Prasat Kravan is a small beautiful temple of the early 10th century with five brick towers built as for the shrine to the Hindu god Vishnu.

Prasat Kravan, small but so beautiful temple that the visitor shouldn't miss. It about less than 30 minutes to look at it surrounding the temple. It looks uninspiring from the outside, but the interior brick carvings concealed within its towers are the hidden treasure of temple hit interested in the visitors.

Temple Info

Prasat Kravan is a small temple consists of five towered brick shrines aligned north-south and facing east. The complex was consecrated in 921 early 10th century by a man named Mahidharavarman, a high official under the region of King Harshavarman I. The remains of his inscriptions can be seen in the doorways of temple 2,3 and 5.

Mahidharavarman dedicated the central shrine (temple 3) to a cosmic form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Three images of this god can be seen carved into the brickwork on the interior walls of the shrine.

The northern shrine (temple 5) was dedicated to five aspects of the goddess Shri. Her image can be seen on the lintel and on the internal walls of this shrine. Her fifth aspect was represented by a statue, now missing, erected on the stone pedestal at the center. The people who worked at this temple complex came from surrounding villages that are named in the inscriptions.

Relief of Vishnu on garuda carved directly out of the brick walls.

Vishnu Prasat Kravan Central Shrine, north side

North Shrine, west side

While Harshavarman was reigning in Angkor, a rival capital was being founded in Koh Ker by his uncle, who later succeeded to the kingship as Jayavarman IV. Prasat Kravan and Jayavarman's new state temple in Koh Ker, Prasat Thom, were founded simultaneously.

The chief form of Vishnu worshipped at Prasat Kravan was named Trailokyanatha, while the central aspect of Shiva worshipped at Koh Ker was called Tribhuvaneshvara. Both names mean "Lord of the Three Worlds". The coincidence of dates and names may be indicative of the political rivalry that existed between the two capitals.

Endangered inscription of Prasat Kravan

The stone door-jamb surfaces with inscriptions are damaged. Some inscription areas are not readable today because of weathering of the surface and loss of definition in the outlines of the letters. The inscriptions that survive are endangered and highly vulnerable to the actions of visitors. The loss of these historical inscriptions is due to the following causes, among others: scarring and scratching, dark staining of the stone caused by visitors touching or holding on to the surface of the inscription when entering and leaving the temple.

Endangered architectural elements and lion statues

The stone architectural elements and lion statues show various signs of decay, such as sanding, splitting, exfoliation, and rounding.

The walls and brick reliefs inside the towers -layers of polychrome paint

All the walls, bas reliefs, and ornament inside the towers show traces of polychrome paint layers. The interior wall surfaces are performed by termites, and defaced by spider's webs and soiling. The towers are open at the top, resulting in exposure of the walls and floor to rain.

Rising damp then carries salts through the fabric of the building, staining the walls. The effect of water on the decay of the bricks and polychrome layers requires detailed investigation.