The Terrace of the Leper King is a massive mound of laterite

The Terrace of the Leper King is a massive mound of laterite (clay) that is held in place by a series of ornately carved sandstone walls. This extraordinary structure owes its name to a small statue that sits atop the terrace. Khmer lore indicates that the statue represents King Yasovarman, the Khmer ruler who died of leprosy in the 10th century. Other theories suggest that the statue represents the Hindu deity Yama, the god of death. Whatever the case, a replica now sits in the original statues place. Many people like it in Cambodia Tour.

The statue was called the "Leper King" because discolouration and moss growing on it was reminiscent of a person with leprosy, and also because it fit in with a Cambodian legend of an Angkorian king Yasovarman I who had leprosy. The name that the Cambodians know him by, however, is Dharmaraja, as this is what was etched at the bottom of the original statue.
It was built in the Bayon style under Jayavarman VII, though its modern name derives from a 15th century sculpture discovered at the site. The statue depicts the Hindu god Yama, the god of Death. It was called the Leper King because discoloration and moss growing on the original statue was reminiscent of a person with leprosy, and also because it fits in with a Cambodian legend of an Angkorian king who had leprosy. The statue of the leper king on display at the terrace is a replica. The original resides at the National Museum in Phnom Penh.