INSCRIPTION

TA SOM
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Ta som, which stands to the east of Preah Neak Pean, is yet another of
the late-12th –century Buddhist temples of Javarman VII, the Donald Trump
of ancient Cambodia. The central area of Ta Som is in a ruinous state, but
restoration by the WMF is close to completion.

EASTERN BARAY & EASTERN MEBON
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The enormous one-time reservoir known as the Eastern Baray was excavated by
Yasovarman I(r889-910), who marked its four corners with steles.
This basin, now entirely dried up, was the most important of the public work of Yasodharapura, Yasvarman I’s capital, and is 7km by 1.8m. It was originally fed by stueng Siem Reap (Siem Reap’s river).
The Hindu temple known as the Eastern Mebon, erected by Rajendravarman
II (r 944-68), would have been on an islet in the centre of the Eastern Baray, but
is now very much on dry land. This temple is like a smaller version of Pre Rup,
which was built 15 to 20 years later and lies to the south. The temple-mountain
form is topped off by the now familiar quincuncial arrangement of towers. The
elaborate brick shrines are dotted with neatly arranged holes, which attached the
original plasterwork. The base of the temple is guarded at its corners by perfectly
carved stone figures of elephants, many of which are still in a very good state of preservation.

PRE RUP

Pre Rup, built by Rajendravarman II, is about 1km south of the Eastern Mebon.
Like its nearby predecessor, the temple consists of a pyramid-shaped temple-
mountain with the uppermost of the three tiers carrying five lotus towers. The
brick sanctuaries were also once decorated with a plaster coating, fragments
of which still remain on the southwestern tower, there are some amazingly
detailed lintel carving here. several of the outermost eastern towers are perilously close to collapse and are propped up by an army of wooden supports.
Pre Rup means ``Turning the Body’’ and refers to a traditional method of
cremation in which a corpse’s outline is traced in the ciders, first in one
direction and then in the other; this suggests that the temple may have served
as an early royal crematorium.

BANTEAY SAMRE’

Banteay Same dates from the same period as Angkor Wat and was built by
Suryavarman II (r 1112-52). The temple is in a fairly healthy state of preservation due to some extensive renovation work, although its isolation has
resulted in some looting during the past two decades. The area consists of
a central temple with four wing, preceded by a hall and also accompanied
by two libraries, the southern one remarkably well preserved. The whole
ensemble is enclosed by two large concentric walls around what would have
been the unique feature of an inner moat, sadly now dry.
Banteay samre is 400m east of the Eastern Baray, which in practical terms
means following the road to Banteay Srei to the village of Preah Dak and
continuing straight ahead rather than following the tarmac to the left. A visit
here can be combined with a trip to Banteay Sreiy or Phnom bok.

WESTERN BARAY & WESTERN MEBON

The western Baray, measuring an incredible 8km by 2.3km, was excavated by
hand to provide water for the intensive cultivation of lands around Angkor.
just for the record, these enormous barays weren’t dug out, but were huge
dykes built up around the edges. In the centre of the western Baray is the
ruin of the Western Mebon temple, where the giant bronze statue of Vishnu,
now in the National Museum in Phnom Penh, was found. The Western
Mebon is accessible by boat from the dam on the southern shore.

ROLUOS TEMPLES

The monuments of Roluos, which served as Indravarman I’s (r 877-89)
capital Hariharalaya, are among the earliest large, permanent temple built
by the Khmers and mark the dawn of Khmer classical art. Before the con-
struction of Roluos, generally only lighter (and less-durable) construction
materials such as brick were employed.
The temple can be found 13km east of Siem reap along NH6 near the
modern-day town of Roluos.

PREAH KO

Preah Ko was erected by Indaravarman I in the late 9th century, and was
dedicated to Shiva. The six prasats (stone halls), aligned in two rows and
decorated with carved sandstone and plaster reliefs, face east; the central
tower of the front row is a great deal larger than the other towers, Preah
Ko has some of the best surviving examples of plasterwork seen at Angkor
and is currently under restoration by a German team. There are elaborate
inscriptions in the ancient Hindu language of Sanskrit on the doorposts of
each tower.
The towers of Preash Ko (sacred Ox) feature three nandis (sacred oxen)
all of whom look like a few steaks have been sliced off them over the years
Preah Ko was dedicated by Indravarman I to his deified ancestors in AD
880. The front towers relate to male ancestors or gods, the rear towers to
female ancestors or goddesses. Lions guard the steps up to the temple.

BAKONG

Bakong is the largest and most interesting of the Roluos Group temple, and
has an active Buddhist monastery just to the north of the east entrance. It
was built and dedicated to Shiva by Indravarman I. It’s a representation of
Mt Meru, and it served as the city’s central temple. The east-facing complex
consists of a five-tier central pyramid of sandstone, 60m square at the base,
flanked by eight towers (or their remains) of brick and sandstone and by other
minor sanctuaries. A number of the eight towers below the upper central
tower are still partly covered by their original plasterwork.
The complex is enclosed by three concentric walls and a moat. There are
well-preserved statues of stone elephants on each corner of the first three levels
of the central temple. There are 12 stupas – three to a side – on the third tier.

LOLEI

The four brick towers of Lolei, an almost exact replica of the towers of Preah
Ko (although in much worse shape) were built on an islet in the centre of a
large reservoir – now rice-fields – by Yasovarman I (r 889 – 910), the founder
of the first city at Angkor. The sandstone carving in the niches of the temples are Worth a look and there are Sanskrit inscriptions on the doorposts.
According to one of the inscriptions, the four towers were dedicated by
Yasovarman I to his mother, his father and his maternal grandparents on
12 july 893.

AROUND ANGKOR
PHNOM KROM

The temple of Phnom Krom, 12km south of Siem Reap on a hill overlooking Tonle Sap Lake, dates from the reign of Yasovarman I in the late 9th or
early 10th century. The name means Lower Hill’ and is a reference to its
geographic location in relation to its sister temple of Phnom Bakheng and


Phnom Bok. The three towers, dedicated (from north to south) to Vishnu,
Shiva and Brahma, are in a ruined state, but Phnom Krom remains one of
the more tranquil spots from which to view the sunset, complete with an
active wat. The fast boats from Phnom Penh dock near here, but it is not
possible to see the temple from beneath the hill. If coming here by moto
or car. try to get the driver to take you to the summit, as it is a long, hot
climb otherwise.