Neak Poan feels like a hidden sanctuary, its dark laterite blocks softened by moss and the quiet shimmer of the surrounding baray. Set within Jayatataka’s ancient waters, this small Buddhist temple once formed part of King Jayavarman VII’s visionary network of healing sanctuaries at Angkor, sometimes described as a “hospital temple.” Today, the worn carvings of nagas and celestial figures invite visitors to slow down, listen to the forest, and imagine the pilgrims who once came here seeking balance and peace.
