Angkor Wat - Temple of Ta Keo
By Georgi Dagnall

Ta Keo is the state temple of Jayavarman V, who was king from 968 to 1001. This makes it more than a hundred years older than Angkor Wat and almost 200 years older than Ta Prohm. At the time, it was the largest temple of Angkor, and though incomparable to Angkor Wat, it is still quite grand. The temple was dedicated in 1000, but remains unfinished. This can be seen by the almost total lack of carvings. In traditional form, Ta Keo faces east, is dedicated to the god Shiva and represents Mt. Meru, the sacred center of the Hindu universe. Instead of being built on level ground, the temple pyramid was constructed on a large base of infill, a technique often used in earlier Angkor temples. Ta Keo is the largest temple to successfully employ this architecture.

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