November 5th, 2016

For a long time I did not write about Cambodia, I decided now to refresh my memories. Previously, I posted Khmer historical monuments in my blog on a time basis - first the most ancient, then all the rest in descending order of their age. I will continue this tradition, although the Angkor region is usually outlined more geographically - first the most significant temples, and then all the rest. The time scale is closer to me, and now we have the 10th century of Cambujadesh - the Khmer Empire on the agenda, then the world-famous tourist attraction - the temple of Angkor Wat - had not yet been built, there was no great city of Angkor Thom (or rather, they just started to equip it). This was the time of the wandering capitals of the Khmer Empire and their great pyramidal temples.

About the essence of the structure of Khmer cities, now I will only remind you in general - the capitals in Cambujadesh were built around the central temples, which had a pyramidal shape and also served as the place of the last calm of the Khmer rulers. Each new king built a new pyramid for himself, everything is almost like in Ancient Egypt, only in their pyramids the Khmers did not store the mummies of the deceased kings, but their ashes left after cremation.
After all, the whole culture ancient Cambodia was built on Hinduism, it was the idea of ​​​​Aryan cities embodied in stone and wood, brought even to a certain degree of madness. For the construction activity of the Khmers is truly amazing.

Pyramid of the Temple of Pre Rup.

The temple of Rajendravarman II was dedicated to the god Shiva, its name (Pre Rup) translates as "turning the body", and reflects an important part of the Khmer funeral rite, when the corpse was turned over in a fire for better combustion. Like all early Khmer royal temples, Pre Rup is a stepped pyramid symbolizing the Hindu Mount Meru. The Pre Rup pyramid has three steps, on which there are five prasat towers, in fact, these are the temples themselves, there were statues of deities in them, as a rule, these were figures with portrait features of the donors of the temple, i.e. rulers of Kambujadesh. In addition to the statues in the temples, there were symbols of royal power - stone lingams.

The lower step of the Pre Rup pyramid.

In addition to the temple of Rajenravarman II himself, Vishvapura, the legendary ancestor of the king, the aunt of Rajenravarman II and the wife of Jayavarman IV, Jayadevi (Jaendradevi), and Harshavarman II, her son and predecessor Rajendravarman II on the throne, were revered in Prasat Pre Rupa. That is, the Khmers deified the entire royal family, each relative of the king had his own temple.

Central Prasat Pre Rup.

Now, from the ancient statues inside the main temple, at best, only the foundations remained, on which cheerful images of the Buddhas were placed.

The early pyramidal temples of the kings of Angkor are a major problem for researchers in the history of the Khmer Empire. This is due to the idea that each such temple should be the center of a separate city, i.e. when the kings of Cambodia erected their sanctuaries-tombs, they also equipped the cities around them. The question arises how many of these cities there were and why such a costly activity was needed at all. Earlier, I analyzed the example of Yashodharapura, the first capital of Angkor. Now we can add that the issue of Khmer capitals has not yet been resolved. There is no exact answer - why it was necessary to move the capital just a few kilometers, especially in a very short time period, for example, at least 4 capitals (but rather more) were founded in the Angkor region in one 10th century.

Ceiling of the main temple.

One can understand the transfer of the capital to Koh Ker by the usurper Jayavarman IV, this city was built far north of Angkor. Then Koh Ker was a competitive center of power. Or is it logical to transfer the capital from, in the 10th century, the artificial one that fed this city may have already begun to dry out. Therefore, the area of ​​capitals was moved to the northwest. While the drying up of Indratataka is just a guess, it's amazing that this giant pool dried up in less than 100 years.

Indravarman I completed the construction of the Bakong sanctuary in Hariharalaya in 881, and already in the 900s, Yashovarman I founded Yashodharapura - only 20 years have passed. In the case of Yashodharapura, the transfer of the capital could indeed be connected with the shallowing of the main reservoir, since together with the capital, Yashovarman I began the creation of the huge East Baray - a new reservoir. But for other cases of the transfer of the capital, this factor is not applicable, because the reservoirs remained in place, and the capitals seemed to be moving.

Similar violent urban activity was observed in the Middle Ages in other places, for example, in India in the Delhi Sultanate. There, the Turkic rulers of India built, they did not try to expand the old settlements, but constantly built new ones, with new palaces, mosques and city fortifications, and all this on an area of ​​\u200b\u200babout 10 square meters. km. These cities in ancient times did not merge with each other, perhaps only rural settlements were located between them, subsequently a dozen Turkic capital cities merged into one large one, so the current capital of India, Delhi, appeared.

