Ta Keo

Ta Keo was begun in 975 for Jayavarman V and abandoned unfinished, and that is what makes it interesting: the five-tier pyramid and its five summit towers were built to full height in a hard green-grey sandstone, but almost none of the decorative carving was ever cut, so the temple stands as pure mass and geometry with blank surfaces where reliefs would have gone. One account attributes the abandonment to the temple being struck by lightning, taken as a bad omen. The steps to the top are famously steep, among the steepest at Angkor, with a wooden staircase added on one side. From the summit the forest canopy stretches away in every direction.

History

Jayavarman V succeeded his father Rajendravarman in 968 at the age of ten, and in 975, at 17, he began his own state temple, called in inscriptions Hemagiri or Hemasringagiri, the mountain with golden summits, which was dedicated around 1000. It was still unfinished in the reign of Suryavarman I: the high priest Yogisvarapandita, who later received the temple, wrote that lightning had struck the building, an evil omen, so the work stopped, though the struggle for the succession after Jayavarman V's death may be the simpler reason. The temple stayed in use as a centre of worship until the 13th century (Wikipedia, Ta Keo).

The main sights

• Uncarved surfaces - blank stone where decoration was never cut.
• The five-tier pyramid - the full structure in hard green sandstone.
• Very steep stairs - the original steps, with a wooden aid on one face.
• Canopy views - forest in all directions from the summit.

When to go

November to March. The climb is hot at midday with no shade on the upper levels, so morning or late afternoon is better. It is quieter than most small-circuit temples.

What to expect

The stairs are genuinely steep and people find the descent harder than the ascent; the wooden staircase is the sensible route. There is no carving to look at, which some visitors find disappointing and others find clarifying. No shade at the top.

Nearby

Ta Prohm lies southeast; Angkor Thom is west.

Key facts