The imposing Preah Ko and Preah Keo statues have been completed for installation at the old roundabout, previously occupied by a statue of Vishnu riding Garuda.
This old roundabout formerly held “Vishnu riding Garuda”, which has now been ceremonially relocated to Siem Reap province. The installation of the new Preah Ko and Preah Keo statues gives Samraong a beautiful new landmark and reflects the Khmer people’s respect for faith, sacred power, prosperity, peace and patriotic spirit.
The construction of the Preah Ko and Preah Keo statue roundabout aims to preserve and promote Khmer arts and culture, incorporating national cultural values into public infrastructure in line with a strategy combining development and conservation.
The legend of Preah Ko and Preah Keo is one of the best-known Khmer historical folktales, compiled to reflect the suffering and decline of the Khmer kingdom following the fall of Longvek in the past.
According to a mythological summary of the story, a poor couple lived during the Longvek period. One day the wife craved sour mangoes, climbed a tree to pick them and fell to her death. Her unborn children survived, however, and were born as twin brothers: an ox named Preah Ko and a human named Preah Keo. Preah Ko was an ox with powerful sacred abilities.
Their fame reached the king of Siam, who wanted Preah Ko as an auspicious object to protect his kingdom. He sent a mechanical ox to challenge Preah Ko. Despite his efforts, Preah Ko could not defeat it. Preah Ko, Preah Keo and Princess ពៅ then tried to escape by holding the ox’s tail as it flew away, but the princess lost her grip and fell to her death. Eventually the brothers were captured by Siamese troops and confined within seven walls in Siam. By: សុភ័ក្រ្ត