In Angkor, this process of city formation was interrupted in the 14th-15th centuries. the capital was moved to the current Phnom Penh, and the entire territory of the ancient cities was overgrown with tropical forest. The similarity of urban formation processes may indicate the similarity of cultures of supposedly different civilizations. Perhaps the transfer of the capital by each new ruler was primarily of cult significance, with a high degree of probability the ruling dynasty of Kambujadesh was of Indian origin, they were from the Kushan Empire, founded by nomadic tribes. They even survived - on horseback, in Scythian headdresses and with mustaches like those of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks. The same nomads were the rulers of the Delhi Sultanate, they were Turks from Central Asia. For nomadic rulers, it was apparently important to periodically change the location of the headquarters.

The frequent transfer of capitals among the Khmers did not contribute to the establishment of normal fortifications around the cities, although impressive lines of fortifications were present at the later settlements in Cambujadesh. In the Angkor region, walls were erected only in Angkor Thom in the 12th century, and apparently fortifications also existed in Hariharalaya, in any case, huge moats filled with water were well preserved there. Archaeologists testify that ditches with water were also present near Pre Rup, but now they are completely invisible, as I did not look for their signs on Google maps, I did not find anything.

The ditches are not visible from the top of the pyramid of the temple, there is only a forest around. Here we must not forget that the Khmer moats-reservoirs are significant engineering structures, the moat could have a width of 100 meters or more. Around Angkor Wat, or they were perfectly preserved, and then suddenly disappeared without a trace ... Around the temple, only two laterite fences and the ruins of "auxiliary" buildings that were part of the complex are visible, these are small temples, halls for pilgrims, attendants, because Khmer temples visited by a large number of people.

Prasat towers on the Pre Rupa platform were built of brick, however, rather large, larger than standard sizes. Apparently, Rajenravarman II tried to save on construction, because in the 10th century all the main royal temples of the Khmers were already built of stone.

Rajenravarman II had every reason to save money, since he planned to build two large temples at once - his Pre Rup, and his parents - East Mebon, which we will also examine now.

A small temple in the corner of the square Pre Rup complex.

Outer wall Pre Rup.

About one kilometer to the north is the temple of the parents of Rajenravarman II - East Mebon. Now there are peasant meadows and fields around it, and earlier the waters of the giant Eastern Baray splashed here - an artificial reservoir created by Yashovarman I at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. Its length was 7.2 km and width 1.8 km, depth artificial lake was about 5 meters. Now this barai is completely dry, so you can imagine its scale using the example of the preserved one, dug out a little later.

East Mebon was artificial island, now its buildings look like a low pyramid. Interestingly, Rajenravarman II was the first to build a temple for his parents - in 952, and only 9 years later he began to build his own temple mountain Pre Rup.

The solemn staircase leading to the sanctuary was once a pier where pilgrim boats moored. Apparently, East Mebon did not have a dam connecting it to the land, so it was a rather secluded place.

The East Mebon platform is, in my opinion, the most interesting part temple complex, for the sanctuary itself is quite standard for Angkor.

The dimensions of the platform are 115 by 115 meters, the island itself was made of earth and stone battle, which was sheathed with a shell of laterite blocks.

At the corners of the platform are stone elephants carved almost life-size.

In general, East Mebon resembles Pre Rup, only there is no pyramidal base.

Despite the lack of mountainousness, the temple looks impressive. There are few tourists here, which also creates only pluses. It seemed to me even more interesting than the Pre Rupa pyramid.

Numerous small holes on the walls were designed to hold abundant plaster, but as we can see, this method could not save the external decoration of the temples. The plaster has fallen off the walls everywhere, but in ancient times all Khmer temples were covered with a thick layer of it and brightly painted.

Once upon a time, only the water surface was visible in all directions from the East Mebon platform, now the landscape has changed significantly.

Reconstruction of one of the piers-entrances of East Mebon.

Stone elephants, by the way, rarely decorated temples in Angkor, as a rule, lions were placed everywhere.

On the platform of the temple are the remains of pilgrim halls, these were wooden structures with tiled roofs, which can now be seen throughout Indochina. They had only stone pillars.

Outer fence of East Mebon.

Well, now we will move a few kilometers to the west to inspect one of the highest pyramids in Angkor - the Ta Keo temple, which was the center of the city of Jaendranagari, the capital of Jayavarman V, the son of Rajenravarman II.

