Neak Pean

Neak Pean is unlike anything else at Angkor: a circular island carrying a small tower, set in a square pool with four smaller pools at the cardinal points, the whole thing built by Jayavarman VII in the twelfth century as a representation of Anavatapta, the Himalayan lake whose waters were believed to cure illness. Water flowed from the central pool into the four side basins through carved spouts shaped as a human head, a lion, a horse and an elephant, corresponding to the four elements. Two entwined nagas encircle the island base and give the temple its name, the coiled serpents. It is reached along a raised wooden walkway across a flooded reservoir, which in the wet season is a landscape in itself.

What you actually see

• The island shrine - a small tower on a circular platform in the pool.
• The four spouts - carved head, lion, horse and elephant outlets.
• Entwined nagas - the serpents circling the island base.
• The walkway crossing - a raised path over the flooded reservoir.

When to go

November to March. The pools hold water at the end of the rains and are often dry by March and April, which changes the visit completely; the walkway approach is best when the reservoir is full.

Honest expectations

The monument is small and viewed from the edge rather than entered, so the visit takes half an hour. In the dry season the pools are empty and the effect is lost. The walkway is crowded when groups arrive together.

Nearby

Preah Khan lies west; Ta Som is east.