Lolei is the northernmost temple of the
Roluos group of three late 9th century Hindu temples at Angkor, Cambodia, the
others members of which are Preah Ko and the Bakong. Lolei was the last of the
three temples to be built as part of the city of Hariharalaya that once
flourished at Roluos, and in 893 the Khmer king Yasovarman I dedicated it to
Shiva and to members of the royal family.
The name "Lolei" is thought to be a
modern corruption of the ancient name "Hariharalaya," which means
"the city of Harihara." Once an island temple, Lolei was located on
an island slightly north of centre in the now dry Indratataka baray,
construction of which had nearly been completed under Yasovarman's father and
predecessor Indravarman I.
Scholars believe that placing the temple on
an island in the middle of a body of water served to identify it symbolically
with Mount Meru, home of the gods, which in Hindu mythology is surrounded by
the world oceans.
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