Palilay Temple

 

Palilay temple is located North of Phimeanakas temple and behind Tep Pranom temple. Palilay temple was built in the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII’s father, King Dharanindravarman (AD 1150 - 1160), who was a Buddhist. The temple’s lintels and pediments on the ground afford a rare opportunity to see relief at eye level. Many depict Buddhist scenes with Brahmanism divinities. 

 Only the central sanctuary remains intact. The sandstone tower opens on four sides, each one with a porch. The tower stands on a base with three tiers intercepted by stairs on each side. The upper portion in collapsed and a truncated pyramid forms a cone which is filled with reused stones. This temple’s principal feature of interest is the Buddhist scenes on the front. They are some of the few that escaped defacement in the 15th century. The scenes depicted are East, a reclining Buddha reaching nirvana; South, a seated Buddha, which is especially beautiful in the mid-morning sun; North, a standing Buddha with his hand resting on an elephant. 

The word Palilay is derived from Paliyyaka, the name of the forest where the Buddha lived. The local people believed that when the Buddha lived in the forest, he was served by an elephant named Palilay.