Preah Ko

Preah Ko (Sacred Bull) derives its name from the three statues of sandstone located in the front of and facing the temple's central towers. These statues represent Nandi, the white bull who serves as the mount of Shiva. ==History==

includes warriors mounted on three-headed nāgas, horsemen, and a deity mounted on a kala. After the Khmer king Jayavarman II founded the Khmer empire in 802 CE, he finally established his capital at Hariharalaya, where he died. Indravarman I was the nephew of Jayavarman II. When he ascended to the throne, he ordered the construction first of Preah Ko, which was dedicated in 879, and later of the temple-mountain known as the Bakong. It is likely that this building program was made possible by the king's peaceful reign and his ability to draw income from the expanding empire. A restoration of the towers took place in the early 1990s, financed by the German government. ==Site==

Preah Ko consists of six brick towers arranged in two rows of three towers each, perched on a sandstone platform. The towers face east, and the front central tower is the tallest. The sanctuaries are dedicated to three divinized forefathers of Indravarman and their respective wives. The front central tower is dedicated to Jayavarman II, the founder of the Khmer empire. The central towers all bear images of the Hindu god Shiva. ==Gallery==

File:Preah Ko 2.jpg| File:Preah Ko 3.jpg| File:Roulos Group - 003 Preah Ko (8588894346).jpg| File:Roulos Group - 002 Preah Ko (8588893064).jpg| File:Roulos Group - 001 Preah Ko (8588892040).jpg| File:Preah Kô4.JPG| File:Gardien de porte du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6823876122).jpg| File:Gardienne du temple Lolei (Angkor) (6969557243).jpg| File:Gardienne du temple Lolei (Angkor) (6826225808).jpg| File:Gardienne du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6823876596).jpg| File:Fausse-porte du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6821828786).jpg File:Linteau du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6969999537).jpg| File:Chinhe Preah Ko Cambodia0602.jpg| File:Nandi Preah Ko Cambodia0573.jpg| File:Taureaux Nandin du temple Preah Kô (Angkor) (6967953405).jpg| ==See also==