Hidden Angkor temples
In most other countries these thousand-year-old ancient temples would probably be accompanied by carparks, signposts and description boards but in Cambodia, these hidden Angkor temples remain lost in the jungle,, accessible along barely passable dirt tracks and through dense undergrowth during the dry season but inaccessible for several months of the year and – in at least one case – highly dangerous at any time.
Having a free day during a recent Cambodia Overland tour we set off with our old friend and fellow temple enthusiast Sopheap in his trusty tuk-tuk to visit a few lesser-known sites located in Siem Reap’s Angkor Thom District. A pleasant morning wandering through the delightful countryside, chatting to a few locals and checking out and photographing some of the remoter temple sites was in view but, little did we know, and at the risk of sounding over dramatic – we were to come close to never returning.
On route to Prasat Ta Oun – so far so good Prasat Ta Oun or PRASAT PREI PRASAT
Our first stop, Prasat Ta Oun, was one we’d visited before but as it’s one of our favourite hidden Angkor temples – and we were passing by – at least a brief stop was unavoidable. The late 12th-century temple is in good condition, in a beautiful setting and while it doesn’t have any vehicle access – (a short walk through the forest is required) – the site has been cleared and is maintained by authorities. However, although the sanctuary lies a mere 600m from World Heritage Angkor Thom, we doubt the site sees more than a handful of visitors per year.
Detail from a relief at Prasat Ta Oun Prasat Prei Vihear
Continuing north, after our short side trip to Ta Oun, a helpful local farmer gave us directions to two nearby sites which he said were worth a look: Prasat Prei Vihear and Prasat Khpop. (Note that’s Prei Vihear – a different spelling from the spectacular, clifftop, World Heritage Preah Vihear situated on the Thai border.)
The track leading to the first site wasn’t too bad and the location was easy enough to find. What remains of Prei Vihear lies in a dense copse of trees a short distance from the ‘road’ and our main problem was finding a way through the dense vegetation. (This one would certainly be inaccessible during monsoon months.) There proved to be no remaining, standing structure as such, although a large number of artefacts littering the ground – including numerous carved sandstone pieces – confirmed the former presence of an ancient sanctuary. (Our guess being a 10th-11th century site consisting of 3 towers surrounded by a moat and eastern causeway.)
The trees on the right hide Prasat Prei Vihear Arming himself with a decent-sized stick, (we were a bit concerned about snakes), Sopheap courageously led the way and after a thorough rummage around, we got out with nothing more than a few scratches and grazes. On exiting, however, it became apparent that what we hadn’t noticed in our haste to explore was a rather discreet, but brand-new, Danger Mines sign nailed to the fence next to our tuk-tuk. We’d both understood – or perhaps assumed – that the area around Siem Reap Town and the Angkor Temples, (we were still only 8 kms or so from the north gate of Angkor Thom), had been demined but this was clearly not the case and we’d just walked, if not through the middle, then at least around the edge of a minefield.
Prasat Khpop
Rather more tentatively, we carried on a short distance north to another vegetation-covered earthen mound which hid the little-known ruins of Prasat Khpop. The first thing we did was check with locals, all of whom declared the site safe, although once again, the site was completely overgrown and lacked any path or sign whatsoever. However, unlike the scattered vestiges of Prei Vihear, this patch of jungle hid a spectacular, 11th-century sandstone tower. Although dramatically topped by a huge ficus, the tower was remarkably intact and even held a few in situ carvings.
The eastern entrance to the main tower of Prasat Khpop Once again, an intact, thousand-year-old, hidden Angkor temple without any form of road or path access and no signs or information boards whatsoever. If this were in the UK, you’d probably have to buy a ticket from English Heritage and if it was in Thailand, there’d be a woman selling grilled chicken and papaya salad outside.
Prasat Sampheu (Sampeou)
Another perfectly intact, albeit completely overgrown, temple lay a short distance north, although in this case – even in the dry season – the track was near impassable. (Indeed at one point we suggested Sopheap give up and turn back as we were sure we’d broken his tuk-tuk.) After an arduous drive – which involved getting out and pushing on several occasions – we eventually reached the site which was, once again, merely marked by a clump of trees rising from the surrounding paddy-fields. This overgrown patch of jungle housed Prasat Sampheu – one of the more recent hidden Angkorian temples at a mere 850 years of age.
The west door at Prasat Sampheu Sampheu is of particular interest as it is one of the dharmasalas, or fire temples (also sometimes called resthouses) commissioned by King Jayavarman VII to line the main routes leading to and from his capital at Angkor Thom. The structures were spaced at regular intervals of a day’s march with Sampheu being the first such building to line the ancient route which left the capital to the north-northwest in the direction of Phimai in present-day Thailand.
The structure remains in excellent condition, despite the enveloping vegetation, and was constructed from laterite with sandstone doors and decorative elements. (The lintel above the west door is in near-pristine condition.)
Yet again, and despite a location very close to Siem Reap Town and the Angkor Archaeological Park itself, the sanctuary has been completely ignored and forgotten about. What hope is there for remote temples in more far-flung provinces?
Phnom Chisor, Takeo Province The reason for the condition of many of these hidden Angkor-period temples isn’t entirely wanton negligence but rather a lack of resources. There are literally thousands of such sites scattered right across the country and the authorities simply don’t have sufficient resources – both financial and in terms of expertise – to adequately protect and maintain them all. We’ve seen other rather obscure temples – Takeo Province’s Prasat Neang Khmau, and even sections of Phnom Chisor, where inexpert and inappropriate restoration work is actually worse than no work at all. There is, of course, also a lack of motivation in the case of a temple which nobody is ever going to visit and with resources already stretched just to maintain the dozens of sites within the Angkor Park itself, why spend money on obscure sites that can’t be monetised?
Regrettable but understandable, however, even a remote ruin that is never visited by foreigners is still an essential part of Cambodia’s heritage and history and doesn’t deserve to collapse in a heap of masonry, roots and vines in some obscure clump of trees on the edge of some remote paddy-field.
