Roluos Group

The Roluos Group is a cluster of early Angkor-period temples near Roluos village east of Siem Reap, Cambodia. The complex dates to the late 9th and early 10th centuries and contains some of the earliest large stone monuments of the Angkor area.

The site’s principal monuments are Bakong, Preah Ko, and Lolei, arranged around a baray and open rice plain. Bakong is the largest, built as a stepped temple mountain in sandstone with a laterite enclosure, while Preah Ko is notable for its row of brick sanctuary towers and carved lintels.

Lolei occupies an island within its baray and retains much of its original brickwork and decorative carving. The group is compact, allowing close-up inspection of 9th century Khmer masonry and sculpture in a single short visit.

Construction was undertaken during the Hariharalaya period under rulers such as Indravarman I and Yasovarman I, with major building activity dated to approximately 879-893 AD. The temples functioned as state temples and ancestor shrines and mark a transition toward larger sandstone construction in Angkorian architecture.

The complex sits on a flat agricultural plain near the village of Roluos, about 13 km east of Siem Reap town, and is accessible by road from the main Angkor archaeological area.

• Main temples: Includes three principal late 9th to early 10th century monuments: Bakong, Preah Ko and Lolei, which are among the earliest large stone temples in the Angkor region.
• Period: Dates to the late 9th and early 10th centuries, representing the Hariharalaya phase of early Angkorian architecture.
• Distance from Siem Reap: Located roughly 13 km east of Siem Reap town, commonly visited as a half-day excursion from Siem Reap.

What to See #

• Bakong: Largest temple mountain in the group, built in sandstone with a laterite enclosure around the late 9th century (c. 881-889); served as the state temple of King Indravarman I and is the most monumental structure at Roluos.
• Preah Ko: Erected c. 879 as an ancestral shrine for King Indravarman I; composed of a group of brick sanctuary towers on a sandstone platform with carved lintels and pediments.
• Lolei: Built c. 893 on an island within the Indratataka baray; notable for its brick towers and well-preserved carved decoration in a compact riverside setting.