LOLEI TEMPLE

LOLEI TEMPLE
- Location : is at “Rolous”, north of Preah Ko temple and Bakong temple.
 - Access : enter and leave the temple from the stairs at the east side.
 - Date : end of the 9th century (893).
 - King : Yasovarman 1st (Paramasivaloka), (889-910?).
- Religion : Hinduism (dedicated to Siva) and the memory of the king’s farther.
 - Art-style : transitional between Preah Ko temple and Bakong temple.
 - Posthumous name: Paramasivaloka.

 BACKGROUND
The temple originally stood on as artificial island in the middle of a Baray called Indratataka (800 meters wide by 3,000 or 3,800 meters long, king Indravarman 1st dug it five days after the day of Indravarman 1st accession to the throne, but today it dries up. According to the inscription found at the temple the water of this Baray was for use at the capital “Hari-Hara-Laya” and for irrigation the plain in this area.

 LAY-OUT
It stood on a laterite base with 2 levels with low laterite walls, and had a stairway on each of the 4 sides. The base is 4 meters high with 4 stairways, each of which is 2.4 meters wide. The first level is (85 meters wide by 100 meters long) and 2.5 meters high. Well! At the right center of the laterite base, one can see 4 large brick towers situated on a low brick platform, these towers are divided into 2 rows, the front row and the back row, it is possible the original plan had 6 towers which probably shared on a common base like that at Preah Ko temple, but other 2 are missing. Today the northeast tower is the best preserved. The 2 towers in the front row are square (4.5 meters for each side) and decorated with male guardians holding the tridents and the other 2 in the back row are square too, but smaller (4 meters for each side) and decorated with female guardians holding fly-whisks or fly-swatters. They are sculpted in sandstone with a brick casing. All the towers opened to the east, and others three sides are false-doors that decorated with multiple figures. The inscriptions are on the doors of all 4 bricks towers. We noticed that the lintel of the northeast tower depicted Indra is riding on an elephant with figures and Makaras vomited serpents. The workmanship on the lintel is skilled and the composition balance. At the main center we can also see acroo-shaped sandstone channel for draining off the rainwater.