GROUP OF ROLUOS
The Roluos are pre-Angkorian temples built between the years 877 and 889. Located 13 km from Siem Reap, these are the first temples "hard" built by the Khmers they represent the beginnings of classical art of Cambodia. The previous temples were all built mainly of wood and different light materials, and withstood years.
Preah Ko (the sacred beef):
King Indravarman I built this temple at the end of the 9th century; the temple was dedicated to his ancestors.
Bakong:
Bakong is the first true pyramid of Cambodia, architectural formula called "temple-mountain" by researchers. Dedicated two years after Preah Kô, that is to say in 881, Bakong was destined for the own cult of Indravarman, its builder.
Lolei :
This temple, when it was built in 893, was located on an island in the center of a huge water reservoir that supplied the area.
Ta Prohm :
It is one of the most romantic temples on the site of Angkor, where nature has taken back its rights and dislocated the work of men. This magical place was built around 1866; this Buddhist monastery was the most gigantic of the Angkor site. 12,000 people lived in the "Monastery of the King" 8 centuries ago, and its construction was completed in the early 13th century.
The Angkor Conservation saved the main monuments, but did not "clean" it of all the trees and roots that had invaded it and left its rights to the jungle, as found by the first discoverers. The roots look like snakes that dislocate and devour statues and walls, and giant trees cover the heads of stupas. A forest that does not want to let its gods escape and destroys or protects them .... A place full of emotion and poetry for meditation. A magic temple at sunset.
Ta Keo :
Built between 968 and 1 001, this temple of more than 50 m high is the first of Angkor, built entirely in sandstone. The decorations were never completed because carved in a very hard sandstone. This temple is typical of the "temples-mountains" of Angkor.
Neak Pean :
Built in the 12th century during the rule of Jayavarman VII, Neak Pean is a large pool surrounded by stairs and a sanctuary in the center of a small island. The pilgrims came there at the time to make their sacred ablutions there. The four spillways symbolize four rivers that originated at the same lake near Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Preah Khan (the sacred sword of the King) :
It was actually a real city of more than 50 ha. Despite vandalism and looting, there are still some beautiful sculptures. The city was home to 10,000 people, 1,000 dancers and a large school of Sanskrit. Originally, it was a Buddhist monastery whose Buddha images were destroyed by Brahmans (Hindu priests) and replaced by Hindu representations (only one representation of Buddha remained).