Preah Pithu Temple Group
While the tour buses idle outside Bayon, a five-minute walk north across the Royal Square brings you to Preah Pithu — a cluster of five small Hindu and Buddhist temples set in a serenely forested clearing opposite the Terrace of the Leper King. Moss-draped, largely unrestored, and almost always empty, it is everything the Instagram version of Angkor is not.
Off the Beaten Path Inside the Walls
Preah Pithu comprises five individual temples, each on its own small platform, connected by jungle paths and shaded by mature trees. The complex sits directly opposite the Terrace of the Leper King on the eastern edge of the Royal Square — one of the most historically charged addresses in the Khmer world, yet one that most visitors walk straight past.
The temples date from the 12th and 13th centuries and display a mix of Hindu and Buddhist iconography in their carvings. Because restoration work here has been minimal, the stones are still draped in the soft patina of centuries — lichen, moss, and the occasional fig-tree root threading between blocks.
What to Look For
Wander through the lush vegetation and look closely at the intricate carvings that adorn the doorways and lintels — devatas (divine female figures), kala faces, and naga balustrades survive in remarkable detail on several of the towers. The quietness of the site means you can press your nose to the stone without anyone jostling you.
The forested setting also makes Preah Pithu one of the best birdwatching spots inside Angkor Thom. Oriental pied hornbills and various kingfisher species have been spotted in the canopy above the temple platforms in the early morning hours.
Combining With the Royal Terraces
Preah Pithu pairs perfectly with the adjacent Terrace of the Leper King, whose hidden inner corridor — a narrow trench between the original outer wall and a later outer wall — reveals two layers of extraordinary bas-relief carvings: kings, queens, nagas, and multi-armed deities stacked floor to ceiling. Together, the two sites take about an hour and feel like a genuine discovery.
From Preah Pithu you can easily walk south along the Royal Square to the Terrace of the Elephants, completing the full northern loop of Angkor Thom without doubling back.
Preah Pithu Temple Group on video
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