Koh Ker temples
Koh Ker is a whole temple town, the second largest of the ancient Khmer civilization. Due to its remote location, Koh Ker can still be called a "lost city in the jungle". It remains to be an off the beaten track destination, though it's indeed one of the most amazing excavation sites you can imagine.
Koh Ker has at least 180 temples, but most of them are only small heaps in the jungle and not accessible due to landmines, the 20 most significant monuments are safe, all of them are located at a ring road. In the 10th century Koh Ker was a rival of Angkor. Almost all temples in Koh Ker were built during a period of only a few decades. History of Koh Ker
Many temples of Koh Ker had already been built in the decade before Koh Ker became the capital in 928. The ambitious local ruler of Koh Ker had even erected a Shiva-Lingam, a symbol of supreme royal power, on the temple mountain Prasat Prang, which, at that point in time, was the tallest pyramid built by the Khmer civilization and belonged to the (then) largest Khmer temple complex, Prasat Thom.
Because his nephew, Angkor's King Ishanavarman II, died childless, Koh Ker's principal became the new ruler of the whole Angkor empire. Soon after ascending the throne in Angkor the new king Jayavarman IV decided to shift the capital to his hometown Koh Ker, which was called Chok Gargyar or sometimes Lingapura in contemporary inscriptions. His younger son, who was not the heir to the thrown, became his successor. He had to fight rebellions and came to death after only two years. A cousin, who had supported him in the beginning, seized power and shifted the capital back to Angkor, Rajendravarman II became a prolific temple builder. East Mebon and Pre Rup are his main projects. |
Sightseeing in Koh Ker
Prasat Pram, also spelt Prasat Bram, is the first temple complex you will see when arriving from Siem Reap. "Pram" means "five". Five towers are erected in a compound enclosed by a laterite wall. Only three of them are Prasats, standing in a north-south row on a shared platform, Prasats are shrines for idols of deities, whereas the two towers in front of them were so-called libraries. The south-eastern and the north-western towers are completely overgrown by strangler figs. Particularly the north-western brick-tower (photo) is an amazing sight. You will not find an ancient monument of this type completely covered by roofs outside Cambodia. Such merging of architecture and nature is what is called "jungle temples". more...
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800 m further north you will find a path on the righthand side to Prasat Neang Khmau. “Neang Khmau” means “Lady in black”, named after the striking dark blue colour of its laterite (photo). The colour is caused by oxidation of the laterite stones. The single Prasat dedicated to a Linga stands on square platform built of sandstone. The main door opens to the west, though in Indian traditions sanctuaries are usually oriented to the east. However, there are many exemptions from the rule in ancient Khmer architecture, Angkor Wat being the most famous one. The lintel carving shows the four-headed Brahma sitting on a lotus. Three heads, looking to the front and to the right and left side, are depicted on that bas-relief. more...
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The next temple at Koh Ker’s ring road is Prasat Aob Neang. It is a single Prasat built of bricks. The bricks used in Koh Ker were of excellent quality, smaller than those used in Angkor. The layers of mortar are almost invisible. The formular of the mortar used by ancient Khmer for brick buildings is unknown. It was also used in Angkor, for example at Prasat Kravan which is from the Koh Ker period. Presumably, this mortar was partly organic. Koh Ker's brick constructions turned out to be more stable than the stuctures built of laterite, brick monuments are in a remarkable good condition. Slabs, columns and the lintel at the door are made of sandstone. The lintel carving remained unfinished (photo), you can study the very same carving technique in Angkor, too, for example at Bei Prasat near the Angkor Thom South Gate. more...
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Prasat Damrei's central brickstone Prasat is 6 m tall. You can see the typical Khmer facade decoration of walls mithout doors here, namely the so-called false doors or blind doors. Prasat Damrei is enclosed by a laterite wall, which is well-preserved. There are many ruins of secondary buildings within the enclosure of the Prasat Damrei complex and in the immediate neighbourhood. Damrei means "elephant". Indeed, Prasat Damrei had excellent elephant statues carved from sandstone, two of them are still in situ at the corner of the temple terrace (photo). This platform of the central Prasat was decorated with eight lion statues, too. They were the guardians at the flight of steps. But only one of them is still in situ, flanking a stairway. more...
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Prasat Chrap has two concentric enclosing walls. You will see three tall towers (photo) in the centre of the compound, all of them lost their front walls. They are built of laterite. Usually laterite has a warm reddish tone because of iron oxides, which is the typical colour of early monuments in Angkor. But there are many examples of darkened laterite stones in Koh Ker. Laterite can be called a natural stone as well as a clay brick, though only big blocks of laterite are used in Khmer architecture. But the terminus "laterite" is derived from "later", the latin word for "brick". Laterites develop by long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. Laterites can easily be cut from the soil, but after being exposed to sun and air, they will soon become rather tough stones. more...
