Peung Preah Put Kraom

Located on the north side of Phnom Kulen and south of the village of Kronhoung, there are numerous rock monoliths, many of which taper in at the bottom creating a natural shelter, it’s a fascinating place. This particular monolith appears to have been a hermit/ascetics lair, featuring several carvings and remnants of walls formed of rock and grout.  

The carvings are quite decayed, but there appear to be three sets, one with a row of Buddhist deities including what appears to be Avalokiteshvara, a Buddha on Naga, Prajnaparamita and others, then another row nearby with what perhaps may be Boddhisvatas, and above, further up the rock face, perhaps a reclining Buddha. Apparently, there are other carved pieces nearby but the remaining rainy season overgrowth was too heavy and perhaps they were relocated. Come the hotter months, all this tall growth surrounding the site would die off I assume.

Historical Notes

This cave is located at the foot of the north slopes of the massif, below the Prah Put Lö site. The walls are sculpted with two rows of worshippers. The memory of these archaeological remains fades little by little among new generations: in the neighboring hamlets, only an old man remembered this cave; we still had to search a long time to find it.

Inventaire descriptif des monuments du Cambodge, E. Lunet de Lajonquière, 1902

Note: At the time of visiting, 01/23, the site can be reached from the village of Kronhoung via a farm trail best suited to farm tractors or 4WD in wet weather. A local Honda bike can make it there but it was a fair struggle even after the light rain from the day before. The trail begins either from south of the large basin on the east side of Prasat Kranhoung or from beside the school. About 300m to the southwest is Peung Chhat.

Rodney Charles LHuillier

Living in Asia for over a decade and now residing in beautiful Siem Reap. Rodney Charles L'Huillier has spent over seven years in Cambodia and is the author of Ancient Cambodia (2024) and Essential Siem Reap (2017, 2019). Contact via [email protected] - more..