A temple built for healing
The name Neak Pean means “entwined serpents”, after the two nagas whose tails wrap around the base of the central island. The temple sat in the middle of the huge Jayatataka reservoir, and pilgrims came here believing the water could cure illness.
A central pool is surrounded by four smaller ones, each representing an element: water, earth, fire and wind. Water flowed into them through spouts carved as an elephant, a horse, a lion and a human head.
Getting there
You reach Neak Pean along a long wooden boardwalk over the flooded baray. The walk is one of the most peaceful moments of the tour, especially in the green rainy season, when the water is high and the dead trees standing in it look surreal.
The horse Balaha
Look for the sculpture of a horse with figures clinging to it. This is Balaha, a form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, rescuing shipwrecked merchants from an island of ogresses. It is one of San’s favourite stories to tell.
San’s tip
“Neak Pean is small, so many tours skip it. Go there first on Day 2. The boardwalk is cool, quiet and full of birds in the morning.”
