Preah KO is one of the most impressive temples, located fifteen kilometers away from the main group of temples in Angkor, Cambodia. It was built by Indravarman I in 879AD to honor his ancestors. The main deity of this temple is Lord Shiva. In fact, the name Preah Ko refers to the sacred bull, the vehicle of Lord Shiva. Originally, the dedication of this temple was made to Indra, the king of devas. Preah Ko is renowned for the intricacy of its carvings. It has many bull statues in the front of the temple’s central towers.

 

 

Preah Ko comprises of six towers made up of brick, which are arranged in two rows. All of them face east and the central tower is the largest. This central tower is dedicated to Jayavarman I, who was the founder of Khmer empire. The left side tower is dedicated to Indravarman’s father, Prithivindreshvara and the right side tower is devoted to his grandfather, Rudreshvara. The rear towers are devoted their wives. The tall central tower includes the images of Lord Shiva. The towers were once surrounded by walls and gopuras, but now there are neither walls nor gopuras. Actually, Preah Ko was encircled by a moat, when it was built. There must be royal palaces once in the nearby areas, but now there is no sign of remains.

 

Statues:

 

In front of the prasats of Preah Ko, you can find majestic lions, guarding the place. Though the face of the lion figurines are in ruined state, you can see the powerfulness of the lion in the claws and in the posture. The bull sculptures in front of the base platform stand as an exquisite example of Khmer architecture. The ornamental bells in the bull’s neck can be clearly seen.

 

The carvings in the lintels show three headed nagas, deity mounted on a kala and horsemen. As per Hindu mythology, the nagas have multiple heads to signify fertility and water. The intricate designs in the carvings are so beautiful that you may not be able to take your eyes off. Kala is the god of destruction and he is depicted as a giant in the carvings.

 

Preah Ko has three false doors on north, west and south side. In Hindu temples, the shrine is opened only to the east and so the false doors were simply constructed to maintain symmetry. You can see decorative carvings in the false doors in Preah Ko. The steps leading to the prasat and the false doors have carvings of human faces, with various hairstyles and jewelry.

 

Preah Ko is believed to be the first temple built by King Indravarman. It is located among the Roluos group of temples, so you can plan to visit other major attractions like Lolei, Bakong etc. You can enjoy viewing the octagonal colonettes that surround the doors in Preah Ko. A famous archeologist Jean Laur specified that these colonettes are the most excellent examples of decorative carving in Khmer art. As it located some kilometers away from Angkor, it is better to get a tuk tuk driver, who is more familiar with the way to the temple.

 

© 2009 Abiyoyo SL