Complimentary worldwide shipping on orders over $400 · No import tariffs for most countries
Complimentary worldwide shipping on orders over $400 · No import tariffs for most countries
1 min read
| Date: | 16th century CE (perhaps much earlier) |
| Style: | Post-Bayon |
| King: | Unknown |
| Cult: | Buddist |
Tep Pranam (Khmer: ប្រាសាទទេពប្រណម្យ) is a Buddhist terrace guarded by two lions, found 80m (260') to the north of the Terrace of the Leper King along a laterite causeway, in Angkor Thom.
The terrace has a few remaining fragments of its naga balustrade, and is surrounded by a ring of small stupas. At the corners and cardinal points, traditional sema stones (boundary stones found in Buddhist temples) also delimit the holy space.
At the western end, where the terrace takes a cruciform shape, a large statue of Buddha seated on a lotus flower, in the position of ‘calling the Earth to witness’, is sheltered by a modern pavilion. At the back, another Buddha, 4m (13') tall, is standing in the position of the ‘absence of fear’, the Abhaya mudra.
A stele found near Tep Pranam mentions the existence of a Buddhist monastery founded by Yashovarman I, suggesting that the site may have been active since the end of the 9th century CE.
If this piece found something in you, you may wish to continue the journey elsewhere.
On The Lantern Chronicles, I gather writings from Angkor, myth and legend, contemplative essays, and poetry — works shaped by silence, beauty, wonder, memory, and the deeper questions that follow us through the world.
It is a place for stone and story, reflection and vow, shadow and revelation.
You would be most welcome there.