Terrace of Elephant
Elephant Terrace
Date: Built in late twelfth century
Religion: Buddhism
King: Jayavarman VII (1181-1221)
Posthumous name: Mahasangatapada
This terrace is not a temple, but it is grandstand inRoyal Plaza for celebrating elephant festival, other religious ceremonies and sports. This grand field was also a place for training the elephant how to fight and how to protect the warrior in the battlefield.
Nowadays this Elephant Festival is still celebrated by Khmer people called Khmer Surin who live in northern Thailand.
The structure of Elephant Terrace measures 350m long, spreading from the main entrance of
Baphoun temple to the Leper King terrace and it also locates in the front of the palace entrance.
Baphoun temple to the Leper King terrace and it also locates in the front of the palace entrance.
Elephant carvings:
There’re plenty of carvings decorated on the wall of its structure. They’re carvings about the talent and importance of the elephant. The elephant carried the hunter to the jungle to hunt wild animals and they also protected the hunter from the attacks of tiger. After the hunter had killed wild animal, the elephant used its truck to carry that dead wild animal home.
Royal grandstandas the king in Angkor time was a god king, his grandstand structure was decorated with sculptures of Nagas, Garudas, and Lions that were mythical powerful guardians. The Garuda and Lions sculptures are in an action of supporting the king’s grandstand.They’re in poor condition because they’re always under the rain and sunlight.
The northern shrine:
this was 
the shrine of the elephant terrace for praying before other ceremonies began. There’re two elephant statues with three heads. The elephant trunks are pulling lotus. In the middle part, there’s a head of a demon called Rahu. He is in action of swallowing Nagas into his mouth. This carving show how powerful Rahu was. on the top, there is a huge sculpture of blooming lotus flower with 8 petals. There was a torch in it when this holy place was used to pray because Agni, who was the god of fire, was a messenger between man and god.
the shrine of the elephant terrace for praying before other ceremonies began. There’re two elephant statues with three heads. The elephant trunks are pulling lotus. In the middle part, there’s a head of a demon called Rahu. He is in action of swallowing Nagas into his mouth. This carving show how powerful Rahu was. on the top, there is a huge sculpture of blooming lotus flower with 8 petals. There was a torch in it when this holy place was used to pray because Agni, who was the god of fire, was a messenger between man and god.
Balaha
If we go down stair, we could see two horse statues with five heads called Balaha, a reincarnation of Buddha.
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