Preah Ko Temple

Preah Ko: the "Sacred bull"

Location: between Bakong and Lolei; on the western side of the road to Bakong temple

Date: late 9th century (879)

King: Indravarman I (reigned 877-889) 

Religion: Hindu (dedicated to Shiva); funerary temple built for the king's parents, maternal grandparents, and a previous king, Jayavarman II and his wife.

Art style: Preah Ko 

Preah Ko, meaning "sacred ox", was named as such by local residents in the later period around the 16th or 17th century, because of the three statues of sacred bulls which dominated the area in front of the main shrines, in the central part of the temple complex. The ox was considered a sacred animal in ancient times, but that is not the case anymore. The previous name of Preah Ko temple was Paramesvara, the posthumous name of King Jayavarman II, the great king who started the Angkor power and the glorious era.