Touring Angkor Thom & Angkor Archaeological Park.

Visiting the magnificent archaeological sites around Angkor Park in Cambodia - the Roluos Group plus touring around Angkor Thom and Cambodian Temples.

There are an enormous amount of things to see and tour around at Angkor Archaeological Park - much of which we managed to squeeze into three days of sightseeing - our itinerary was as follows:

Day 1: Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng, Prasat Krajan, Banteay Kdei and Ta Phnom. (Tuk-tuk cost USD10).
Day 2: Roluos Group (12 km away), Angkor Thom. (Tuk-tuk cost USD10)
Day 3: Banteay Srei (30km away), Preah Neak Pean, Preah Khan, Ta Som and East Mebon (Tuk-tuk cost USD20).

Angkor Archaeological Park - The Roluos Group This group of three main Khmer Temples are around 13kms from Siem Reap. Located on the site of Hariharalaya (the first Khmer Capital) the Roluos Group are named after the small town of Roluos and are the oldest monuments in the area.

Lolei Temple.
Founded by Yasovarman I Lolei Temple is dedicated to Shiva. It consists of 4 central brick towers built on a terrace all of which are in a tumbledown state but there are still some really good carvings to look at. Adjacent to the temple is a modern Theravada Buddhist monastery.

Preah Ko - Angkor Archaeological Park. (or the Sacred Bull).
This sandstone Hindu Temple is dedicated to Shiva and was built by King Indravarman I. It has 2 rows of 3 brick towers each sat on a platform in front of which are three statues which represent Nandi (in Hindu mythology Nandi the white bull was Shiva's gatekeeper). Facing eastwards the central tower is the highest of the three and is dedicated to Jayavarman II who was the founder of the Khmer Empire. One of the main features at Preah Ko are the well preserved carvings on the door lintels which show three-headed nagas ridden by horsemen.

Bakong - Angkor Archaeological Park. Constructed of sandstone on an artificial mound around 881 (therefore pre-dating Angkor Thom) Bakong is the largest temple within the Roluos Group and was King Indravarman 1's official state temple. Surrounded by a moat and reached by a causeway which is guarded by Nagas the Temple rises in fives stages - the first three of which are enhanced by stone elephants around the edges.

The top stage has a square central sanctuary - this has four levels and a lotus shaped tower in the centre. The entire Temple is surrounded by eight huge brick towers all of which have nicely carved decorations.

Angkor Thom, Angkor Archaeological Park. (or Great City). Angkor Thom was built by Jayavarman VII (1181-1220) and once supported nearly 1 million inhabitants. It was constructed within 8 metre high walls each side of which are 3 kilometres long - and is encircled by an outer moat which is 100 metres wide. There are 5 gateways each entered by a causeway over the moat - the South Gate is easily the most impressive. The South Gate's causeway is lined and guarded by 108 large figures, 54 Gods on the left and 54 Demons on the right - the Gate itself has four huge Faces facing in the cardinal direction. Angkor Thom is a huge site and from the South Gate your driver will drop you off in front of the Bayon and then go off to park at the nearbye main parking area - there are plenty of locals waiting to provide drinks and you can even get food there.

The Bayon is built on 3 levels to represent a temple-mountain and has gallery bas-reliefs which show every day life both domestic and historical - the relief's stretch for a distance of 1.2kms. The Third Level had 54 Gothic Towers which were decorated with 216 huge stone faces - the faces are of Avalokiteshvara (the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion).


The Terrace of the Elephants - Angkor Archaeological Park. The Elephant Terrace was used by King Jayavarman VII to watch the return of his victorious army and for ceremonial parades - built on the terrace were a variety of wooden platforms which have long disappeared. The Terrace is around 300 metres long and features carvings of life-size elephants and garudas (mythical birds) on the retaining wall.

Leper King Terrace. The Terrace of the Leper King is part of the Royal Square - it features a replica statue of the Hindu God Yama, the God of Death. The inner wall features some really good carvings of figures of the underworld, nagas, warriors and celestial figures.



