Bakong

The Temple Bakong is located near the town of Siem Reap in Cambodia. Built in the early years of the Kingdom of Kambuja temple belongs to the so-called Roluos group. Bakong is the first monumental temple mountain, a Khmer king had built in the plane, and represents a significant leap forward in the Khmer architecture dar.

History

The five- Temple Mount Bakong was built in the second half of the 9th century and consecrated in 881 under the name Harihar - alaya God Shiva. He was the first such temple in Angkor pyramid and served as the state temple king Indravarmans I. An inscription reads: " 881 established the king as a god, distribution of wealth, a lingam named Indresvara ". The name Indresvara combines the name of the king with the god Shiva and therefore indicates a plunge from the King to the deity, both a new unity of worship forming.

Plant

In addition to the considerable size of the structure, the architecture many other new features:

• The walls of the highest platform are covered with reliefs, which still bear witness to the very high quality of their processing, although they are now badly damaged.
• Between the two Umfassungsgräben are numerous minor shrines, which were probably created by the higher court officials.
• The trenches are very large and could accommodate up to one million cubic meters of water; in the inner trench steps led down to the water surface.
• Four roads led out from the plant in the four cardinal directions, one of them for Indratataka reservoir, about 600 m in the north.

The central temple pyramid is covered with large sandstone blocks and has five platforms whose top is 14 m high rises. The shrine of the god Indresvara previously housed, has not survived. Today there is a temple built later. Eight small cult rooms are grouped around the base of the pyramid and will likely remind you of male and female ancestors of the king Indravarman because westbound niches contain female, the eastern male figures.

The internal structure of laterite may have already been built during the reign of Jayavarman II in the late 8th century and later supplemented with sandstone and completed. The building measures at the base of 67 × 65 m. At the top there is a very much later, probably under King Yasovarman II in the 12th century in the style of Angkor Wat supplemented tower.

On the temple area is a newer Buddhist monastery today.