Preah Ko

The Temple of the Cow is located about 13 kilometers east of Siem Reap City. It is named after the stone cow kneeling in front of the temple tower. It was built by Indravarman I at the end of the 9th century to enshrine Lord Shiva and the ancestors of the king. It is the second most important building in the Rollos group, after the Bakong Temple in the south. The entire temple was severely damaged, only the six brick towers in the center are still intact, but you can admire the well-preserved plaster reliefs in the Angkor monuments. The entrance of Shenniu Temple faces east, but the East Pagoda Gate has long been in ruins, and the wall connecting the Pagoda Gate has collapsed. You can walk to the central hall along a long red clay approach road. There is a long hall on the north and south sides of the approach road that has almost been razed to the ground. Continue to move forward, there is a dilapidated Tibetan scripture pavilion in the south. The play guide walked to the end of the approach road, passed a tower gate with only the base left, and arrived in front of the central hall. On a sandstone plinth, six brick towers are arranged in two rows facing east. There are three rows of steps in front of the platform, leading to the main entrance of the first row of brick towers, and a stone lion is sitting on each side of the steps. And just in front of the steps below the steps is a stone cow Nandi (Nandi), which is the mount of Lord Shiva. The six brick pagodas are all decorated with sandstone and gypsum stone carvings, and have the same shape. The bottom is a square base, and the top is a pyramid. The east-facing main entrance has octagonal stone doorposts on both sides, and the ancient Indian Sanskrit is meticulously engraved. The towers in the front row are dedicated to the three kings, with statues of male gods; the back row is dedicated to the three queens, with statues of goddesses. You will notice that the central pagoda in the first row is much taller than the other pagodas, and its plaster relief is well preserved among the Angkor monuments. The surface of the early brick towers of Angkor was generally covered with a layer of plaster, which was soft and easy to carve, but it was easy to fall off over time, and this method was no longer used later. Carefully observe the reliefs of these six towers, whether it is the statue of Dvarapala holding a trident or the goddess Devata with a dignified and peaceful face. In addition, the lintel carvings of these brick pagodas are also quite wonderful, telling Hindu myths and legends. Although the Shenniu Temple is not completely preserved, it has an important influence on the architectural art of Angkor, and the architectural style of the Queen's Palace is inherited and developed on this basis.