Prasat Leak Neang Cambodia

Address

Prasat Leak Neang Pre Rup, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia

Diety

Shiva

Introduction

Prasat Leak is a small temple dedicated to lord shiva, 200m east of Pre Rup, lying Prasat in Angkor. According to an inscription, The building dates from 960 and was built under Rajendravarman II. Leak Neang may be the last surviving subsidiary temple of Pre Rup. An inscription on the door jamb records the date of construction as 960, which is contemporary with Pre Rup. Leak Neang is quite small–it measures just 4.5 meters on each side, but its lintel, door jambs ruins condition. Although it is quite close to Pre Rup.

Puranic Significance

King Rajendravarman’s state temple Pre Rup probably was surrounded by numerous smaller temples, maybe they were edifices within an outer enclosure of Pre Rup not existing any more. One of those satellite temples of Pre Rup remains. It is called Leak Neang, sometimes Lak Nan. Leak Neang is located only in 200 m distance to the north-east of Pre Rup, just at the opposite side of the Grand Circuit road, but a little bit hidden inside the wood. The remaining sanctuary tower is noticeably crooked and not in a fair condition. The sacred chamber of this small and simple structure only of 2.30 m width. The inscription on the door jambs mentioning several donations is from 960, one year earlier than Pre Rup. The bricks used at Leak Neang are smaller than those at Pre Rup. Indra did not play a considerable role in King Rajendravarman’s official cult, which was Shivaism, but he usually was held in high esteem among Buddhists. Thus the depiction of a Hindu deity does not contradict assumptions that Leak Neang could have been a Buddhist monument just like the contemporary Bat Chum further to the southwest.