The Roluos group
| Location: | Roluos, some 13 km east of Siem Reap |
| Date: | 9th century |
| Religion: | Hindu |
The Roluos group of monuments comprises of Prah Ko, Lolei and
the Bakong temple. The
buildings here are among the oldest to be found in the area. It
is believed that the the capital was founded here before it moved
to the area near Phnom
Bakheng and (much later) Angkor
Thom.
The lay-out of Prah Ko consists of four enclosing walls from
which only parts of the inner two and the entrance tower remain.
The six towers of the central sanctuary are built from brick with
sandstone lintels and balusters. The towers were originally
covered with a light-coloured plaster of which little remains
today. The lintels (the large stones above the doors) are
beautifully carved.
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In 1997 restoration of Prah Ko was undertaken. This will
probably last until 1999.
A little north of Prah Ko and the Bakong you can find the small
temple of Lolei. (picture above right and below) It consists of
four towers in a declining state. As the brick is relatively soft
plants flourish on them. Still a miracle that they stand after a
thousand years of wind and weather.
The temple originally was an island in the middle of a baray
(water basin) some 3800 by 800 metres, now dry.
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