Terrace of the Elephants

You may begin at the central platform of the Elephant Terrace and then walk north along the outside of this platform, examining the bas-relief carvings along the way. Walk up the first series of stairs to the north and continue atop the terrace until you arrive at the Northern Platform. After examining the carvings on the platform and in the hidden chamber there, walk down to the Terrace of the Leper King where your tuk tuk can meet you.

The central platform of the Elephant Terrace, lies at the end of the Victory Road, just before the east gopura of the Royal Palace Enclosure. The platform, which overlooks the Royal Plaza, is ornamented with naga balustrades, statues of lions, and bas-relief garudas. This is the best vantage point for looking out across the Royal Plaza to the Prasats Suor Proat, and was arguably the platform upon which the king would have observed processions and other entertainment conducted there.

Descending the stairs, note the three-headed elephants (Airavata) that frame the bottom of the staircase. As you walk around to the northern side of the platform you will see bas-relief depictions of elephants, as well as events that were once held in the Royal Plaza, such as circus performances.

Leading away from the platform in both directions, the exterior of the Elephant Terrace is decorated with bas-relief carvings of elephants, forming a procession that lent itself to the name. As you walk north from the platform towards the Terrace of the Leper King, ascend the first staircase you pass. While this small platform is generally unadorned, it will provide access to the northern platform, which is best visited from above, though you may continue along the outside of the platform to view the exterior of the northern platform prior to ascending it from a staircase at the far northern end of the terrace and platform.

The northern platform of the Elephant Terrace is arguably the most interesting section of the structure. The centerpiece of the lower exterior wall is a deep relief depiction of the three headed elephant Airavata, who is pulling up lotus flowers with each trunk; the sides of this wall feature elephants in profile. A small chamber was discovered behind this wall, which is only accessible from stairs leading from the upper platform of the terrace.

Within the interior chamber, there are several images of a five headed horse that may represent Balaha, an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Lokesvara, which would date the construction of the elephant terrace to the reign of the Buddhist king Jayavarman VII. The wall facing outwards from the upper platform above the hidden chamber is ornately decorated with the demon Kala, flanked by two more nearly life-size Airavatas and surrounded by apsaras. On the platform at the very top is an empty pedestal in the form of a lotus blossom.

If you wish to walk the entire length of the Elephant Terrace, the smaller platform just south of the central platform features an excavated ‘hidden chamber’ that reveals a series of garudas, two with bird heads and two with ‘demon’ heads. Continuing south towards the southern platform, walking along the grass below the terrace will allow you to appreciate the low-relief profiles of elephants adorning the terrace wall. The southern platform is similar in decoration to the northern platform, minus the hidden bas-reliefs of the horse.