Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the top of the arch and tiny figures riding three-headed snakes below, and with
makaras
at either end.
Opposite the temple, look out for the interesting outdoor exhibition of
miniature
temple replicas
(donation appreciated) created by sculptor Dy Proeung. Meticulously
executed using architectural elevations and floor plans drawn up by Proeung while
working for Angkor Conservation and the École Française d'Extrême-Orient during
the 1960s, the models (of Angkor Wat, Bakong, Banteay Srei, Preah Ko and Preah
Vihear) give an excellent idea of what these complexes would have looked like when
originally constructed.
Bakong
The undoubted highlight of the Roluos circuit,
BAKONG
is the first of the great Angkor
state temples, prefiguring (if not quite rivalling) the huge temple-pyramids of Pre Rup
and Baphuon. The temple was constructed by Indravarman I and consecrated to Shiva
in 881, although surprisingly, the grand sanctuary
tower
at the very top wasn't added
until some 250 years after the temple was first consecrated.
The entire complex is enclosed within a broad moat with a modern wat tucked into
one corner - an unusually photogenic combination. From the parking area a
causeway
crosses the moat to the eastern gopura, beyond which stretches the temple's expansive
inner enclosure
, with the central pyramid rising out of its centre. Entering the
enclosure the path is flanked by a pair of well-preserved hallways with ornate
balustraded windows, along with two square buildings with ventilation holes in their
walls, probably crematoria. Eight large brick towers in various states of decay are
arranged around the base of the pyramid, two per side, their sandstone doors
displaying some fine carvings,
The central
pyramid
is arranged over no less than five tiers, the overall design notably
larger but less steep than later state temples. Lions flank the staircase up the pyramid,
while guardian elephants stand in each corner, similar to those at East Mebon. Spaced
out around the fourth tier are twelve small sandstone shrines, now empty, though they
would once have housed linga.
At the summit of the pyramid stands the solitary tower - a fine structure, although it
looks rather lonely up there on its own and proves how much more visually satisfying
the traditional quincunx arrangement of towers at the summit of other state temples is.
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Lolei
Now situated within the grounds of a modern pagoda,
LOLEI
originally stood on an
artificial island in the centre of the
Indratataka
Baray
, though the reservoir is now dry.
Dedicated to the parents and maternal grandparents of Yasovarman I and consecrated
to Shiva, the temple consists of four brick towers (six were originally planned),
although one has now partially collapsed and the others are crumbling. Well-preserved
Sanskrit inscriptions can be seen on the doorways of the rear towers, detailing the work
rotas of temple servants, and there's also a particularly fine lintel on the rear northern
tower.
Banteay Samre
Part of the Grand Circuit (although slightly remote from the other temples on that
itinerary, and often omitted),
BANTEAY SAMRE
lies east of
Phum Pradak
village, 12km
northeast of Siem Reap. No inscriptions have been found to date the temple, which
was named after the Samres, a tribe who lived in the vicinity of Phnom Kulen.
However, its style of architecture places its construction in the middle of the twelfth
century, around the same time as Angkor Wat. It was superbly restored by French
archeologist Maurice Glaize - one of the most notable figures in the early history of
Angkor conservation - in the 1940s.
