Preah Ko ( km, ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ, "The Sacred Bull") was the first temple to be built in the ancient and now defunct city of
Hariharalaya
Hariharalaya ( km, ហរិហរាល័យ, Hariharalay) was an ancient city and capital of the Khmer empire located near Siem Reap, Cambodia in an area now called Roluos ( Khmer: រលួស). Today, all that remains of the city are the r ...
(in the area that today is called
Roluos), some 15 kilometers south-east of the main group of temples at
Angkor
Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
. The temple was built under the
Khmer King
Indravarman I
Indravarman I ( km, ឥន្រ្ទវរ្ម័នទី១) was a ruler of Khmer Empire who reigned from Hariharalaya between 877/78 and 889/890 CE.
Indravarman's ancestors
According to the inscriptions of the Práḥ Kô temple, consec ...
in 879 to honor members of the king's family, whom it places in relation with the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
deity
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
.
[art-and-archaeology.com]
/ref>
Etymology
Preah Ko (Sacred Bull) derives its name from the three statues of sandstone located in the front of and facing the temple's central towers. These statues represent Nandi
Nandi may refer to:
People
* Nandy (surname), Indian surname
* Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe
* Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi
* Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...
, the white bull who serves as the mount of Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
.[Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ]
History
After the Khmer king Jayavarman II
Jayavarman II ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី២; c. 770 – 850) (reigned c. 802–850) was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia) after unifying the Khmer civilization. The Khmer Empire was the ...
founded the Khmer empire in 802 A.D., he finally established his capital at Hariharalaya
Hariharalaya ( km, ហរិហរាល័យ, Hariharalay) was an ancient city and capital of the Khmer empire located near Siem Reap, Cambodia in an area now called Roluos ( Khmer: រលួស). Today, all that remains of the city are the r ...
, where he died. Indravarman I
Indravarman I ( km, ឥន្រ្ទវរ្ម័នទី១) was a ruler of Khmer Empire who reigned from Hariharalaya between 877/78 and 889/890 CE.
Indravarman's ancestors
According to the inscriptions of the Práḥ Kô temple, consec ...
was the nephew of Jayavarman II
Jayavarman II ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី២; c. 770 – 850) (reigned c. 802–850) was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia) after unifying the Khmer civilization. The Khmer Empire was the ...
. When he ascended to the throne, he ordered the construction first of Preah Ko, which was dedicated in 879, and later of the temple-mountain known as the Bakong
Bakong ( km, បាគង ) is the first Khmer temple mountain of sandstone constructed by rulers of the Khmer Empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap in Cambodia. In the final decades of the 9th century AD, it served as the official state tem ...
. It is likely that this building program was made possible by the king's peaceful reign and his ability to draw income from the expanding empire. A restoration of the towers took place in early 1990s, financed by German government.
Site
Preah Ko consists of six brick towers arranged in two rows of three towers each perched on a sandstone platform. The towers face east, and the front central tower is the tallest. The sanctuaries are dedicated to three divinized forefathers of Indravarman and their respective wives. The front central tower is dedicated to Jayavarman II
Jayavarman II ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី២; c. 770 – 850) (reigned c. 802–850) was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia) after unifying the Khmer civilization. The Khmer Empire was the ...
, the founder of the Khmer empire. The tower to the left is dedicated to Prithivindreshvara, King Indravarman's father; the tower to the right to Rudreshvara, his grandfather. The three rear towers are dedicated to the wives of these three men.Ohio State University
The central towers all bear images of the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
god
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
.
[Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., ]
Gallery
File:Preah Ko 2.jpg,
File:Preah Ko 3.jpg,
File:Roulos Group - 003 Preah Ko (8588894346).jpg,
File:Roulos Group - 002 Preah Ko (8588893064).jpg,
File:Roulos Group - 001 Preah Ko (8588892040).jpg,
File:Preah Kô4.JPG,
File:Gardien de porte du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6823876122).jpg,
File:Gardienne du temple Lolei (Angkor) (6969557243).jpg,
File:Gardienne du temple Lolei (Angkor) (6826225808).jpg,
File:Gardienne du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6823876596).jpg,
File:Fausse-porte du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6821828786).jpg
File:Linteau du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6969999537).jpg,
File:Chinhe Preah Ko Cambodia0602.jpg,
File:Nandi Preah Ko Cambodia0573.jpg,
File:Taureaux Nandin du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6967953405).jpg,
See also
*Legend of
Preah Ko Preah Keo
Preah Ko Preah Keo ( km, ព្រះគោ ព្រះកែវ, ; "Sacred Ox and Sacred Gem") is a famous Cambodian legend about two brothers who were born in Cambodia. The older brother was an ox named Preah Ko and the younger was a man named ...
*
Roluos (temples)
Roluos ( Khmer: រលួស) is a Cambodian archeological site about 13 km east of Siem Reap along NH6. Once it was the seat of Hariharalaya, first capital of Khmer Empire north of Tonlé Sap (as the first capital in the strict sense of t ...
*
Angkor
Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...
*
Architecture of Cambodia
Throughout Cambodia's long history, religion has been a major source of cultural inspiration. Over nearly three millennia, Cambodians have developed a unique Cambodian culture and belief system from the syncreticism of indigenous animistic beli ...
*
Hariharalaya
Hariharalaya ( km, ហរិហរាល័យ, Hariharalay) was an ancient city and capital of the Khmer empire located near Siem Reap, Cambodia in an area now called Roluos ( Khmer: រលួស). Today, all that remains of the city are the r ...
*
Bakong
Bakong ( km, បាគង ) is the first Khmer temple mountain of sandstone constructed by rulers of the Khmer Empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap in Cambodia. In the final decades of the 9th century AD, it served as the official state tem ...
*
Lolei
Lolei ( km, ប្រាសាទលលៃ) is the northernmost temple of the Roluos group of three late 9th century Hindu temples at Angkor, Cambodia, the others members of which are Preah Ko and the Bakong. Lolei was the last of the three tem ...
Footnotes
References
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{{SiemReapProvince
Angkorian sites in Siem Reap Province
Hindu temples in Siem Reap Province