Leaning Tower of Kampong Thom
An isolated and very rarely visited Angkor period temple site, Prasat Kok Rocha (or Kok Roka) in Cambodia’s Kampong Thom Province is famous – well locally at least – for being the area’s very own leaning tower. According to some locals, the depression in the ground in front of the temple is rumoured to be a bomb crater which supposedly tilted the tower to its current angle, although we wouldn’t guarantee the accuracy of that story. (It is a very square-looking ‘crater’ so an alternative theory is that it represents an ornamental pool contemporary with the temple itself.)
Prasat Kok Rocha; the Leaning Tower of Kampong Thom Having heard about the little-known temple site from a fellow Angkor temple enthusiast (thanks Allan), we thought it might be worth making a slight detour to visit Kok Rocha during a recent overland trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The early 11th-century temple lies in the grounds of a village primary school just a few kilometres off the highway – some 10 kilometres east of the provincial capital – Kampong Thom Town, so is easily accessible from the National Route 6.
The eastern entrance The single sandstone tower might not be the most spectacular of Angkor ruins but the collection of excellently-preserved lintels – some in situ, others on the ground – certainly made the visit worthwhile. The temple is almost an al fresco mini-museum, in its own right, as over time local inhabitants and farmers have deposited various artefacts they’d come across at this site for safekeeping.
9th century, Kampong Preah style lintel Some of these lintels are in surprisingly good condition and interestingly represent a range of architectural styles and periods including the above 8th century, Kampong Preah style example and an even a possible earlier Sambor Prei Kuk era carving. Incredibly, these priceless artefacts – many well over a thousand years old – are still just lying around on the ground in and around the tower.
South door with its 7th century, Sambor Prei Kuk period lint6el Furthermore, the 11th-century builders of the tower reused a rather splendid 7th-century, Prei Khmeng period lintel above the false south door which we assume was either also recovered from the surrounding area or perhaps was actually part of an earlier temple on the same site. This site is located close to the early capital Sambor Prei Kok and so is very much in the heartland of the pre-Angkor 6th to 8th century Khmer Chenla kingdom.
The north doorway The eastern lintel is missing, although it may well be one of the carvings now standing on the ground, whilst the north doorway sports a classic, slightly cartoon-like, Baphuon-period carving – presumably the king at the time of the temple’s construction.
The temple lies in a school ground. Also on the ground in front of the temple are two well-preserved inscription stones, one of which describes a Jayavarman VII arogyasala, or hospital chapel. The famous late 12th-century monarch is described as commissioning 102 hospitals, with their accompanying chapels, across the empire so whether this inscription indicates that Kok Rocha was repurposed as one of these arogyasalas or whether it refers to a different site is uncertain.
Anyway, as we said, it’s never going to rival Bayon, but a fascinating spot nonetheless and certainly a very off-the-beaten-track destination and one that very, very few other visitors are ever going to see.
A visit to Kok Rocha is included in both our Cambodia Overland and Highlights of Cambodia tours, as well as our Laos and Cambodia tour, Indochina Adventure, and Vietnam and Cambodia itinerary.
