Chronology of Angkor's Temples

ROLUOS GROUP (Hariharalaya) Hindu

Hariharalaya was built during the 9th century and served as the capital of King Jayavarman II and later, his son Jayavarman III. The surrounding temples of Bakhong, Preah Kho and Lolei were built during the reign of Indravarman I and his son. Together, they represent the beginning of Khmer classical art.

PHNOM BAKHENG (893)

Yacovarman I, son of Indravarman I, built his capital Yacodharapura around the hill of Phnom Bakheng. The Phnom Bakheng is home of the first mountain temples built in the vicinity of Angkor.

PRASAT KRAVAN (921) Hindu (Vishnu)

Built during the reign of Hashavarman I, it is composed of five brick towers. Two of them are decorated with bas-reliefs, representing Vishnu and Lakshmi, cut into bricks on the interior walls.

BARAY ORIENTAL & MEBON ORIENTAL (952) Hindu (Shiva)

Yacovarman I also built the Baray Oriental reservoir. Measuring 7000 by 1800 meters, the water was diverted from the Siem Reap River. Rajendravarman erected the Mebon Oriental. This mountain temple is guarded at its base by harnessed stone elephants.

PRE RUP (961) Hindu (Shiva)

Built by was built by Rajendravarman, nine years after the construction of Mebon Oriental. Composed of laterite and bricks, it is similar in style though on a much grandeur scale.

PHIMEANAKAS Hindu (Shiva)

This small mountain temple lies in the middle of the Royal Enclosure. Its name means "Celestial Palace". Rajendravarman built the pyramid and its gallery was later added by Suryavarman I.

BANTEAY SREI (967) Hindu (Shiva)

Built under Jayavarman V, Banteay Srei is regarded as the jewel in the crown of classical Khmer art. Its rose-colored sandstone walls are decorated with carvings and bas-reliefs, which are among the most accomplished art that Angkor has to offer.

TAKEO Hindu (Shiva)

Built by Jayavarman V, this mountain temple takes the form of an imposing five-tier pyramid.  Takeo was one of the 1st Angkorian monuments built entirely in sandstone but has no decorative carvings because construction was never finished.

BAPHUON (1060) Hindu (Shiva)

Built by Udayadityavarman II, it was the city center prior to the construction of Angkor Thom. The wall on the second level of the West Side was fashioned into a 40 meter-long reclining Buddha.

KBAL SPEAN "The Thousand Linga River"  Hindu (Vishnu)

Built by hermits, Kbal Spean is about 30 km northeast of the Bayon and about 9 km beyond Banteay Srei. Commonly referred to in English as "the River of a Thousand Lingas", this is a peaceful area of riverbed carvings. The river, carved with several good images of Rama, Lakshmi and Hanuman, include a large image of Vishnu. Carved into the sandstone riverbed are over 1,000 lingas, (about 25 square centimeters and 10 centimeters deep) that are lined in a perfect grid pattern.

ANGKOR WAT (1110 - 1150) Hindu (Vishnu)

Suryavarman II dedicated this temple to Vishnu and this explains its unusual orientation to the West. It is the most famous temple of Angkor. Its design replicates the spatial universe in miniature; composed of the Mount Meru, surrounded by the continents and the oceans. It hosts an 800 meters long series of extraordinary bas-reliefs, depicting epic events of Khmer history and mythology.

BEANG MEALEA Buddhist

Located about 40 km east of the Bayon and about 7 km southeast of Phnom Kulen, Beang Mealea was built at about the same time as Angkor Wat. Its dimensions are similar, but Beang Mealea has no central pyramid. It's enclosed by a moat measuring 1,200m by 900 meters. Most of the Buddhist temples built under Jayavarman VII  (Preah Khan, Banteay Kdei, Ta Som and Ta Prohm) were modeled after this complex.

BANTEAY SAMRE  Hindu (Vishnu)

Built by Suryavarman II, it contains well-preserved bas-reliefs depicting scenes of Vishnu and Krishna legends. The Samre were a people of mixed origins who were said to live at the base of the Kulen hills.

TA PROHM (1186) Buddhist

Jayavarman VII dedicated this temple to his mother. It has been left to the all-devouring jungle and it appears just as it did when it was rediscovered in 18th century by French explorers. It is a temple of towers, courtyards and narrow corridors, which are often impassable because of the vegetation and the large trees all of which give the temple its unique character.

BANTEAY KDEI (1181) Buddhist

Jayavarman VII also built this massive temple, surrounded by four concentric walls. Garudas decorate its four entrances. The inside of the central tower was never finished.

SRAH SRANG

Located opposite the Banteay Kdei complex, this artificial lake was used for ritual bathing by Royals.

PREAH KHAN (1191) Buddhist

Named "Sacred Sword", this temple was built by Jayavarman VII who dedicated it to his father. It covers a very large area, 700 by 800 meters, and is surrounded by a moat. Elaborate lintels and panels are richly decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Buddhist motifs and Hindu epics.

NEAK PEAN Buddhist

Composed of a square pool with four smaller square pools arranged on each axis. In the center of the main one is a circular island encircled by two nagas. It was built by Jayavarman VII and was used for rites of ritual purification.

BAYON Buddhist

Built by Jayavarman VII in the exact center of the city of Angkor Thom, it is unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara. Its very well preserved bas-reliefs depict everyday life in the 12th century.

ELEPHANTS TERRACE

Measuring 350 meters in width, it is decorated with carvings, including elephants in hunting scenes, garudas and lions. Built under Jayavarman VII, it was a viewing platform from which kings and their courts watched military displays of pomp and pageantry.

TERRACE OF THE LEPER KING

At the top of this 7-meter-high platform stands a statue of what was thought to be the Leper King. It is in fact Yama, the god and judge of the dead. Stunning carvings adorning the walls on both sides cover the walkway. It was also built under Jayavarman VII.

BANTEAY CHHMAR Buddhist

At the conclusion of the civil war between the Khmer and Champa kingdoms in the 12th century, King Jayavarman VII built a temple in the Cambodian jungle to honor five heroes who died in defense of their country, one of them being his son. A "Fine Citadel" of eight temples, situated on a nine-square kilometer site and surrounded by a moat, was distinguished by expertly rendered bas-reliefs depicting the war between the kingdoms and the accession of the Khmer king. A remote and ruined temple with massive face-towers and intricate carvings shrouded in mist and jungle vegetation conjures up all the romanticism of a lost Khmer city.