Khmer temples beyond Angkor and Koh Ker
Angkor and Koh Ker are the largest Khmer temple towns. But there are many more Khmer temples in Cambodia - and even in the neighbouring countries Thailand and Laos: Phimai and Phanom Rung are the most exciting Khmer temples in north-eastern Thailand (Isan) and Wat Phu ist the most significant Khmer temple in southern Laos.
The largest Cambodian temple complexes outside Angkor are the mountain temples Preah Vihear (in Preah Vihear Province) and Phnom Chisor (in Takeo Province) and the two huge flat temple complexes Banteay Chhmar to the north-west and Prasat Bakan to the north-east of Angkor, both of them have Buddhist face-towers similar to Angkor Thom and are from the same Bayon period, which is the reihn of Cambodia's first Buddhist king, Jayavarman VII. "Prasat Bakan" is the local name of a temple usually called "Preah Khan" in pocket guides. In order to avoid confusion with the complex of Preah Khan at Angkor (Siem Reap Province), the remote Preah Khan is usually called "Preah Khan of Kampong Svay" or "Preah Khan in Preah Vihear Province". Sambor Prei Kuk is almost of the size of Koh Ker, but much older. In contrast to the other significant sites mentioned above, it is a temple town from the pre-Angkorian Chenla era. |
Roluos is a village with a group of monuments anterior to those in Angkor. The Roluos group is what has remained from the ancient Hariharalaya, which was the first significant capital of the Khmer Empire. It was established already by the empire founder Jayavarman II, but soon afterwards left by this king, who changed his residential town quite often. His successor Jayavarman III, of whom little is known, seems to have resided in Roluos in the area of Prei Monti, a rarely visited very early temple with three towers, now in ruins. Actually, it is Indravarman I in the late 9th century who became the founder of what can be seen in Roluos today. Preah Ko, giving its name to the art style of Indravarman's reign, is this king's ancestor temple belonging to his palace compound. Even more innovative and examplary for future temple mountains in Angkor is the step pyramid called Bakong. more...
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Banteay Srei means "Citadel of Women". The poetic modern name may refer to the beauty of this temple often called the "gem of Khmer architecture". Michael D. Coe, the renowned anthropologists who explored the mesoamerican Mayas, calls Banteay Srei "the highest achievement in art and architecture of the Classic Angkor civilization". Banteay Srei is located in about 40 km distance from Siem Reap or 30 km from Angkor to the north-east. It is situated near the upper reaches of the Siem Reap river. It is the most visited ancient Khmer monument outside the Angkor and Roluos Archaeological Zone. Most guests of Cambodia consider Banteay Srei to be the most beautiful Khmer temple, because of refinement and elegance of its decoration. Banteay Srei is surprisingly small, but the temple's layout is not at all simple, and the ornamentation is of unsurpassed complexity. more...
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Phnom Kulen, "hill lychee", is an isolated sandstone plateau of about 25 km length and 10 km width. The average height of the plateau is about 400 m, the highest point is 487 m above sea level. At the southeastern angle of Phnom Kulen, close to Bang Melea, were the major sandstone quarries for the monuments of Angkor. Phnom Kulen is a holy mountain for Cambodians, since they regard it as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer Empire of Angkor, because it is said that in 802 King Jayavarman II declared independence from Java here. This is reported in the important inscription of Sdok Kok Thom dating from the eleventh century, now on display in the National Museum in Bangkok in Thailand. According to this inscription King Jayavarman II declared himself to be a "Chakravartin", which is an ancient Indian imperial title for a universal ruler. more...
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In 2008 Preah Vihear was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple Preah Vihear in Preah Vihear province is famous for the beauty of its architecture and its setting. The 800 m long complex is spectacularly located atop the 525m high cliff Pey Tadi, 625m above sea level. It is situated in the Dangrek mountain range, which is a natural border between northern Cambodia and north-eastern Thailand. Preah Vihear means "sacred shrine". Preah Vihear is the most significant Kmer temple with a linear instead of a concentric layout. Due to natural conditions of the sloping mountain plateau, is built on different levels, with the main sanctuary at the highest point. Preah Vihear's five Gopuram buildings on each level are of the size of whole temples. The main temple was dedicated to Shiva in his manifestations as local mountain god Bhadreshvara. more...
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Banteay Chhmar ("Citadel Narrow") in the far north-west of Cambodia is the ancient Khmers' second largest stone construction, only Angkor Wat is more massive. Banteay Chhmar and Prasat Bakan are two vast temple complexes outside Angkor constructed by Cambodia’s most prolific builder, Jayavarman VII (1181–ca. 1218), the only two monuments outside Angkor carrying face-towers of the Buddhist era like Angkor Thom. Furthermore, Banteay Chhmar has an outer gallery very similar to that of Angkor Thom's state temple Bayon, carved with bas-reliefs depicting troups parading and in combat and religious motifs as well as scenes of daily Khmer life. On the western side of the second enclosure are two unique depictions of the multi-armed Lokeshvara (Avalokiteshwara), originally there were six of them. They became the landmarks of Banteay Chhmar. more...
