Srah Damrei (Elephant Pond) of Phnom Kulen

Located atop Phnom Kulen, about 5.5 km southwest of the village of Anlong Thom, Srah Damrei is a group of large animal monoliths carved from the naturally formed sandstone. They include an elephant, two lions, and an unknown figure (some call it a frog), which are all fronted by a bull (Nandin) carved in the rock and fronted by two basins just before the cliff edge. They are believed to date to around the 8-9th century.

From the cliff edge beyond the basins, you can also get amazing views over the plains below and across the village (soon to be a city) of Run Ta Ek. Just south of the site is a contemporary steel shelter acting as a small pagoda/prayer hall.

Photos – Oct 2024

A closer look at the lions

History

The site, as noted further below, only became known to European explorers in the mid-1920s during a survey by Victor Golobew. Two inscriptions have been recorded from the site in recent times, K. 1327 and K. 1452. Researchers speculate that K.1327, is a pre-Angkorian era script (aka pre-dating the 9th century) while K.1452 is a modern inscription that replicates what was written in K.1327 more here at AMS.

In my mind, the lions also give a little bit of a clue in the style of their mane, which can be compared to that seen in the lion fragment of Prasat Tadong and even the lions of Prasat Tao of Sambor Prei Kuk, suggesting they may have originated around the 8-9th c.

Restoration works were carried out at the site in 2014. In 2023 Nicolas Josso/ADF (Archaeology and Development Foundation) published some incredible 3D models of the site which can be viewed at SketchFab.

Getting there

As mentioned, it is about 5.5 km southwest of the main village of Anlong Thom and the main sealed road that runs east-west across the top of the mountain. Trails leading south off that main road are moto/hiking trails that wind through the forest and past several other sites ancient sites. Sites along this trail include a side trail to Anlong Thom Temple, Neak Ta Temple, and Bos Neak Temple, while the main trail leads past Thnal Mrech, Prasat O Toub, Peung Moha Eisei Temple, and Damrei Krap Temple which is one of the highlights of the area.

The trail is a mix of flat ground with very loose sand in places, water crossings, and steepish rocky gradients. New visitors should consider taking a guided tour with Anlong Thom CBTC, or your choice of guide, as a must.

By moto, in good conditions, it’s around a two-hour+ round trip from the main road directly to the elephant pond, you should allow quite a bit more to visit the other sites along the trail.

2021 Photos

Historical Notes

The first documentation of the site comes via a survey by Victor Goloubew published in Le Phnom Kulen, 1924

The site to which we will now devote a few words, would merit, in itself, a pilgrimage to Mount Kulèn. It can be reached in three-quarters of an hour from the hamlet of Ta Set located southwest of Anlong Thom. Before entering the inextricable thicket, it is prudent to subject the guides to a short questioning to ensure that they have actually visited the Sras Damrei and seen its monolithic monuments. Otherwise we risk getting lost. The monuments in question, although mentioned in the Inventory of Mr. de Lajonquière, were known until now only thanks to the information provided by the inhabitants of the region. No European visitor had yet spotted its exact location and appreciated its artistic value. The photographs brought back from our excursion constitute in some way a first contribution to the knowledge of a site whose methodical study is still to be carried out.

The monolith group of Srah Damrei consists of an elephant, two giant lions stylized in the style of Khmer lions, and another beast which bears a vague resemblance to a tiger. The whole thing has an imposing effect. All these images are cut in the round. The elephant measures 3 m. 85 in height, the larger of the two lions 2 m 90. Their arrangement has nothing architectural; it seems to have been solely ordered by the choice of a rock capable of receiving the shape desired by the sculptor. Fragments of laterite scattered around in the grass and under piles of dry leaves, however, indicate that stone constructions once existed in these areas. Further down, some five hundred meters from the rock sculptures, is the Sras Damrei or Elephant Basin which has long since been transformed into a muddy terrain. We were unable to explore its edges due to lack of time. The sculptural carving of entire rocks was only rarely practiced by the Khmers. The principle of monolithicism, so familiar to Hindu image-makers and architects, has barely manifested itself in Cambodian art. The Kailasa of Ellora and the sculpted cliffs of Mahavellípour have no equivalent in Khmer country. It is precisely because of this fact that the colossi of Srah Damrei present an exceptional interest for the art historian and that it is necessary to resume and bring to a successful conclusion the research initiated at this site.

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..