PREAH KO TEMPLE

Preahg Ko mean the sacred bull (Nandi)

Date: late 9^th century (879)

King: Indravarman I (Isvaraloka)

Religion: Hinduism (consecrated to Shiva) the memorial temple

Built for: king’s parents, maternal paternal grandparents and king Jayavarman II (Paramesvara) and his wife

Cleared and maintained year 1932

Preah Ko Temple

This temple named Preah Ko means the sacred bull was constructed by the king Indravarman I in the capital of the Hariharalaya late 9^th century on the date 879 to consecrated to his ancestors and the god Shiva. The name of this temple probably was derived from the statues of three kneeling bull Shiva’s Nandi face to the temple it’s the configuration that gives the name of the temple Preah KO mean the sacred bull. The temple was built of bricks and some sandstone it was consists a group of 6 brick towers  stood on a common low platform and arranged in to two rows, the front row and the back row which opened to the east side (sunrise) and other three sides are false doors made of sandstone. There are 3 walls enclosed this temple and with two gates (east and west), the first wall was made of laterite is in poor conditioned state it left only the trace measurement 400 meters wide by 500 meters longs. 

The second wall was made  of laterite too which is 53m wide by 58m long and the third wall is 26m wide by 29m long. From here we could see the bases of the two galleries which run parallel to the east wall on each side of the cause-way and nearby there are 2 more galleries with the porch opening to the east (mostly ruined). Close to and parallel to the north wall and south wall of the enclosure, there are two long halls for the pilgrims. Between the long hall and the gallery on the left, there is a square brick building it may have been used as the royal crematorium. or the place for the priests meditation on the wall of this square building you could see the row of holes perhaps used for ventilation and the rows of figures of ascetics in niches above holes on the upper portion of the building. In front of this temple you could see the tree crouching sacred bulls aligned in a row.

There are 6 brick towers stood on the low common platform made of sandstone with 3 stairways along the eastern side, there are 2 sandstone lions on the both sides of stairways to guard the temple. The only one stairway is on the west side, all 6 brick towers are square and opened to the east and other 3 sides are false doors. The towers are arranged into 2 rows, 3 tower are in the front row and other three are in the back row, but the 3 in the front row are bigger than the 3 in the back, the 3 towers in the front row are for the paternal ancestors with male guardians franking the doorway. The 3 towers in the back row are for the maternal ancestors and have female divinities flanking the doorways This brick temple was originally covered by the stucco now mostly came off but we still see some remained on the wall of the 3 towers in the front row and some part of this temple have been rebuilt, we could recognize by the different brick color.