Rahal (រហាល) is the name given to Lingapura’s reservoir, or baray. Despite being a small puddle in comparison to the barays of Angkor, it is around 1,200 x 550 meters, or 6.6 square kilometers. (Estimates vary.) Furthermore, although the massive East and West Barays were formed by stacking up earthen embankments, most of the Rahal had to be chiseled from solid rock! Geological problems were also likely to account for the reservoir’s unusual northwest-southeast layout.
Another remarkable characteristic of the Lingapura baray is its central location in the city, with temples and shrines clustered along its banks. While the area is now mostly grassland marshland bordered by brush, it must have been breathtaking at the time. The reservoir’s alignment appears to have controlled the orientation of the shrines and temples, as most locations along its banks have the same alignment.
Another deduction is that buildings with similar orientations must have been built at the same time or after the baray, but more widely separated sites with east-west layouts originate from before the reservoir was built. There are claimed to be traces of a Mebon temple, although we have never seen it. A seemingly unremarkable but historically significant feature.