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This is one of Cambodia's most picturesque "forgotten ruins in the jungle" (see title photo above). Prasat Banteay Pee Chean was dedicated in 937. The central laterite tower was surrounded by eight more structures, they were built of brick, many of them are mostly in ruins now. One of these buildings carries a lintel which is still a fair condition (photo). Prasat Banteay Pir Chan is the only Khmer monument dedicated to Brahma exclusively. Temples for Brahma are rare even in India, but there are many of them on the Indonesian island of Bali. In Cambodia Brahma was usually venerated only in those Khmer temples dedicated to the Trimurti, but with Shiva as the dominating deity placed in the central Prasat of three towers in row, with an Brahma idol in the southern one. more...
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Prasat Krachap is known as the temple of inscriptions (photo). They mention the date of consecration 928, when Koh Ker became the capital. The Khmer temple inscriptions, particularly K. 183 were studied by George Coedès. They list the names of slaves and record many donations. Forced labour played an important role in order to built so many Koh Ker temples within only two or three decades. Most inscriptions are at the gateways. Most structures within the enclosing walls are in ruins. Originally, Prasat Krachap had five Prasat towers built of brick and in quincunx order, four of them square and one rectangular (like the arrangement of the 5 on a dice). All were oriented not towards the cardinal directions, but towards the Rahal Baray, the reservoir (now dry) in the very centre of Koh Ker. more...
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Prasat Balang (also called Prasat Leung Moi) is the largest of five Linga temples, situated to the north of the former reservoir Rahal Baray and close to Koh Ker's main temple complex, Prasat Thom. Lingas are Phalli symbolizing the power and potency of Lord Shiva. Shiva was the guardian deity of most Khmer kings, and the Lingam is his aniconic idol in many temples, particularly in royal temples serving for state ceremonies. The Linga temples in Koh Ker are famous because of the record-breaking size of the enshrined phallus-symbols. Prasat Balang shelters a Linga of 2 metres height and 1 metre width, placed on a Yoni (symbol of the female genital). The Linga and Yoni representation is monolothic, this means, it is carved out of the same bedrock. more...
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The so-called palaces are small groups of buildings belonging to the procession alley of Prasat Thom. When you arrive at the car park of Prasat Thom, you will see them on the opposite side of the street. They mark the beginning of the central axis of the vast complex of Prasat Thom, Koh Ker's state temple. They were not royal residencies, the real Royal Palace of Koh Ker does not exist any more, because it was built of wood, it was a separate structure within the walled city. But they may have served as royal abodes during ceremonies. In Khmer architecture the term "palaces" is a term for those buildings that, surrounding a shared courtyard, form a kind of cloister. Such palaces are known as satellite buildings of Preah Vihear. The palaces at Prasat Thom in Koh Ker are the earliest ones known at Khmer temples. more...
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The first structure close to the car park at Prasat Thom is a former Gopuram, a cruciform gateway building. The next Gopuram on the axis of Koh Ker's main temple complex is the eastern gate of Prasat Thom's third (exterior) enclosing wall. This is the tallest brick building of the vast complex, it is called Prasat Krahom, the "Red Temple". Unlike real Prasats, Prasat Krahom actually is a Gopuram, it can be crossed through doors to different directions. Prasat Krahom marks the beginning of the tendency to build towers as gateways, which became typical in later periods of Khmer architecture. It is also the first Gopuram that sheltered a huge image of a guardian deity, the only statue larger than life depicting a dancing Shiva. Its height was 3 or 4 metres. Only fragments of it have been found. more...
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The term "Prasat Thom" may be misleading. Koh Ker's whole main temple complex incuding the palaces, Prasat Krahom and the pyramid is Prasat Thom in a wider sense. Its sections are aligned along an east-west axis, making Prasat Thom one of the few Khmer temples with a linear layout. But Prasat Thom in a narrow sense is only the central section surrounded by its own moat. This kernel of the whole site has three a concentric enclosures, the ususal concentric arrangement of Khmer temple compounds. The innermost structure of this temple proper are nine Prasats in two rows and a elongated Mandapa hall in front of them. Remnants of a group of sculptures were discovered here. This group represents Yama's judgement of the dead, indicating that Prasat Thom was not only a state temple, but a royal funerary temple, too. more...
