Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
north are two sublime carvings of the sisters
Indradevi
and
Jayadevi
, both wives
of Jayavarman.
Continue through the temple to emerge back out on the
eastern side of the third
enclosure
. In front of you is the terrace of the Dancers' Hall (similar to those at
Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm), dotted with columns carved with dancing apsaras, while
to your left is an unusual two-storey building, its portico of round columns giving it a
strangely Neoclassical look, which it's thought may have housed the
sacred sword
(see
box, p.184). A photogenic scatter of towering
kapok
trees have also established
themselves hereabouts, clinging onto various walls and buildings.
West Baray and West Mebon
Accessible only via the airport road from Siem Reap, Angkor's huge
West Baray
reservoir,
8km long and more than 2km wide, was excavated by Suryavarman I; it's been
calculated that six thousand men would have needed more than three years to dig it out.
he
baray
was restored in 1957 and, unlike the East Baray, contains water throughout
the year, making it a popular local spot for
picnics and swimming
. Rest huts line the
embankment at the leisure area to the south, which is also where you can rent a boat
($5) out to the island-temple, the
West Mebon
. This mid-eleventh-century temple,
attributed to Udayadityavarman II, has practically disappeared; only the eastern towers,
bearing small decorations of animals in square motifs, are in reasonable condition. The
island on which it stands was once linked to the shore by a causeway, and surrounded by
a wall with three pavilions per side and windows overlooking the
baray
.
3
Roluos Group
Off NR6, 12km east of Siem Reap, the temples now referred to as the
Roluos Group
- after the nearby village of that name - are spread out over the former site of the royal
city of
Hariharalaya
, and encompass some of the earliest monuments of the Angkor
period. Among those most easily visited are three brick-and-sandstone temples built by
Indravarman I and his son, Yasovarman I, in the late ninth century, all featuring finely
decorated columns and lintels. These are the
Bakong
, the first state temple of the
Angkor period;
Lolei
, which has particularly fine Sanskrit inscriptions; and
Preah Ko
,
which preserves some elegant carvings.
Preah Ko
PREAH KO
was built by Indravarman I in 879 to honour the spirits of his ancestors, as
well as one of his predecessors, Jayavarman II. The temple sits right next to the road,
entered from the east through a ruined
gopura
, largely vanished bar a pair of impressive
balustraded windows. Walking through the gopura you reach the temple's two inner
enclosures, although the wall that originally divided them has largely disappeared. The
eye-catching square brick structure (on your left as you enter) may have been a
library
or crematorium; ventilation holes have been cut into the top of the building, with
eroded carvings of ascetics seated in niches between.
At the centre of the temple, on a low platform, stand six closely grouped brick-and-
sandstone
towers
, arranged in two rows of three and still covered in places by the
crumbling remains of the lime plaster which once covered them completely. The front
three towers were dedicated to the king's paternal ancestors, watched over by a trio of
sacred bulls (one headless) and with male guardians (
dvarapalas
) standing in niches at
their corners. The three smaller rear towers were dedicated to maternal ancestors and
have female guardians instead.
The towers are most notable for the fine
carvings
on their doorframes and lintels
(a number of long inscriptions can also be seen on several doorjambs). Many feature a
leering
kala
spewing out a floral arch, some with miniature horsemen galloping along
