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PRASAT BAKONG
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Bakong is located at Roluos south of Preah Ko. Enter
and leave the temple at the east. A modern Buddhist
temple is situated to the right of the east entrance
to Bakong. It was build in late ninth century (881)
by king Indravarman I dedicated to Siva (Hindu)
followed Prah Ko art style.
Bakong was the center of the town of Hariharalaya, a
name derived from the god Hari-Hara; a synthesis of
Siva and Visnu. It is a temple representing the
cosmic Mount Meru.
Four levels leading to the Central Sanctuary
correspond to the worlds of mythical beings (Nagas,
Garudas, Raksasas and Yaksas). |
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The temple of Bakong is built on an artificial
mountain and enclosed in a rectangular area by two
walls. It has a square base with five tiers. The
first, or outside, enclosure (not on the plan) (900
by 700 meters, 2,953 by 2,297 feet) surrounds a moat
with an embankment and causeways on four sides,
which are bordered by low Naga balustrades. The
second and smaller enclosure has an entry tower of sandstone and laterite
in the center of each side of the wall.
There were originally 22 towers inside the
first enclosures. After passing through the
entry tower at the east one comes to a long
causeway decorated with large seven-headed
serpents across a moat. Long halls on each
side lie parallel to the eastern wall. They
were probably rest houses for visitors. Two
square-shaped brick building at the
northeast and southeast corners
are identified by rows of circular holes and an
opening to the west. The vents in the chimneys
suggest these buildings served as crematoriums.
There was originally a single building of this type
at the northwest and southwest corners but today
they are completely ruined. On each side of the
causeway just beyond the halls there are two square
structures with four doors. The inscription of
the temple was found in the one on the right. |
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Further along the causeway, there are two long
sandstone buildings on each side, which open to
the causeway. These may have been storehouses or
libraries. To the north and south of the storehouses
receptively there is a square brick sanctuary tower. There are two more on each side of the central
platform, making a total of eight. Decoration on the
towers is in brick with a heavy coating of stucco.
The towers, with one door opening to the east and
three false doors, have a stairway on each side,
which is decorated with crouching lions at the base.
The two to the east of the central platform have a
unique feature, a double sandstone base, The door
entrance and the false doors were uniformly cut from
a single block of sandstone, The decoration on the
false doors is exceptionally fine, especially that
on the tower on the right in the front row, the
false door of which has remarkable Kala handles. The
corners of the towers are decorated with female and
male guardians in niches.
Tip: the lintels of the west towers are in the best
condition.
A long building with a gallery and a porch opening
to the north is situated close to the western wall
(on the left); it is mostly demolished.
The square-shaped base has five tiers with a
stairway on each of the four sides and, at the base,
a step in the shape of a moonstone. Remains of a
small structure can be seen at the base of the
stairway fairway flanked by two sandstone blocks,
which may have held sculpted figures.
Elephants successively smaller in size stand at the
corners of the first three tiers of the base. The
fourth tier is identified by twelve small sandstone
towers, each of which originally contained a linga.
The fifth tier is framed by a molding decorated with
a frieze of figures (barely visible) the ones on the
south side are in the best condition.
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The Central Sanctuary is visible from each of the
five levels because of the unusual width of the
tiers. The sanctuary is square with four tiers and a
lotus-shaped top. Only the base of the original
Central Sanctuary remains. The rest was constructed
at a later date, perhaps during the twelfth century.
Lolei is at Roluos, north of Bakong. A modern
Buddhist temple is located in the grounds of Lolei
near the central towers.
Access: Enter and leave the temple by the stairs at
the east.
Tip: Beware of the ants during certain seasons near
the top of the entrance steps.
Date: End of the ninth century (893)
Religion: Transitional between Prah Ko and Bakheng |
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Although Lolei is small it is worth a visit for its
carvings and inscription. The temple of Lolei
originally formed an island in the middle of a Baray
(3,800 by 800 meters, 12,467 by 2,625 feet), now
dry. According to an inscription found at the temple
the water in this pond was for use at the capital of
Hariralaya and for irrigating the plains in the
area.
The layout consists of two tiers with laterite
enclosing walls and stairway to the upper level in
the center of each side. Lions on the landings os
the stairways guard the temple. A sandstone channel
in the shape of a cross situated in the center of
the four towers on the upper terrace is an unusual
feature, the channels extend in the cardinal
directions from a square pedestal for a linga. It is
speculated the holy water poured over the linga
flowed in the channels.
Four brick tower with tiered upper portions,
arranged in two rows, on the upper terrace make up
the Central Sanctuaries. As the two-north towers are
aligned on the east-west axis, it is possible the
original plan had six towers, which probably shared
a common base like that at Prah Ko.
Tip: The northeast tower is the best preserved.
The entrances of the doors to the towers are cut
from a single block of stone, as at Bakong. The
corners of the towers on the east are decorated with
male guardians holding tridents and those of the
west with female divinities holding flywhisks. They
are sculpted in sandstone with a brick casing. The
panels of the false doors have multiple figures. The
inscriptions on the doorframes are exceptionally
fine. The workmanship on the lintels is skilled and
the composition balanced. Some noteworthy depictions
are: Indra on an elephant with figures and Makaras
spewing serpents (northeast tower); Visnu riding a
Garuda with a branch of serpents (south-east tower).
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THE ANGKOR
ARCHEOLOGICAL PARK LIST
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