ANGKOR TEMPLES IN CAMBODIA
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Preah Ko


The Shiva-temple Preah Ko ("Sacred Bull") in Angkor's predecessor capital Hariharalaya - nowadays called Roluos - is located halfway between the similar Lolei temple and the pyramidal structure Bakong. It is the first ancestor temple of the Khmer empire. Preah Ko was consecrated in 879, supposedly as a kind of royal chapel adjoined to the king's palace. The residential area was surrounded by a moat of 500 m length and 400 m width. The palace buildings were wooden and vanished in the course of time, thus only the stone buildings of the temple area are left over. Preah Ko is famous for its exquisite decoration, inspiring the later Angkor styles of stone carving. Particularly, its carved colonettes remained to be of unsurpassed quality.

Preah Ko has entrance gates called Gopurams at the east and west side, the main entrance is from the east. In between the outer and the inner enclosure walls of the temple area there were rectangular buildings called galleries, and in the south-east corner an extraordinary and well-preserved square building of unknown function, maybe a predecessor of those later Angkor edifices called libraries. It has windows with brick grills, which supposedly were ventilation holes, and rows of figures of ascetics in niches above them.

In front of the six central brick towers on a shared single sandstone base there are remains of three kneeling bull sculptures facing them. They show Nandi, the mount of Shiva. The temple's modern name "Ko" is the Khmer word for a bull.

The central main shrines are arranged in two rows of three Prasats, but, surprisingly, the ground plan is not symmetrical, the distances between towers vary. The three eastern towers commemorating the male ancestors of King Indravarman I (877-899) are larger than those for the females behind them. Preah Ko was a Shiva and an ancestor temple at the same time. The six Prasats were dedicated to Shiva and his consort, but instead of symbolic phalli called Lingas representing this god in most other Shiva temples of the ancient Khmer civilization, images of manifestations of Shiva and of his consort were placed inside the shrines. By inscriptions on the door jambs we know, the ancestor or predecessor honoured in each Prasat was associated with the male of female deity respectively. Accordingly the guardian sculptures called Dvarapalas of the eastern towers are male, those of the western towers are females called Devatas.

The outer walls of the six brick Prasats were partially covered with stucco. Preah Ko is famous for the carved decoration on the lintels and columns of the doors and false doors. (A lintel is the beam spanning the gap between the two posts of a door.)

The hanging garlands are a characteristic of the so-called Preah Ko style (Roluos period, reign of King Indravarman I). Typical features of Khmer relief art are those grotesque monster-masques, called Kalas, spewing foliage from their mouths twisting on both sides and ending in mythical animals called Makaras or in serpent heads called Nagas. In Indian art these Kala-Makara-bows are symbols of fertility and abundance of water. This may be a reminder: One main task and function of a king was to secure water supply. Indravarman and his successor Yashovarman served this purpose by building a nearly 4 km long tank - now dried up - once called Indratataka, the Baray of the Lolei Temple.

The best time to visit Preah Ko in Roluos is the early morning, without doubt. The Angkor ticket is valid in Roluos. It will be checked at the entrance of Preah Ko.

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Copyright © 2015 Hor Sopheak & Unique Asia Travel and Tours, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Texts and Photos by Ando Sundermann and Hor Sopheak, unless otherwise stated
with special thanks to contributers Günter Schönlein and Jochen Fellmer
  • Home
    • Welcome
    • Directory
    • Nepal Link
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  • About
  • Cambodia
    • Geography
    • Khmer History
  • Travel Info
    • Visa and Customs
    • Climate
    • Food
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  • Destinations
    • Phnom Penh
    • Siem Reap
    • Battambang
    • Sihanoukville
    • Kep
    • Tonle Sap
  • Temples
    • Cambodia jungle temples
    • Preah Khan
    • Ta Som
    • Phnom Kulen
    • Bang Melea
    • Koh Ker
    • Banteay Chhmar
    • Preah Vihear
    • Bakan
    • Sambor Prei Kuk
    • Tonle Bati
    • Phnom Chisor
    • Phnom Da
    • Phnom Banan
    • Prasat Sneung
  • Angkor
    • Angkor Wat
    • Angkor Thom >
      • Bayon
      • South Gate
      • North Gate
      • Victory Gate
      • East Gate
      • Prasat Chrung
      • Elephant Terrace
      • Leper King Terrace
      • Tep Pranam
      • Prasat Suor Prat
      • Preah Palilay
      • Vihear Prampil Loveng
      • Wat Preah Ngok
    • Yashodharapura >
      • Bakheng
      • Baksei Chamkrong
      • Bei Prasat
      • Baphuon
      • Phimeanakas
      • Royal Palace
      • Preah Pithu
      • North Khleang
      • South Khleang
      • West Prasat Top
      • Mangalartha
      • Ta Prohm Kel
      • Siem Reap River
      • Kapilapura
    • Small Circuit >
      • Thommanon
      • Chau Say Tevoda
      • Spean Thma
      • Chapel of the Hospital
      • Ta Keo
      • Ta Nei
      • Jayendranagari
      • Ta Prohm
      • Banteay Kdei
      • Kutishvara
    • Grand Circuit >
      • Prasat Tonle Snguot
      • Krol Romeas
      • Preah Khan in Angkor
      • Prasat Prei
      • Banteay Prei
      • Neak Pean
      • Krol Ko
      • Ta Sohm
      • East Mebon
      • Pre Rup
      • Leak Neang
      • Prasat Top
      • Srah Srang
      • Bat Chum
      • Prasat Kravan
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      • Prasat Tor
      • Banteay Samray
      • Phnom Bok
      • Chau Say Vibol
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