Prasat Ta Keo ( Ta Keo Temple)

Ta Keo Temple (built c. 975)

King Jayavarman V ruled from 968 to 1001. Sometime during his reign, Jayavarman took up residence on the east side of the East Baray, and moved the capital to the west bank. He must have traveled back and forth to it by boat. Around the year 975, work was begun on Ta Keo temple in the center of the new capital. Ta Keo was actually called 'Hemasringagiri' or 'the mountain with golden peaks,' meaning Mount Meru—the sacred peak of Indian lore.
The temple is enormous, rising over 21.6 meters, making it one of the tallest buildings at Angkor. Its base measures 122 by 106 meters, while the outer moat stretched 255 by 195 meters, but has now vanished.

After Jayavarman V died, there was a violent usurpation by Suryavarman I in the year 1001. Work on the temple ceased, although artisans had only begun carving the decorative work at the base of the temple. For unknown reasons, the king donated the temple to his minister Yogisvarapandita, who had served under the former king. Yogisvarapandita worshipped only the shrines at the base of the temple, since he was prohibited by law from worshipping at a higher level than the king.

At The Top Of Ta Keo Temple  -