Preah Ko is a profoundly significant temple that often gets overshadowed by the grandeur of Angkor Wat and Bayon. Preah Ko, which translates to “Sacred Bull,” was the very first temple built in the ancient city of Hariharalaya, located in present-day Roluos, 15 kilometres southeast of Siem Reap. This temple predates Angkor Wat by over two centuries and is key to understanding the architectural and spiritual foundation of the Khmer empire.

The great city of Angkor Thom isn’t just a ruin, it’s a palimpsest of power, religion, blood and time. It’s where Hindu deities once danced with Buddhist ideals and where a king tried to become a god in the eyes of the world. Carved into the Cambodian jungle in 1181AD by the empire’s most ambitious rule King Jayavarman VII, this immense stone citadel rose as the crowning capital of the ancient Khmer Empire.