Bakong along with neighbouring Preah Ko are included as part of your 3 day pass for Angkor, so don’t forget about them. About 40min on tuk tuk from town, when we were there there was only one other small group of people, so almost had the place to ourselves. Very well preserved, some great lion, elephant and cow statues. Not an extensive temple, but well with the trip out.
its a nice and big temple. i heard from the guide that maybe it is the oldest in the park. the temple is a Hindu temple and dedicated to Lord Shiva, may be.nice big one with a big court yard infront.
Bakong temple is the first temple built using sandstone during the Khmer Empire. The temple was constructed in 881 AD. Also heavily influenced by Hinduism.
I visited this temple at the weekend. The temple is beautiful. The main building of the temple is still sitting firm on its foundation. The temple is surrounded by moat. Good spot to see sun goes down from the top in the evening.
Dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, this was the first temple mountain built by the Khmer and the only one constructed of stone in the ancient capital of Hariharalaya - the first capital of the Khmer empire. The temple is in the shape of a stepped pyramid and surrounded by a moat filled with water - symbolizing the holy Mount Meru surrounded by the cosmic ocean. It served as the state temple of the Khmer king.
A steep flight of steps takes you from the entrance up the levels of the pyramid with entrance to each level guarded by statues of lions. Statues of elephants are placed at the four corners of each level. At the top level, a tall central tower is surrounded by smaller towers. The entire temple is surrounded by brick towers similar to those in other nearby temples and displays intricate carvings.
This is the earliest temple mountain constructed by the Khmer and is the grandest and best preserved of all the temples in the Roulus group. It is a short distance from Siem Reap and is definitely worth a visit as part of a tour of the Roulos temples.
