Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine
Twin guardian statues of royal sisters, honored with incense and marigolds for protection and good fortune.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine in Siem Reap follows Dap Chhuon, a provincial strongman fleeing toward the Thai border in February nineteen fifty-nine in the middle of a coup plot against Prince Sihanouk backed by Thailand and the CIA. He loaded two Angkorian guardian statues onto his cart, convinced they were keeping him alive, and by local account the cart itself seemed to resist leaving town. The statues, unearthed in the forest near Angkor Thom less than a decade before, had already gained a reputation for protecting whoever kept them close.
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