BAKONG TEMPLE

BAKONG TEMPLE
- Location : Bakong is located at the Rolous Group south of Preah Ko Temple.
 - Access : enter and leave the temple from the east entrance and west entrance.
 - Date : late 9th century (881). - Religion : Hinduism (dedicated to Siva).
 - King : Indravarman 1 (877-889) posthumous name (Isavaraloka).
 - Clearance worked by Mr. Henri Marchal (1916-1933).
 - Restoration by Mr. Maurice Glaize (1936-1945), 1936-1943.

 1. BACKGROUND
Bakong temple was the center of the town Hari-Hara Laya, the name derived from the God Hari and Hara, (Vishnu and Siva). It is a temple mountain representing the cosmic “Mountain Meru” the residence of the gods. The five levels leading to the central sanctuary correspond to the worlds of mythical being are: Naga, Garuda, Raksasak, Yaksa, and Maharaja.

 2. LAY-OUT
The temple Bakong was built on as artificial mountain and enclosed by 3 walls made of laterite. It had a square base (65 meters for each side) with 5 tiers (15 meters high). The first wall is (700 meters wide by 900 meters long); but nothing left. In the courtyard of the first wall, there are 22 bricks towers, 6 bricks towers on the west, 4 bricks towers on the others three side (north, south, east), and the other 4 at the corners. During the restoration they found some lingas, statues of (Vishnu and Siva). Today those towers are in poor conditioned state. The second wall is (310 meters wide by 350 meters long) or (300 meters wide by 400 meters long) which had 4 entry towers, but we are only accessible the temple from the east and the west because they had causeway crossing the moat, and formerly on the both sides of each entrance was flanked by low Naga balustrades with 7 heads, but today is in a poor-conditioned state. The moat is (60 meters wide, 6.7 meters in depth) and a vast rectangular around the temple. The third wall is (115 meters wide by 150 meters long) or (120 meters wide by 160 meters long) which had 4 entry towers are in the shape of across. During the excavation they found 2 big statues of standing Vishnu with 4 arms in Bayon style inside the east entry tower of the third wall, but it was moved to Siem Reap Conservation Department. In the courtyard of this wall we can see 2 long laterite halls parallel to the eastern wall. They were probably used as rest houses for pilgrims, and there are 4 square brick buildings, 2 buildings located at the southeast and other 2 located at the northeast corners. They distinguished by rows of holes for ventilation and each one of which opened to the west they were served as the halls for medication by the priests. On each side of the causeway, just beyond the halls, there are 2 square structures with 4 doors. The inscription was found in the one on the right in the year 1935 by Mr. George Trouve (1933-1935). It talks about the erection of the Linga (Sri-Indresvara) in the year 881. Further along the causeway there are 2 long sandstone buildings covered by timber-roof, but which completely perished. They may have seen as the store-houses or libraries (Pustakasrama). There are 8 brick towers around the base of the pyramid, but 2 brick towers on each of the 4 sides of the base. The decoration on the towers with a heavy coating of stucco. The towers decorated with one door opening to the east and had 3 false-doors have a stairway on each of the 4 sides, and are decorated with crouching lions at the base. The 2 towers at the east have a unique feature, because each of which had a double sandstone base, the decoration on the false-door is fine, and especially that one on the right hand (in the front row); the false-door has remarkable Kala handles. All 8 bricks towers are decorated with female and male guardians in niches, but the lintels were partly derived from the style of Kulen. One of the eight bricks towers on the northeast. They found the statue of Siva and his two wives (Uma and Ganga), “Uma-Ganga-Patisvara”. It was kept in “Angkor Conservation Office” in the year 1965 by Mr. Bernard Philippe Groslier (1959-1972).

 3. CENTRLA AREA (Base and tower)
The square-shaped base has 5 tiers with a stairway on each of the 4 sides. Elephants stand at the corners of the 3 tiers of the base, 12 small sandstone towers identify the 4th tier; each of which originally contained a Linga. The 5th tier is framed by a mould-base, decorated with the bas-reliefs, but are mostly eroded, except the south part is still reasonably intact say about Vishnu prostrated 5 brothers of the demons are (Kandaka, Ukrayana, Kandara, Asoumachak, Virearkahangka).

 4. CENTRAL SANCTUARY
It is visible from each of the 5 levels because of the unusual with of the tiers. The tower was made of brick 270 meters high, but demolished down and at a later date was rebuilt during Baphuon style (second half of the 11th century). The tower was made of sandstone with one door opening to the east and other 3 doors are false-door and on the top decorated with a lotus-shaped top. The tower kept the Linga of Devaraja (God king), Sri-indresvara.
 - East lintel : Siva dancing under the name Nataraja.
 - West lintel : Vishnu was sleeping on Sesa, serpent.
 - North lintel : Lakshmana among the monkeys, was entwined by Indra it’s arrow in the form of the serpent.
 - South lintel : The churning of the ocean of milk, at the corners of this tower depicted some scenes from the life of Krishna.
 - (Krishna prostrated Kesin), horse.
- (Krishna-Simha), lion. - (Krishna-Dhenuka), bull.
- (Krishna-Kuvalayapida), elephant. The main tower was excavated by Mr. Henri Marchal (1935), 20 meters below the surface of the tower, but he found nothing.