Preah Khan ("Sacred Sword"). A creation of King Jayavarman VII in honor of his father, the Mahayana Buddhist temple and monastery of Preah Khan was dedicated in 1191 A.D. to Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. As such, it should be regarded together with Ta Prohm and the Bayon, the other two great temples founded by Jayavarman. An inscription suggests that the king built Preah Khan on the site of a battlefield on which he had defeated invaders from Champa.

The modern name "Preah Khan" (Sacred Sword) is ... (more)