The Terrace of the Leper King runs along the northern end of the Royal Palace compound at Angkor Thom, immediately north of the Terrace of the Elephants. It is smaller but, in some ways, the more intriguing of the two: the outer face of the terrace is carved with seven tiers of astonishing relief sculpture — nagas, garudas, divine figures, and the three-headed Naga king, all overlapping in an extraordinary density of imagery. A narrow trench between the outer and inner walls reveals the original buried face, preserved in near-perfect condition because it was sealed underground for centuries.
The trench walk is one of those small Angkor moments that stays with you. The inner wall carvings are fresher and more clearly detailed than most temple reliefs, and the intimate scale of the passage — barely wide enough for two people — creates a sensation of genuine discovery, as if you have found something the crowds have missed. The seated figure on top — the so-called Leper King — is a modern replica; the original is in the National Museum in Phnom Penh.