PHNOM KROM TEMPLE

PHNOM KROM TEMPLE
(The Mountain Below)
 - Location : southwest of Siem Reap province about 12 kilometers near Tonle Sap Lake. It is located dramatically on a hilltop (137 meters high).
 - Access : climb along the steep stairway or curved path through the foot of the hill.
 - Date : end of the 9th century to the beginning of the 10th century.
 - King : Yasovarman 1st (889-910).
 - Religion : Hinduism (dedicating to the Hindu trinity: Brahma, Siva, Vishnu).
 - Art-style : Bakheng.
 - Clearance worked by Mr. Maurice Glaize (1938). 
- Posthumous name: Paramasivaloka.

 BACKGROUND
King Yasovarman 1st built a temple on each of the 3 hills dominating the plain of (Angkor Park), Phnom Bok (247 meters high), Phnom Bakheng (67 meters high) and Phnom Krom (137 meters high). It is preferable to see it in the early morning and towards the end of the afternoon. A visit to it can make a charming outing.

 LAY-OUT
It has a square plan and consists a group of 3 sandstone towers, which stood on side-by-side on a low common base and opening to the east and west side (sunrise and sunset), and each one of which had 2 false-doors on the north and south sides. The middle tower is (4 meters for each side) that dedicating to Siva and the other 2 towers are (3.4 meters for each side) that dedicating to Vishnu (north tower) and Brahma (south tower). Most of the towers are much degraded, but some parts still remain intact. The temple was surrounded by a laterite wall (40 meters for each side) with 4 gates in the shape of across. In the courtyard of the wall there are many rectangular laterite halls only the bases of which remain parallel to the wall. They may have been used as rest houses for pilgrims. Besides these rectangular laterite halls, there are 4 small buildings made of brick and sandstone opening to the west inside the courtyard of the wall, they were used as the chapels for the priests to make their meditation.