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The axis of Prasat Thom ends at the step pyramid Prasat Prang, which is the biggest single building and the landmark of Koh Ker. It is surrounded by a separate enclosure, adjoining the exterior enclosure of the island temple Prasat Thom. The temple mountain has 7 tiers dressed in sandstone, at the base it is 62 m wide and reaches a height of 36 m. The uppermost terrace measures 12 metres on a side. The pyramid’s only stairway is on the eastern side. Maybe there was once a wooden Prasat on the very top sheltering Prasat Prang's imperial Lingam. This Lingam, which was by far the biggest in Khmer history, does not exist any more, its estimated height was 4.50 m and diameter 1.50 m. more...
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On the direct way back from Prasat Thom to the entrance of the Koh Ker temples excavation area, you will see Prasat Chin on the right side. "Prasat Chin" means "Prasat of the Chinese". A famous sculpture of fighters, now exhibited in the National Museum in Phnom Penh, depicts two fighting ape-men wearing conical crowns called Mukutas, their tails run up their backs and were wrongly interpreted as those queues once worn by Chinese noblemen. The temple temple is enclosed by a 2 m high laterite wall with entrance gates from the east and west. The temple proper is another group of three laterite Prasats. Prasat Chin was dedicated to Sripati (Vishnu). In front of the temple is a pedestal with feet. The rest of the sculptures are missing. They were once stolen and are in museums now. more...
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Travel to Koh Ker
Driving from Siem Reap to Koh Ker takes about 3 hours (one way). Parts of the 110 km long road are very bumpy, particularly the last 30 km close to Koh Ker.
Sightseeing in Koh Ker takes at least 1 hour only for Prasat Pram (temple tower draped in roots) and Prasat Thom (main temple complex with pyramid Prasat Prang in the rear). If you want to see all major temples at Koh Ker’s ring road, you will need about two and a half or three hours at least. If you are interested in really exploring and enjoying the sites in Koh Ker, a stay of four hours is much more recommendable. Beng Mealea is on the way to Koh Ker. Most parts of the road between Siem Reap and Beng Mealea are in a fair condition, though not good enough for fast driving. The second half of the way to Beng Mealea passes through pleasant countryside villages and paddy cultivation areas. You will definitely enjoy the typical Cambodian scenery and probably ask for some brief stops. The road from Beng Mealea to Koh Ker crosses former tropical dry forest in a very remote and poor area. You will not see much paddy cultivation any more. There are only very few houses along the road. Due to illegal logging of precious timber, the forest is in a very poor condition and admittedly not a nice sight any more. Much of the deforested land has dried out. After arrival in Koh Ker and paying for your ticket, you will first visit Prasat Prang with its stone covering trees on the left side of the road. Afterwards you will see nearly all the temples along the ring road counter clockwise, before arriving at the main complex, Prasat Thom. On the way back to the entrance you will see one more important temple at the western part of the Koh Ker ring road, namely Prasat Chin. Of course, you could also choose to drive clockwise. But it makes more sense to see Prasat Thom and the pyramid at the end of the round tour, as the final climax. Lunch box can be provided at the site. Camping would be illegal. Only hostel style accommodation is available near Koh Ker. In about 8 km distance, Mon Morokod Koh Ker Guest House has western toilets and running water and electricity for some hours in the evening. It has a good restaurant, too. This guest house is on the access road to the temples, in the outskirts of Srayang. The next 3-star hotel is in 70 km distance in the provincial capital now called Preah Vihear (City), formerly known as and on maps still called Tbaeng Meanchey. It is on the way from Koh Ker to Phnom Penh, which is in more than 400 km distance from Preah Vihear. |
recommended Koh Ker websites
my own separate Koh Ker website
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contact
driver from Siem Reap to Koh Ker temples:
Pheak (Hor Sopheak), Number 648, Group 8 Vihear Chen Village, Siem Reap, Cambodia; phone: (+855) 069 51 01 41
sopheakraksar@gmail.com
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copyright 2014 photos and texts:
Ando Sundermann, Grünental 6, 32760 Detmold, Germany, (+94) 052319438185,
sundermann.ea@web.de
All rights reserved.
driver from Siem Reap to Koh Ker temples:
Pheak (Hor Sopheak), Number 648, Group 8 Vihear Chen Village, Siem Reap, Cambodia; phone: (+855) 069 51 01 41
sopheakraksar@gmail.com
___________
copyright 2014 photos and texts:
Ando Sundermann, Grünental 6, 32760 Detmold, Germany, (+94) 052319438185,
sundermann.ea@web.de
All rights reserved.