Trapeang Khnar Sen Keo Temple

Located around 12 km south of Kulean in Preah Vihear Province, Prasat Trapeang Khnar Sen Keo is the remains of a sandstone temple complex that featured a large basin to the north, another basin to the east, bollarded and paved entrances on the east and west that crossed a large moat, then, a tall sandstone wall with a large gopura at each cardinal point enclosing two “library” buildings and an ornate sandstone temple with a forebody opening to the east.

Surprisingly, the site is not very well known, perhaps due to its location and difficulty to access but I would argue that it should be high on the list of the most important ancient sites for its unique art and apparent grandeur.

The site is not exactly dated as no inscriptions have been found to date, the French researcher Henri Parmentier, proposed the 12th century while noting the clear presence of early forms of art consistent with that of Baphoun and also earlier 10th century.

The temple site itself is certainly not large, but the feeling is quite strong that it has a very important story to tell and that it has a much larger presence when its complete footprint is taken into account. The wider area may have had a complex hydraulic system and perhaps supported a large population also noting several other ancient sites in the 10-15km radius, some of which date to later eras.

First, let’s look at what we can see by visiting the site today, starting from the east.

A grand causeway (eastern side) – to the east, a pair of lions hidden in the scrub overlook a basin at the end of a grand sandstone causeway that was 300 m long, laid in sandstone and lined with bollards leading to the main gopura. Part way closer to the temple, the causeway is flanked by structures which may have created a pedestal for some monument, and further along, an elongated structure running parallel to the causeway.

East gopura – The main gopura is on the east, mostly in ruin bar a tree that has wrapped its roots around the doorframe and lintel providing a spectacular sight. It originally offered three entrances.

North and South Gopura – they don’t offer an exit or entrance to the site, but they are monumental and feature rich architecture, pediments, and lintels. The north gopura is in fair condition and the south is partially standing

West Gopura – is completely in rubble, but appears to have also featured a bollarded causeway leading west, it becomes dense scrub quickly, and being an unknown regarding mines, there was no venturing further (Jan 2022).

Central shrine – Built in sandstone as per the rest of the site it was a square temple with a long hall extending east. Whilst not large and mostly in ruin today, it features a stunning array of art and carvings that demand to be studied in detail, which, one hopes there are plans afoot for such which will require some clearance and reconstruction.

Site Layout

The layout by Lunet-de-Lajonquière and to give things perspective let’s put that site layout in context with its outer moat, causeways, and north basin. Satellite image via Google Earth.

Historical Notes

The site was surveyed in the early 1900s by Ayomonier who provided a brief overview, mentioning nothing of the site’s art yet noting that the central shrine housing three statues of the Buddha. Lunet Lajonquire would visit the site soon after and provide a far more comprehensive overview and appreciation of the site’s unique and very special carvings but, made no mention of there being any statues at that time.

Decades later, G. Groslier would visit the site (naming it Prasat Khna Thom), and later Henri Parmentier would survey the site (naming it Prasat Trapeang Khna Sen Kev) and provide extensive documentation of the layout, construction, and artwork of the site which can be found in L’Art khmèr classique published in 1939.

Historical photos from Henri Parmentier’s 1939 publication provide a view of the temple in better days and we can see the amazing art in context. It’s incredibly special.

Fonds Cambodge has a collection of 21 historical images of the site here, a few examples

Getting to this site

The nearest village is Chhuk, which can be reached via good roads leading from either Kulean or Sangkum Thmei. From Chhuk, head southwest towards Kdak along a good dirt road for about 2km and then take a trail north which is then a bit of a challenge navigating loose sand more suited to farm tractors but possible by moto in dry weather.

Update: The first visit to this site was part of the January 2022 tour of Preah Vihear covering fifteen temple sites and we’d visit the site again in the January 2023 tour of Preah Vihear + the Mekong to get some better photos and spend some more time there, the trail is in much the same condition.