Beng Melea Cambodia

Beng Melea

Cambodia’s Beng Melea; chaotic, decaying ancient ruins and rampant tropical vegetation, is today a spectacular synthesis of man’s handiwork and untamed nature. Giant gnarled trees rise from huge piles of sandstone blocks; spreading roots and sprawling vines cloak massive walls; dense foliage obscures crumbling towers and moss and lichen conceal intricate carvings. Yet, ultimately, Beng Melea, (sometimes written Beng Mealea), is today the complete antithesis of what it was originally intended to be.

King Suryavarman II may well be turning in his grave if he could see the current state of his great temple complex at Beng Melea, (well proverbially speaking at least since he is thought to have been cremated with his ashes being interred under the main tower of his masterwork mausoleum Angkor Wat), yet today, the site forms one of the most atmospheric and photogenic of all Angkor’s myriad ruined temples and ancient cities.

And that is if it was indeed he who was responsible for the construction of Beng Melea, since no inscriptions confirming the founder have ever been found at the site and there is still much debate on the matter. Some historians point to his predecessor, and father, Dharanindravarman II as a possible suspect or the usurper Tribhuvanadityavarman, who ruled Angkor prior to the Cham invasion of 1177. King Jayavarman VI is also suggested by some although he is much better known for his temple works north of the Dandreks in today’s Thailand, such as Phanom Wan, Phimai etc.

Beng Melea was a huge project and wasn’t built overnight so, while it is entirely plausible that work was begun by one of his predecessors, it is also probable that completion didn’t take place until the long reign of Suryavarman II (1113-1150). While Beng Melea is a ‘flat’ sanctuary – lacking Angkor Wat’s central pyramid – much of the temple is stylistically typical of the early 12th-century, Angkor Wat period, and they share many decorative and architectural features. (Indeed, some authors have suggested it may actually have been a prototype for Angkor Wat itself.) However, architectural differences apart, the most obvious differences today, to the casual observer at least, is in their respective states of repair. Whilst Angkor Wat was never completely abandoned and some form of minimal maintenance prevented the tropical forest from ever completely taking over, Beng Melea today is in a completely ruined and jungle-clad condition.

Even if it might have been partly subconscious, one of the principal motivations of ancient Khmer temple building was the imposition of structure and order on the anarchy and chaos of untamed nature. The near obsessiveness of these temples’ architects and designers; the symmetry, precise angles, accurate measurements and formal, rigid layouts confirmed the hand of man’s dominance over the vast, and at times hostile, jungles which covered much of what is today Cambodia a millennia ago. Nothing in temple design was left to chance; the neat geometric pools and moats, the false doors and windows and lintel carvings – there’s not an apsara out of place and certainly no room for curved walls, obtuse angles or an uneven staircase.

So the majestic chaos of the ruined Beng Melea we can see today is indeed the exact opposite of the original intention, yet, in our modern, over-structured and obsessively ordered society with our largely well-tamed nature, this is exactly the type of Angkor temple that consistently proves to be the most popular. Indiana Jones-style roots, giant trees and jungle-covered ruins are the stuff of postcards and holiday photos (any apsara carving looks better for a bit of moss or entwining root), and for many, the relatively good condition and state of preservation of say, Angkor Wat serve merely as an iconic sunrise location. Yes, the famous and picturesque ‘jungle temples of Ta Prom is beginning to become crowded but Angkor temples are a bit like Thai islands – once one becomes too popular, there’s always another remoter one further on.

Anyway, for now, Beng Melea remains one of the lesser-visited sites, yet one which in our opinion, is well worth the effort to get to. You can visit the temple on an All Points East ‘Cambodia Overland‘ or ‘Highlights of Cambodia‘ tour, while it is also included in our Laos and Cambodia tour, Indochina Adventure and Vietnam and Cambodia Overland tour.