Angkor Archeological Park and visitors should take care to ensure that the atmosphere of peace remains. The light is particularly good here in the morning and photographs are permitted, though its appropriate to be respectful of the resident monks.

Located on the west side of the road that leads through the trees to the North Gate of Angkor Thom, Tep Pranam can be seen from more than 100 meters away, and visitors who explore the Terrace of the Leper King to the north will be treated to glimpses of Tep Pranam through the trees.