Neak Pean

     Built by Jayavarman VII before the end of the 12th century, this monument – Neak Poan or the entwined naga – is an artificial island, measuring 350 meters on each side, built in the middle of a reservoir which is also man made. The modern name, Neak Poan, comes from the motif of serpents encircling the base of the central sanctuary.

An inscription notes that it is “a sacred island, drawing its charm from its ponds and clearing away the sins of those who approach it”. The ponds in question number four. They were fed by a complex system of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic fountains. The mysterious curative function of its waters was all the more so, given that the myth of the deliverance of a group of shipwrecked sailors by the horse Balaha, a form of Lokesvara, is represented here.

The reservoir, which measured 3500 meters by 900 meters, was originally called Jayatataka or “the reservoir of Jaya [varman VII]”. Its modern name is Veal Reach Dak or “plain of the royal reservoir”, revealing the collective historical memory of the inhabitants of Angkor who are aware that its four cornered form originate from a Baray, a royal hydraulic project which today lies dry.