Five towers
On top.
Fumihiko Ueno — CC BY 3.0 · Luca Nebuloni — CC BY 2.0 · Fumihiko Ueno — CC BY 3.0 · Mig Gilbert from Brighton — CC BY-SA 2.0
Ta Keo is a massive sandstone temple-mountain at Angkor. A pyramid of five stepped terraces carries five towers on top, set like the five dots on a die, with smooth walls almost bare of carving and very steep stairs to the summit. It was the state temple of King Jayavarman V and may have been the first temple the Khmers built entirely of sandstone. Like other temple-mountains, it stands for Mount Meru. It looks especially massive because carving had only just begun when work stopped, leaving its walls bare. A 500 m raised causeway once linked it to a landing stage on the East Baray. The first terrace measures 122 by 106 m. You walk around the base, climb the steep stairs with care to the upper terraces, and see the towers up close and the forest around you from above. The temple is about 4 km in a straight line northeast of Angkor Wat. The stairs are steep and narrow, so climb slowly, use your hands, and do not climb in the rain. Temples are sacred places, so cover your shoulders and knees, and do not climb on carved stone.
On top.
Never finished.
Over the forest.
East of Angkor Thom, Angkor Archaeological Park
The stairs are very steep; go slowly.
Work stopped just as carving began.
