About Cambodia Travel & Tours present about tourists destination around Cambodia that known as the kingdom of wonder !

Preah Khan Temple

Preah Khan temple is located 2 kilometers north-east of Angkor Thorn on the Grand Circuit. The temple was built in the second half of the 12th century in AD 1191 by King Jaya-varman VII, dedicating to his father Dharanindravarman. The Buddhist complex covers 56 hectares served as the nucleus of a group that includes Neak Pean and Ta Som, located 4 kilometers long Jayatataka Baray—the last of the great re¬servoirs to be built in Angkor.
In 1191 AD, ten years after his ascension to the throne, Jayavarman VII dedicated the temple of Preah Khan to his father Dharanindra, who is represented in the central sanctuary by Lokesvara, the savior god of Mahayana Buddhism who was much worshipped during Jayavarman VII's reign.

Preah Khan is one of the few monuments to have kept its original name. The founding stele is written entirely in Sanskrit with the name of the temple expressed as Jayacri.
During the Middle Period, a stupa (see photograph) was erected in place of Lokesvara in the central sanctuary. This had the advantage of symbolising Buddhism in all its forms.
The name Jayacri or Preah Khan means "sacred sword" which was at the same time the coronation name of its royal constructor.
More than a single temple , the monument was in its time a real city with a whole population divided according to their functions. The temple was also a site of Buddhist studies with its retinue of spiritual masters and their disciple