Hariharalaya

Hariharalaya (, Hariharalaya) was an ancient city and capital of the Khmer empire located near Siem Reap, Cambodia in an area now called Roluos (Khmer: រលួស). Today, all that remains of the city are the ruins of several royal temples: Preah Ko, the Bakong, Lolei.

==Etymology== right|thumb|This 7th century CE statue of Harihara is from Angkor Borei and Phnom Da|Phnom Da in [[Cambodia.]] The name "Hariharalaya" is derived from the name of Harihara, a Hindu god prominent in pre-Angkorian Cambodia. The name "Harihara" in turn is a composite of "Hari" (a name of the Hindu god Vishnu) and "Hara" (a name of the Hindu god Shiva). Cambodian representations of Harihara were of a male god whose one side bore the attributes of Vishnu and whose other side bore the attributes of Shiva. For example, the god's head-covering consisted of a mitre-type hat (the attribute of Vishnu) on one side and as twisted locks of hair (the attribute of Shiva) on the other. Alaya is a Sanskrit word meaning "temple", so Hariharalaya means the home of a temple dedicated to the god Harihara.