More from Wat Nokor

The central sanctuary and modern vihara at Wat Nokor

These are two views of the central sanctuary of Wat Nokor, located on the outskirts of Kompong Cham and built in the 13th century by King Jayarvarman VII, for many the zenith of the Angkor period in Cambodia's history. The suggestion by experts is that the central sanctuary was changed to resemble a stupa in the 16th century and many of its carvings were altered at the same time. One of the interesting aspects of Wat Nokor, and there are many, is that the modern vihara was added onto the ancient structure as seen above and the eastern doorway is now the main altar of the pagoda at the site.

The central sanctuary at Wat Nokor

The eastern gopura of the third and outer enclosure

Above is the eastern gopura of the third enclosure, the outer entrance to Wat Nokor. Most of the gopuras and gateways contain carvings of devatas and other iconography and it's worth scrabbling around the fallen stones to look for some hidden gems. Below, this royal pool is located on the southeast corner of the complex and its original sandstone structure is mainly still in place.

The royal pool at Wat Nokor