The 350m-long Terrace of Elephants was used as a giant viewing stand for public eeremonies and served as a base for the king's grand audience hall. As you stand here, try to imagine the pomp and grandeur of the khmer empire at its height, with infantry, cavalry horse-drawn chariots and elephants parading across Central Sq in a colourful procession, pennants and standards aloft. Looking on is the god-king, crowned with a gold diadem, shaded by multi-tiered parasols and attended by mandarins and handmaidens bearing fold and silver utensils.
The Terrace of Elephants has five piers extending towards the Central Sq - three in the centre and one at each end. The middle section of the retaining wall is decorated with life-size garudas and lions; towards either end are the two parts of the famous parade of elephants, complete with their khmer mahouts.
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