Phimeanakas24 temple is south of Baphuon temple, within the confines of the Royal Palace. The temple was built in the late 10th and early 11th centuries by three different kings––King Rajendravarman25, king Jayavarman V26 and King Suryavarman I27. it was the temple where the king worshiped.

The temple was originally known as Hemásarngagiry which means gold. It must originally have been crowned with a golden pinnacle, as Chinese emissary Zhou Danuan28 described it as the Tower of Gold. It is small compared to others, but, even so, it has appeal and is situated in idyllic surroundings. The single sanctuary stands on the base with three laterite tiers and is approached by four steep stairways, one on each side.

These stairways are framed by walls with six projections––two per step–decorated with lions. Elephants one stood on sandstone pedestals in the corners of the base, but, today, they are mostly broken. This temple is associated with a legend that tells of a gold tower inside the royal palace of Angkor the Great, where a serpent–spirit with nine heads lived.

The spirited appeared to the Khmer King disguised as a woman and the king had to sleep every night in the tower before he joined his wives and concubines in another part of palace. If the king missed even one night it was believed he would die. In this way the royal lineage of the Khmers was perpetuated. To the north of Phimeanakas, there are two ponds that were part of the Royal Palace compound. The smaller and deeper pond, known as Srah Srei or the women’s bath, while the other larger pond known as Srah Pros or the men’s bath.

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