More secrets

The central sandstone tower of Prasat Prei

Next up on my Hidden Secrets tour this morning were the sister temples of Prasat Prei and Banteay Prei. These are Jayavarman VII temples too, built in the late 12th century and are located just a few minutes west of Krol Ko. Both temples receive practically zero visitors as there are better sites waiting to be visited in the Angkor Park, but the beauty of these two temples is their absence of people and having the site completely to yourself, and in silence, for however long you want to spend there. Not even an Apsara guard will ask to check your ticket. And yet both temples are literally a hundred metres from the main Angkor road. Prasat Prei is the first one you reach, located on a slight rise and without a surrounding wall, though it has a ruined gopura (entrance gate), so the wall must be somewhere in the undergrowth. It boasts a ruined library and a tall central tower, of sandstone. As with Krol Ko, the bewitching devatas are to be found on the sanctuary walls, though some have been beheaded, whilst the carvings still in situ aren't of the same quality as its close relative. Literally next door is Banteay Prei. This is the big sister, much bigger sister, of Prasat Prei. It has two surrounding walls and a large moat, dry at the moment. There are gopuras at both the east and west sides and long galleries encircling the tall central sanctuary, all in sandstone. The devatas are much in evidence, with other pediments and lintels still in situ as you explore the temple in silence. No-one visits this little gem of Jayavarman VII, so its another temple you have to yourself. The last of the quartet of temples I visited was Banteay Thom, which I'll cover in another post.

These worshipping figures at Prasat Prei have taken on a new green uniform in recent times

This devata at Prasat Prei coyly holds onto her long hair

Banteay Prei shown from the west side

A bewitching devata holding a small mirror at Banteay Prei

Even the devatas at Banteay Prei are prone to theft - this one was beheaded in fairly recent times