The original name of the temple was ‘Hema-sringagiri’, meaning ‘The Mountain with Golden Peaks’. It is one of the few temples where you can still see mae ji, as the female devotees of Buddha are known. They are recognizable by their shaven heads and white garb. In past years, they tended the Buddhist shrines that had been placed in the often Hindu temples. More recently, due to the influx of tourists, one sees less of the mae ji and more of the locals dressed up in traditional garb to pose for photos. The mae ji can be considered female monks, but that is not quite accurate. The mae ji occupy a place between the monks and lay people. Many sects of the Buddhist faith allow women to be ordained, and their numbers are growing, but those rights have still not been extended to women in this area of the Buddhist world. Still, they take the same vows of faith that the male monks do. In the temples they often sell incense sticks to be presented to the shrine they tend.

The climb to the top of the temple is an arduous one, especially in the hot sun. The east-facing stair is the easiest of the four, yet still quite steep. Take great care if you decide to go all the way to the top of the 22-meter-high temple. The temple plan is straightforward: the stairs on each side lead directly up each level, eventually leaving you at the top where you can enter the central tower.

You probably won’t be able to notice just from looking or walking around, but the temple is slightly asymmetrical. The third level is slightly west of center, and the southern edge is slightly wider than the north edge. It is unknown if these variations were intentional or not. However, it was intentional that Jayavarman V built his state temple in a place other than the center of his capital, though the significance of this is unknown.

In accordance with the symbolism of Mt. Meru, the third level is the most holy place. One of the kings succeeding Jayavarman V, a man named Suryavarman I, gave the temple as a gift to Yogisvara Pandita, one of the religious leaders of the time. Despite the esteem that others felt for this yogi, the man himself used only the lower two levels and considered himself unworthy of the highest level. If you make it to the top, you will see that it is a special place, with a great view over the treetops and even a glimpse of the very tip of Angkor Wat to the southwest, though it’s easy to miss.

The central tower that is accessed by the long flights of stairs does not have a roof. The absence makes the room of the central tower seem like it has a skylight and, along with the unfinished carvings, is evidence that Ta Keo was left incomplete. Scholars believe that it was just too ambitious a project for its time. This certainly may be true, but it must also be considered that the temple builders experienced a big setback during construction.

Work was interrupted when lightning hit the crowning stone. In Khmer culture, this was a very inauspicious occurrence. A ceremony had to be held to cleanse the temple of the bad luck, and new stone had to be ordered. The stone was high-quality sandstone known as grauwacke, which had to be cut and shipped in. This setback may very well have made the building project too much to finish.

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