Bakong Temple walking tour | Angkor Temples 2023 [4K]

Bakong was the earliest of the great Khmer temples, completed in 881 during the reign of Indravarman I at the capital of Hariharalya. It is the first temple built largely of sandstone and is notable for its mandala layout which evokes mythical Mount Meru. As the largest temple constructed at Hariharalya, its construction testifies to the centralization of authority under Indravarman which permitted a sizeable portion of the population to work on temple-building projects. As construction began just a year after nearby Preah Ko, and 12 years before Lolei to the north, it is quite likely that a number of the same craftsmen and laborers worked on all three projects.
The layout of the temple is conceived as a five-tiered pyramid with the central sanctuary, dedicated to Shiva, facing east. Twelve small towers are placed around the central sanctuary on the fourth tier of the pyramid. The base of the temple is surrounded by a further 8 towers--two to each side--which are in turn surrounded by a rectangular enclosure with four gopuras (one on each side). Beyond this ensemble was a set of two moats and and an additional enclosure, bringing the total size of the temple complex to 900 x 700 meters.
#cambodia #angkor #angkortemples