Visit Ta Keo Temple

Cambodia - Angkor temples overview

Ta Keo Temple in Cambodia is located east of Thommanom on the eastern bank of the river. Although it is not one of the biggest temples in Angkor a Ta Keo Temple plan will come in handy to find your way around the different levels and galleries of the temple. The temple has a tiered pyramid shape with 5 towers arranged in a quincunx so recurrent in Khmer art and that symbolises mount Meru. One of the most common routes is to approach the temple from the east walking along the causeway over the moat and to cross the east Gopura with its three openings on the first terrace. At both sides of the Gopura there are two long halls with an entrance porch each. You can continue through the east side steps to reach the second floor.

When you reach the second level you will have a splendid vew of the pyramidal form of the third level with the five towers. The absence of decoration is striking compared to other Angkor temples. On this second level you will see another two halls to your left and right similar to the ones on the level below but smaller in size. A bit further down there are two small chambers called libraries that face to the west. Walk along the gallery and and you will note that it has no doors and the windows face inwards. This is the first example of galleries in Khmer art as they were not used prior to the construction of Ta Keo.

The upper level has three tiers that support the five towers. You can climb to it through the east stairways and the massive plain stones of the towers will surprise you with their simpleness. You can climb the 4 meter steps of the central tower for an excellent view of the forrest below.