"The Roluos Group refers to a collection of four Angkor-era monuments, which are not located within the main Angkor Park, but instead near a small town named Roluos, about 15km east of Siem Reap. The monuments are named Bakong, Preah Ko, Lolei, and Prei Monti temples."
Temple Info
The Roluos Group, known as a collection of four Angkor-era monuments, which are not located within the main Angkor Park, but instead near a small town named Roluos, 12km east of Siem Reap. The monuments are named Bakong, Preah Ko, Lolei, and Prei Monti. The significance of these four temples is that they’re the last remains of the ancient city of the Khmer Empire named "Hariharalaya", which was the second capital of the Angkor-era Khmer Empire.
The temples were built by King Indravarman I was the nephew of the king Jayavarman II. King Jayavarman II was the king who declared himself the universal monarch of the country in 802 A.D., he did so not at Hariharalaya, but at Mahendraparvata on the Phnom Kulen Plateau. Later, he returned the capital to Hariharalaya, where he died in 835.
"Mahendraparvata was an ancient city of the Khmer Empire era, which means "Mountain of the Great Indra". It was located on the slopes of Phnom Kulen, a mountainous jungle plateau steeped in rich history. The last king who lived at Hariharalaya was Yasovarman I. In 905 CE, he built the first major temple structure at Angkor called Phnom Bakheng and moved the capital there."
King Indravarman I who the nephew of Jayavarman II and when he ascended to the throne, he was ordered the construction first of Preah Ko temple, which was dedicated in 879. Preah Ko temple 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 tower to the left is dedicated to Prithivindreshvara, King Indravarman's father; the tower to the right to Rudreshvara, his grandfather. The three rear towers are dedicated to the wives of these three men. The central towers all bear images of the Hindu god Shiva.
Then, King Indravarman I was built the Bakong temple which is the first temple mountain of sandstone. It was built in the final decades of the 9th century AD, it served as the official state temple of King Indravarman I in the ancient city of Hariharalaya. Bakong temple 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.
Lolei temple was the last major temple to be built in what was once the capital city of the Khmer empire before King Yasovarman I moved the capital to what is now called Phnom Bakheng. Lolei was built in the 9th century and was a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It was once an island temple, but the reservoir where it was built has long since been dry. The name "Lolei" is thought to be a modern corruption of the ancient name "Hariharalaya," which means "the city of Harihara." Once an island temple, Lolei was located on an island slightly north of the center in the now dry Indratataka Baray, construction of which had nearly been completed under Yasovarman's father and predecessor Indravarman I. Scholars believe that placing the temple on an island in the middle of a body of water served to identify it symbolically with Mount Meru, home of the gods, which in Hindu mythology is surrounded by the world oceans.
Lolei temple consists of four brick temple towers grouped together on a terrace. The king built Lolei for his ancestors. One for his grandfather, one for his grandmother, one for his father, and one for his mother.
Separately, Prasat Prei Monti or Prei Monti temple, an ancient temple of the Roluos Group built by Jayavarman III middle of the 9th century. This temple site recently is hidden away in the forest that surrounds the first capital city of the Khmer empire named Hariharalaya. All three towers are damaged and still not restored yet recently. It stands in the small forest and less preserved. The visitors cannot access the temple by car, so they will need to walk about two hundred meters. Visit the temple alone is not recommended as it so quiet sometimes.
Temple Facts
Name: Roluos Group Temple/ (Lolei Temple, Preah Ko Temple, Bakong Temple, Prei Monti Temple)
Date: Between 879 A.D - 893 AD (late 9th century AD)
Built By: From the King Jayavarman II to Yasovarman I
Religion: Hinduism
Dedicated To: Shiva
Style: Khmer/ Preah Ko /Bakheng
Getting There
The Roluos Group, a group of 4 temples located about 15km from Siem Reap town in Roluos village, Bakong Commune.
To get the temple, you'll go from Siem Reap town along National Road 6 towards Phnom Penh. After you pass a concert bridge of a small river about 500 meters, you'll see the path on the right side where you will go to Preah Ko, Bakong, and Prei Monti temples.
If you continue toward after you pass the turning to Preah Ko and Bakong temples, there is a turning on the left side about a few hundred meters from the main road, you'll see the Lolei temples which was the last temple of the Khmer empire before moved the capital to Angkor Thom.
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