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ArchitecturePrasat Lolei
Prasat Lolei comprises four brick temples decorated with stucco. The temples rest on the flat platform similar to Prasat Preah Ko which is also the temple that dedicated to the royal ancestors. The architectural elements are similar to Prasat Trapangpong and Prasat Bakong . The stone lintel, the stone false doors and the figures of the deities decorated at the body are of the same pattern
ArchitecturePrasat Bakhaeng
Bakaeng is the temple on the top of stepped pyramidal platforms. As the platforms rest on the living rock of the hill, the base becomes strong enough to support the numerous temples built with stone, different form the case at Bakong. The top platform supports 5 towers surround by some 60 miniature towers scattering around the five steps of platforms. Every temple enshrines Linga and faces eastwards. The total number of the towers including the ground-leveled ones are 108 in number, the auspicious number in Hindusim
ArchitectureSubsidiary Towers: Prasat Bakhaeng
Prasat Bakaeng is the stepped pyramidal temple which rests on the living natural rock. The whole complex is made of stone as the living rock is strong enough to support the stone complex which is so different from the former example of its kind. On the top of the base there exist the five main towers arranged in quincunx plan, surrounded by sixty smaller towers. Each of them, strictly faces eastwards, used to enshrine Śivalinga. Total towers, assumes by scholars, would be 108 towers in number which is the number of auspiciousness in Hinduism.
ArchitectureStep pyramidal base: Koh Ker
This temple is consider to be the most majestic stepped pyramidal temple in Khmer art as the pyramidal base is of seven steps. The top of the base, there was a tower, now lost. The stepped pyramidal temple in Koh Ker period ism in some aspects, similar to Prasat Paksi Chamkrong at Angkor.
ArchitectureElongate Salle with triangular Pediment: Koh Ker
The elongate hall at Koh Ker is made of stone topped by the already-lost timber-and-tiled roof. The front triangular pediment is the imitation of the wooden structure whereas the end of the gable is decorated with the scrollwork inspired from the trunk of Makara. This kind of pediment has been popular not only in Koh Ker period but also in Banteay Srei and Baphoun periods. Banteay Srei and Preah Vihear temples are the prime example for this kind of pediment. Interestingly, the holes visible at the edge of the gable were meant for supporting the already-lost wooden beams of the roof structure.
ArchitectureMain Tower: Prasat Bayon
Bayon, the temple constructed by Jayavarman VII, is the last stepped-pyramid temple in Angkorian tradition. This temple was dedicated to the supreme Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism. The towers of the temple are decorated with faces which are still iconographically problematic. Some scholars presume that the face is of Jayavarman himself while other do not belief in this theory. The multiplication of the towers increases the complexity of Prasat Bayon beyond the temple of Angkor Wat. Some scholars consider, however, that the temple of Bayon indicates the architectural declining period because the symmetrical idea has been forgotten by the architects who constructed the temple of Bayon.The central tower of Bayon is interestingly in circular shape with multi-chambered lkyaout, reminiscent of “Maṇḍala” or the diagram in Mahayana Buddhism.
ArchitectureTower with Faces: Prasat Bayon
Bayon, the temple constructed by Jayavarman VII, is the last stepped-pyramid temple in Angkorian tradition. This temple was dedicated to the supreme Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism. The human faces decorating the towers in every direction are iconograplically interesting. Some scholars presume that the face is identifiable as the face of the king himself, while other assumptions connect the faces with either Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara or Brahma Sanatkumar. The face is characterized by the typical smiling called “Bayon smile”.
ArchitectureSouthern Gate of Angkor Thom
The Gateway of Angkor Thom composes of 2 elements, the tower decorated with the gigantic four human faces and the bridge crossing the city moat. The balustrade is associated with the story of the churning of the milky ocean in accordance with Hindu mythology. This iconography is associated with the auspiciousness for the people who would be blessed to be the immortals. Concerning the gigantic four human face at the tower is possible to be the faces of the lords of the cardinal directions.