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Prasat Bakan is the local name for a vast temple usually called Preah Khan Kampong Svay. Though one of the 5 largest Angkorian complexes in Cambodia (besides Angkor, Koh Ker, Banteay Chhmar and Preah Vihear), Preah Khan, due to its secluded location, is rarely visited and remains undisturbed by noisy visitors. It offers the best opportunity for a "lost temple in the jungle" experience. Actually, considering the extension of its outer enclosure walls, Prasat Bakan (Preah Khan Kompong Svay) is the largest Khmer temple complex at all. It is 4.5 km long and 4.2 km wide, this means: it covers 20 square kilometres! According to most scholars, Prasat Bakan (Preah Khan Kompong Svay) was founded by Suryavarman I (1006-1050). Most of the stone structures visible today are attributed to him, though some may be later additions from the 12th century. more...
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Sambor Prei Kuk, about 20 km north of Kampong Thom, is the most ancient archaelogical area of Southeast Asia that can be called a temple town. Sambor Prei Kuk was most probably not founded but conquered by Ishanavarman I. The North Group of monuments, the largest in Sambor Prei Kuk, is earlier than his reign, at least partly. Sambor Prei Kuk has 150 structures in an area covering 300 hectare. 47 of them are Prasats of the 7th century. The temples are divided into three larger and one smaller group, the latter called "Z". "N" is the North Group, "C" the Central Group and "S" the South Group. Two structures of the North Group located even further north are of special interest for tourists: Prasat Chrey (N18) and Prasat Luong Chom Bok (N24) are completely covered with roots of strangler figs, making Sambor Prei Kuk a place deserving the title "jungle temple". more...
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Tonle Bati is about 30 km south of Phnom Penh, down National Road 2. It belongs to Ta Keo province. Tonle Bati is a popular picnic spot for people from Phnom Penh. For those interested in ancient Khmer monuments Tonle Bati is worth a visit, too, since a well-preserved temple from Jayavarman VII's reign is situated close to the lake. It is one of the few significant Khmer temples from the Angkorian era that are located to the south of Phnom Penh. The temple's name is Ta Prohm. In order to avoid confusion with other temples of the same name it is often called "Ta Prohm at Tonle Bati". It was erected on the spot of a much older sanctuary of the 6th century. That's the era called Funan. Ta Prohm de Bati is still in a good condition, at least its inner (first) enclosure of 30 m square is quite impressive. It is displaying a number of very well-preserved carvings. more...
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Phnom Chisor is an ancient Khmer temple located 70 km south of Cambodia's capital, down National Road 2, in Takeo province. It is one of the few Angkorian monuments situated on top of a hill. Its location on a 100 m high solitary hill is amazing because of the views to the green plains. In the first half of the 11th century, Suryavarman I, an usurper from the northern provinces in present-day Thailand, erected almost no temples in Angkor, but he contributed to temple buildings in the provinces, in all four directions, especially sanctuaries on hilltops were founded or extended by him. Phnom Chisor’s central Prasat housed a Lingam called „Suryavameshvara“, combining the name of the king with Ishvara, "lord of the world", a name of Shiva. The ancient Hindu temple is now integrated in a Buddhist monastery and surrounded by modern buildings, such as a pagoda. more...
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Phnom Da is an about 100 m tall hill and an excavation area located in the southeast of Cambodia close to the Vietnamese border. It belongs to the Angkor Borei district in Ta Keo province, about 100 km south of Phnom Penh and 24 km east of Ta Keo town.
Phnom Da is the name used for the first art style period in pre-Angkorian times. Phnom Da and the nearby Angkor Borei were the capital of the so-called Funan empire in the 6th century and continued to play an important role in the following two centuries that are called "Chenla" era (or "Zhenla"). Statues found in Angkor Borei, most of them at Phnom Da, are the earliest examples of Khmer sculptural art. The Shiva temple on top of the Phnom Da hill is from the later Angkor Wat period. But the smaller Ashrama Maha Rosei is most probably the oldest stone monument existing in Cambodia today. more... |
Round tours in Cambodia
My everyday business is round trips in the surrounding of Siem Reap, to Angkor, Roluos, Banteay Srei, Phnom Kulen, Beng Meala and Koh Ker and to the "Great Lake" Tonle Sap, all of them within day-excursion distance from Siem Reap. I also offer several-day round tours combining visits of Koh Ker with travelling to Preah Vihear, Banteay Chhmar, Preah Khan Kampong Svay (Prasat Bakan) and Sambor Prei Kuk. You can find itineraries for temple-town study-tours here... For those interested in having a reliable driver to visit other destinations in Cambodia, such as capital Phnom Penh, the Cambodian Mekong Valley, hill tribes in the North-East, national parks, or beach resorts, I am ready to arrange such longer tailor-made tours, too, and assist you to find suitable accommodation according to your budget. Please be aware, that except from Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and beach resorts, there are not many comfortable hotels of international standard in rural parts of Cambodia. |
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Furthermore, I very much appreciate to welcome regular visitors of Cambodia several times and sometimes can invite them to my hometown close to the Vietnamese border.
My homeland is near Angkor Borei in the south-east of Cambodia. It is very close to the very first centre of the Khmer civilization, Phnom Da. It's an interesting special place, but until now without tourist facilities. In case you accept local food and simple clean accommodation with a shared local-style bathroom, you could stay with my family for a night or two, but most of my relatives do not understand English. For more information about stays with my family please click to my private tours page. |
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.