Prasat Kravan

Temples of Angkor

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Uninspiring from the outside, the interior brick carvings concealed within its towers are the hidden treasure of Prasat Kravan. The five brick towers, arranged in a north–south line and oriented to the east, were built for Hindu worship in AD 921. The structure is unusual in that it was not constructed by royalty; this accounts for its slightly distant location, away from the other temples. Prasat Kravan is just south of the road between Angkor Wat and Banteay Kdei.

Prasat Kravan was partially restored in 1968, returning the brick carvings to their former glory. The images of Vishnu in the largest central tower show the eight-armed deity on the back wall, taking the three gigantic steps with which he reclaimed the world on the left wall; and riding a garuda on the right wall. The northernmost tower displays bas-reliefs of Vishnu’s consort, Lakshmi.

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