Angkor Temple Guide: #26 Preah Ko

Preah Ko was the first of the roluos group of temples to be constructed. The group also includes Lolei, and Bakong. Roluos, the former ancient city of Hariharalaya. is now a modern small town and an important archeological site. It can be found about 13km east of Siem Reap. These Roluos temples are some of the earliest permanent Khmer structures; Loll was the last to be built. It was dedicated by King Indravarman to members of his family in 879AD.

One of the Rolous group and a superb example of some of the earliest temples in Cambodia
The name Preah Ko means ‘sacred bull’, and stems from three sandstone statues that can be found facing the central towers of the temple at the front. The statues are representations of Nandi, the white bull ridden by Shiva, in a kneeling position.
King Jayavarman II’s nephew, Indravarman I, ascended to the throne and immediately ordered the construction of Preah Ko. Later he was to construct the larger and more famous Bakong. Indravarman was fortunate, he presided over fairly peaceful times, allowing him to spend time on temple construction.

Preah Ko is a collection of six brick towers which stand in two rows of three. The central tower in the front row is the tallest and is dedicated to Jayavarman II. These in turn stand on a sandstone platform. They are oriented facing east and are dedicated to the Indravarman’s forefathers and their wives. The front row tower to the left is dedicated to Prithivindreshvara, who was King Indravarman’s father; whilst the one to the right is dedicated to Rudreshvara, his grandfather. The three towers in the second row belong to their respective wives. The central towers carry images of the Hindu god Shiva.

The towers of Preah Ko were originally surrounded by walls and gopuras, sadly only vestiges of these remain. They fell into pretty bad disrepair and were the subject of a huge restoration programme carried out by the German government in the 1990s. Since then it has risen from former attraction to one of the good things to see here.

Top Tips for enjoying Preah Ko

Your Angkor ticket is valid here and will be checked at the entrance.
The best time to come here is definitely in the morning, it is cooler, quiet and the lighting is terrific. Get this one right and this is one of the best things to do in the area.

Previously published:
1: Ak Yom https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-1-ak-yom
2: Angkor Thom https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-2-angkor-thom
3: Angkor Wat https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-3-angkor-wat
4: Bakong https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-4-bakong
5: Baksei Chamrong https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-5-baksei-chamrong
6: Banteay Kdei https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-6-banteay-kdei
7: Banteay Prei https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-7-banteay-prei
8: Banteay Samre https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-8-banteay-samre
9: Banteay Srey https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-9-banteay-srey
10: Baphuon https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-10-baphuon
11: Bat Chum https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-11-bat-chum
12: Bayon https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-12-bayon
13: Beng Mealea https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-13-beng-mealea
14: Chapel of the Hospital https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-14-the-chapel-of-the-hospital
15: Chau Say Tevoda https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-15-chau-say-tevoda
16: Kbal Spean https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-16-kbal-spean
17: The Khleangs https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-17-the-khleangs
18: Krol Ko https://steemit.com/temples/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-18-krol-ko
19: Lolei https://steemit.com/temples/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-19-lolei
20: Neak Pean https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-18-neak-pean
21: Phimeanakas https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-21-phimeanakas
22: Phnom Bakheng https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-22-phnom-bakheng
23: Prasat Kravan https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-templ-guide-23-prasat-kravan
24: Prasat Prei Monti https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-24-prasat-prei-monti
25: https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-25-prasat-suor-prat

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