Cambodia — Day 3: Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

And the rain continued

September 2015

I arrived at Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ) and left after 35 minutes — I was getting fed up with the rain.

There was quite a lot of repair work going on at Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ) when I visited. And, again, I had managed to arrive before many of my fellow tourists, or it could be that I was now getting off the ‘temple route’ and visiting some less visited temples in the park.

Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ) dates from 877-893 and was built by King Indravarman I, who presumably had a nearby palace. The temple is dedicated to Shiva, who rides the Nandin bull.

The temple is built from brick with stucco decorations and carved sandstone door or window frames. Some sandstone sculptures have been moved to museums for conservation.

For more information on Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ) see Wikipedia.

Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ) means "Sacred Bull”, and you can see two bull statues in the photograph below.

Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — a pair of chinthes (lions) guarding the steps up to a shrine — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — a pair of chinthes (lions) guarding the steps up to a shrine — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

I did wonder what the text below said. Although I couldn’t read it, I found the flow of the letters and the craftsmanship of the mason that carved the words fascinating.

Photo by Author — text inscription at Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — text inscription at Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — the bricks of Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — the bricks of Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia

I liked Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ). It was one of the oldest temples I visited on my trip, and what I liked about it was that it felt old.

As I explored more and more of the temples in the park, I became less impressed with the ’star’ — Angkor Wat Temple.

If you go to Angkor Archaeological Park, make time to explore the smaller temples.

Foursquare: Preah Ko (ប្រាសាទព្រះគោ)