Preah Ko

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Temples of Angkor Wat Cambodia - Preah Ko

Preah Ko

There are three sacred bulls lying in front of the six towers giving the temple its name. Preah Ko means Sacred Bulls, vehicle of Shiva. It is the earliest temple of the Rolous Group and also the first temple in Siem Reap province built of bricks.

Built by Indravarman I in 879 AD the temple was dedicated to Shiva, the spirits of the king’s ancestors and especially the spirit of his father, Jayavarman II, the first king of the Angkor period.

Preah Ko consists of six towers; three towers stand in the front dedicated to Rudravarman and Prithivindravarman, respectively Indravarman’s maternal grandfather and father, with the central tower being dedicated to Jayavarman II. The three towers behind are dedicated to the principal consorts of each lord. This can been seen through the presence of the male guardians carved on the outer walls of the front towers and the female guardians are on rear towers.

A notable feature of this temple is that the space between the central and Northern of the rear towers is smaller than the space between the central and the Southern towers. This was a deliberate architectural feature to represent the greater love of the two ancestors of the king. The temple now appears rather insignificant due to the collapse of the walls but was originally surrounded by a 50m wide moat which enclosed an area 600m x 550m.

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