Located atop Phnom Kulen and southwest of the village of Anlong Thom, it’s also recorded as Poeng Tbal. A fascinating scenic site with natural rock massifs featuring ancient carvings all sitting at the edge of a natural gulley that is believed to have been developed into a reservoir during ancient times. The groups of rock … Read more
Rock carvings.
Rock carvings
Located partway up the south side of Kulen Mountain, Wat Preah Ang Choub features a highly revered ancient rock carving recorded as Peung Preah Chop. It is a functioning monastery and an important one, too; every year, thousands of monks gather here, coming from Thailand and as far as China. As mentioned, the site is … Read more
Cave rock carvings
Sema Peam Kre is a very unique site in the context of the early Angkor located atop Kulen mountain near to and believed to be contemporaneous to the Banteay (Royal Palace) of Mahendraparvata around the 8-9th century. It is a very early Buddhist site featuring upright large carved stone slabs (sema stones) arranged to demarcate … Read more
Rock carvings in river bed
Location of ancient sema stone demarcated site (similar to Sema Peam Kre)
Located north of Svay Leu and Peung Komnou, Ta Trachiek Veng, or Prasat Nakta Tracheak Thom, is a laterite terrace supporting a large stele with a representation of Ganesha in what may be Vigna Ganapati form.
Also known as Wat Phnom Bei, it’s located at the foothill of Phnom Kulen and to the northwest of Beng Mealea temple and features a contemporary pagoda located atop a natural rise with spectacular views across the massif of Kulen and the surrounding plains and hills. On an adjacent rise, an arrangement of rocks forming … Read more
Site of an ancient sandstone quarry
Recorded as being ancient earthwork, with an east-west orientation. Location approximated.
Kap Chen Temple (not yet prepared for visitors – as of late 2021) is a sandstone temple featuring at least one tower that is only partially standing and a large sprawl of tumbled sandstone blocks buried in overgrowth at the time of visiting. The base of the partially standing tower appears intact and along with … Read more
Rock shelter with ancient carvings. 3 km southeast of Peung Preah Put Kraom
A group of three almost completely ruined brick and laterite temples, basin in the east.
Cave with carvings
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 … Read more
Large rock with cave and carvings, another 90m to the south slightly north. Location approximate
Remains of a laterite temple that is curiously built attached to a rock shelter. It appears as it would have opened from the east with sandstone doorways leading to a shrine/balan at the rock face. You can reach the site via the trail that leads around the left of the monastery and follow it north … Read more
Small mound where statue fragments were found, and stele with inscription registered as K 940.
Prasat Svay Leu is an interesting site for many reasons. It is located on the contemporary monastery grounds and features an outer walled enclosure with an entrance on the east opening to a small courtyard with “library” buildings followed by another entrance gopura and walled enclosure occupied by the central shrine that has been replaced/covered … Read more
Also recorded as Poeng Ta Roet, it’s a long alcove in the mountainside below Wat Chas featuring an inscription and carvings dating to the 10th/11th century. The figures include a group of figures commonly known as the Nine Deities seated atop their mounts (Vahana) beside which are two standing deities. One of the standing deities … Read more
Built partway up the side of the scenic Kulen mountain, Ta Ong (or Prasat Tadong) was originally a group of three ancient brick temples, today one tower remains mostly standing. The tower features ornate lintels carved into the brickwork, reminiscent of 7th-century style, and a series of false floors almost appearing as temples stacked atop … Read more