North and South Khleang, Angkor Archaeological Park. These two buildings are situated opposite the Royal Square and although they were built at different times they do look quite similar. The main feature of the Khleangs are their sandstone lintels which have beautiful balustraded stone windows - inside the Khleangs looked as though they might once have had domed roofs but the buildings are in a very poor state. Alongside the Khleangs are a series of 12 towers - Prasat Suor Prat - these towers have been renovated to some degree although a few are only staying upright with the help of wooden supports.

Banteay Srei - Angkor Archaeological Park.
The complex is around 30 kms from Siem Reap but it's well worth the visit as the drive takes you through some really nice countryside. The entrance fee is included in the main ticket price so don't forget your ticket!. Founded by Hindu priests in the late 10th century Banteay Srei (or the Citadel of Women) is not a Royal Palace or Temple and is quite small in comparison to the more famous Angkor sites.


Surrounded by a moat Banteay Srei has small shrines dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva and it's small pink sandstone buildings are beautifully carved with Indian Gods and Goddesses - the latter are dressed in Indian style skirts with lavish jewellery.

Preah Neak Pean. Also known as the Coiled Serpents Preah Neak Pean dates from the late 12th Century and was built by Jayavarman VII - and is dedicated to Buddhism. In the centre of the main pool (which is now mostly dry) is a circular island with a stepped laterite shrine and two intertwined serpents encircle the base.
The pond represents a mythical lake (Anavetapta) which is thought to be the source of the four great rivers of the world each of which are represented by four Gargoyle heads.

Preah Khan - Angkor Archaeological Park. (Temple of the Sacred Sword).
Preah Khan was founded by Jayavarman VII as a monastery and religious college. It was also the temporary capitol whilst Angkor Thom was being restored. At over 141 acres Preah Khan is a large complex which is surrounded by a 3km long laterite wall. One of the monastery's main highlights is the Hall of Dancers where there are exquisite bas-reliefs lining the wall and don't miss the Temple of the 4 Faces - named after the carvings on the central tower. Similar to Ta Prohm, Preach Khan has many giant trees whose roots have crept all over and sometimes through the walls.

Ta Som - Angkor Archaeological Park.
Built towards the end of the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII (who dedicated it to his father Dharanindravarman II) Ta Som is a small Khmer Temple with just one shrine built on it's one level - the temple area is surrounded by laterite walls which in turn are surrounded by a moat. One of the two entrance gates (or gopura) has been overgrown by a giant fig tree and there are giant faces carved into these gates.

East Mebon - Angkor Archaeological Park. Constructed in the 10th century during the reign of King Rajendravarman the Khmer Temple of East Mebon was dedicated to Shiva and sits at the centre of an artificial island in the dry East Baray reservoir. The temple has two enclosing walls and there are three tiers with the top tier containing a central tower which is in turn surrounded by four smaller towers. Apart from some good carvings on door lintels there some really good sculptures to look at East Mebon including huge stone elephants, various religious scenes including one of Indra sat on his three headed elephant and of Shiva sat astride the sacred bull Nandi.

Baksei Charnkrong - Pyramid Temple - Angkor Archaeological Park.
Constructed in the first part of the 10th Century at the foot of Central Mountain (Phnom Bakheng), the Pyramid Temple - correct name is Baksei Charnkrong) - is unique amongst the many temples in the vicinity. It is somewhat hidden and easily missed by many tourists - it's located on the road between Anchor Wat and Angkor Thom - around 500 metres on the left before the bridge and South Gate entrance to Angkor Thom. Baksei Charnkrong was built around 908 AD - in 948 AD King Rajendravarman had a Sanskrit text engraved on its door jamb - the inscription is quite unique amongst the 1300+ known inscriptions from ancient Cambodian times and relates to the succession of Khmer Kings including pre-Angkor Ian.

The first part of our Cambodia holiday and touring guides about Angkor Archaeological Park covers touring in particular Angkor Wat but also several other important sites. Please take a look at our travel and touring topics about Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.  Closely related if touring this part of the Far East are our (Laos) Vientiane and Luang Prabang, Thailand and Touring Vietnam travel guides.