Prasat Bei Temple

Prasat Bei Temple

Prasat Bei temple

Date:                                   Built in early tenth century

Religion:                             Hinduism

King:                                   Isanavarman II (923-925)

Posthumous name:             Paramarudraloka

 

Prasat Bei was designed with three brick towers standing as a row on a single sandstone platform. Those three towers symbolized the three main Hindu gods, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.

Its lintels have very beautiful carvings. There’s Indra’s figure ridding on a three headed elephant Aravata.

Prasat Bei was designed with the typical Khmer architectural style of the 6^th century to the 10^th century. This temple structure was not completely finished because the king was killed two years after he was crowned as king, by Harshavarman I who was his brother. Although Prasat Bei is a small temple, it’s interesting to see because its location is in the over green grass field near Angkor Thom moat. To see Prasat Bei, Baksei Chamkrong and Prasat Thmar Bay Kaek temples should be seen together as well.

 

Door:

Each tower has four doors. There is a real door which is opening to the east wh Linga with Yonisculpture.

ile three others are blind doors.

 

The small shrine:

there’s a small shrine in the front of temple. It has Linga sculpture, balusters and lintels with beautiful carvings. It’s believed as theentrance structure of Prasat Bei.

 

Prasat Thmar Bay Kaek:

There’re two brick shrines of Prasat Thmar Bay Kaek temple in the front of the entrance of Prasat Bei. a bigger shrine was used to pray to Shiva. There’s a kneeling bull statue called Nandil in the front.  The French foundthree golden turtle statues in the foundation of Shiva’s shrine. A smaller shrine locating to the north was dedicated to Uma who was Shiva’s wife. Her torso still remains in the shrine. Although this temple was restored by French in 1970, the war broke the temple again.