Preah Ko (Khmer: The Sagred Bull) was the first temple to be built in the ancient and now extinct city of Hariharalaya (in the area now called Roluos), about 15 kilometers southeast of the main Group of temples in Angkor, Cambodia. The temple was built under King Khmer Indravarman I in 879 to honor members of the king's family, which places in relation with the Hindu divinity Shiva.

History

Preah Ko is known for the beauty and complexity of his sculptures. The design on this lintel includes warriors mounted on three-headed nymphs, knights and a deity mounted on a kala.

After King Khmer Jayavarman II founded the Khmer empire in 802 BC, he finally established his capital at Hariharalaya, where he died. [4]: 102-103 Indravarman I was the nephew of Jayavarman II. When he ascended the throne, he ordered the first construction of Preah Ko which was dedicated in 879, and later the mountain of the temple known as Bakong. It is likely that this program of construction was made possible by the king's peaceful reign and his ability to earn income from the expanding empire. The recovery of the towers occurred in the early 1990s, funded by the German government.