Angkor Temple Guide #4 Bakong
Bakong is the largest and most impressive of the Roluos group of temples, which also includes Lolei, and Preah Ko. Roluos is a modern small town and also an archaeological site, standing about 13km east of Siem Reap. This was an ancient city known as Hariharalaya. These are some of the earliest permanent Khmer structures. Bakong was the very first sandstone temple mountain to be built. Temple mountain was one built to resemble Mount Meru the mythical home of the gods. This late 9th century structure was the official state temple of King Indravarman I. It was originally dedicated to Shiva.
Classic Stepped Design
Bakong is built in the classic stepped pyramid shape of the early Khmer temple mountains, made famous to modern history by Angkor Wat. It closely resembles the Indonesian temple of Borobudur in Java. The similarities are such that it is thought that this temple was in fact built using Borobudur as the prototype.
Bakong stands on an area of land measuring 900 x 700 metres (roughly 3000 x 2300ft). The original outer moat was its boundary, but this is only partially visible today.
The inner moat encloses an area of 400 x 300 metres (roughly 1300 x 1000ft). There are remains of a laterite wall with four cruciform gopuram. A wide earthen causeway crosses it, guarded by seven-headed nagas. In between these two moats are the remains of twenty-two brick satellite temples.
The central enclosure of 160 x 120 metres (520 x 400ft) contains a central pyramid with a total of eight brick temple towers; two on each side. There are other smaller buildings within the enclosure. To the outside of the eastern gopura you will find a modern buddhist temple. This pyramid was reconstructed in the 1930s by Maurice Glaize in accordance with the methods of anastylosis. The original would at one time have been completely covered with bas reliefs, sadly today only a fraction remains.
Previously published:
https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-2-angkor-thom
https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/angkor-temple-guide-3-angkor-wat
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