Roluos (temples)

Roluos is a cluster of early Angkorian temples on the east side of Siem Reap province, notable as the site of Hariharalaya - the first major Angkorian capital. The ensemble dates mainly to the late 9th and early 10th centuries and contains some of the earliest stone monuments in the Angkor region.

The complex comprises a handful of compact temple sites rather than one large monument; the main highlights are the temple-mountain Bakong, the ancestor-shrines of Preah Ko, and the island temple Lolei. Each monument is close together and can be seen in a short circuit; architectural features include brick towers, sandstone lintels, and laterite foundations.

Construction and royal patronage link the sites to the early Angkorian kings who established Hariharalaya; the temples served as state shrines and ancestor cult centers before the capital shifted west to Yasodharapura. Over subsequent centuries the temples fell into disuse, were partly buried, and have been subject to modern conservation and selective restoration.

The group sits on the flat floodplain east of Siem Reap town, surrounded by rice fields and small villages. The sites are within a short drive of Siem Reap and are typically visited on the same day as other Angkor-era monuments.

• Period: The group represents some of the earliest large-scale Angkorian monuments, dating to the late 9th and early 10th centuries.
• Visiting tip: Best visited in the cooler, dry season when access tracks are firm and photography of the temples and surrounding rice fields is easier.

What to See #

• Roluos group: Small group of separate temple sites forming the early Angkorian settlement known as Hariharalaya, dominated by three major temples on flat rice plain east of Siem Reap.
• Bakong: Stone brick and sandstone temple-mountain with a stepped pyramidal plan, built as a state temple and considered the earliest true Angkorian temple mountain.
• Preah Ko: Cluster of three 9th-century brick sanctuaries erected as ancestor shrines and richly decorated with lintels and pediments.
• Lolei: Island temple originally set on an artificial baray island, later surrounded by rice fields; retains brick towers and laterite foundations.