Photographs of Koh Ker
A selection of photographs of Koh Ker, aka Chok Gargyar or Lingapura, as it was originally named. The ruined city is a remote site lying in the forest some 3 hours northeast of Siem Reap in Preah Vihear Province. For a brief period in the first half of the 10th century, the ‘City of Lingas’ replaced Angkor as the imperial capital under the reigns of Jayavarman IV and his son Hashavarman II. The site has some 40 temples remaining, although many are still very overgrown with vegetation and the area is still heavily mined, so only certain temples are accessible today.
Prasat Bram at Koh Ker Our latest visit to this awesome site was in October, which proved a great time to visit. Vegetation was lush and green after the rainy season and we didn’t see a single other tourist all day long. So, in no particular order, here are a few photos from our trip.
Above, Prasat Bram, ‘Temple of the 5 Towers’ and one of our Koh Ker faves with the photogenic root-covered old towers.
Prasat Neang Khmau is a solitary, though well-preserved, tower whose name translates as ‘Temple of the Black Maiden’. Note, these are all recent names derived from local legends and traditions and not the original 10th-century titles – some good names though!
The ruins of Prasat Chrap, Koh Ker The front walls missing from Prasat Chrap’s towers are where lintels above the main doorways were looted and the above structures collapsed. As a relatively remote site, Koh Ker has suffered badly from looting, although happily, quite a few sculptures originating from here can be found in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap’s national museum. (Indeed, the looting had already started with the French during the 19th century.)
Jayavarman IV introduced a change in Angkorian architecture and sculpture to the extent that it gave rise to what archaeologists now term the Koh Ker style. This comprised a move from largely brick-built towers to the widespread use of sandstone in temple construction as well as large-sized, massive stone statuary.
The entrance to Prasat Tom The main, royal, temple at Koh Ker, containing sandstone, brick and laterite elements, is a good example of this crossover period from the brick towers of the 9th century to the huge stone constructions of later kings.
Moss-covered lintel at Prasat Krahom All the above photographs of Koh Ker were taken on our Beyond Angkor, Cambodia tour. while the site can also be visited as a day trip from Siem Reap, along with the equally spectacular early 12th-century site of Beng Melea, situated around the halfway point,