Before examining the pyramid itself, it is worth paying attention to an interesting engineering object located nearby, this is a bridge over the Siem Reap River, it has its own name Spean Tmar. Now the river bed is located to the west of the bridge, and most importantly, it is much lower, which hints that the full flow of the river in ancient times exceeded today's.

The city of Jaendranagari was located in a tricky place, to the east its edge hung over the giant man-made lake East Baray, and to the west, it rested on the Siem Reap River, which flowed from north to south, as a result, a regular square was blocked on both sides by water barriers. At the same time, the ritual center of the Ta Keo temple was surrounded by additional moats, although now it is problematic to see them from above, on Google maps, because the entire territory of the city is densely overgrown with trees. The remains of the ditches are not easy to see even from the ground, they are so thickly overgrown, but still it can be stated that they are there, in any case, the dam and the sacred procession road of the Ta Keo temple are clearly visible.

Pyramid of Ta Keo Temple. It began to be built at the beginning of the 11th century by Jayavarman V, but never completed the work. Perhaps the ruler died early, and he had no heirs, so the temple remained unfinished.

Like many temples in Angkor, Ta Keo is very difficult to photograph during the daytime, as it is surrounded by tall trees that cast harsh and long shadows. In general, as elsewhere, in Angkor it is better to shoot in the morning and in the evening, during the day the lighting there is very poor, probably softer light can be caught during the rainy season, when there is no such bright sun. But I had no choice, because the scale of Angkor is great, if you limit photography only in the evening hours, the inspection could take several months.

I read different opinions about the height of Ta Keo, someone thinks that there are all 70 meters along with main tower, which is certainly not true, most likely 45-50. It's just that Ta Keo has a silhouette elongated upwards, only the largest in Cambodia had such a ratio of height and width of the base.

Ta Keo has the same steep staircase as Angkor Wat, only there, after repeated falls of tourists, they made special railings and steps. Here, the staircase remained natural, the height of each step is about half a meter, so you can climb up only by helping yourself with your hands.

The main sanctuary of Ta Keo, dedicated to Shiva, also has the shape of a pyramid

The builders managed to build the main volume of the temple, but did not have time to decorate it with reliefs. Therefore, all the stone blocks in Ta Keo are pristine, they demonstrate how the walls of Khmer temples looked without artistic decoration. Round holes in the blocks were needed for the convenience of carrying them, wooden or metal sticks were inserted into them.

The internal volume of the main prasat in Ta Keo is surprisingly large, as a rule, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe premises in such towers is negligible, and here is a whole hall. Here another nun or someone similar to her makes her business.

Unlike the temples of his father (Pre Rup, East Mebon), Jayavarman V made his temple completely of stone. On the construction site, he clearly employed thousands of captive tyams (now these people live mainly in Vietnam), with whom he waged successful wars.

Before heading down the steep stairs, it is worth paying attention to the galleries around the main pyramid, perhaps the first such galleries in Khmer architecture. Subsequently, similar covered corridors will be used in Angkor Wat.

Photo for memory on the platform of the temple of Pre Rup - Maximus in his maximum weight - 103 kg. At the end of the story, the advice from the author of this magazine sounds like this - before climbing the temples of Angkor in a heat of 40 degrees, try to lose at least a little weight, this will probably save you from many unnecessary health problems. Unfortunately, the person this photo did not heed this wise advice and after a couple of weeks of running around the Khmer jungle ended up in a local hospital. Having had, and heatstroke, and poisoning, and a spinal injury. I am sure that if I lost at least 15 kg, it would be much easier for me in every sense :) In general, I wish you all good health)

Previous posts dedicated to Cambodia and Angkor:

I immediately realized that I would need a partner. Since the ruins of Koh Ker, where I intended to go, are located 80 km from Angkor, or rather from Siem Reap, a small town where all tourists stop. And only taxi cars go there, tuk-tuk allegedly cannot reach such a distance, and because of this, the trip becomes expensive, about $ 100 for the whole day. Therefore, if you take a companion, you can reduce the cost of travel by half.

Finding a companion was hard and easy at the same time. Of course, many would like to go to the ancient Khmer city, which surpasses Angkor itself in mystery. But I had somewhat eccentric plans, I was going to definitely climb to the top of Prang - the main temple of the city (access there was closed in 2012), and take a little walk in the forests around. All this would have to be coordinated with a partner, because not everyone dares to climb a 35-meter pyramid. But I'm lucky...

// maximus101.livejournal.com

A young guy from Russia from the city of Nalchik stayed at my hotel. He traveled alone, and I immediately chatted Anatoly to climb the Pyramid of Death, because "what kind of Russian does not like to drive fast (c)", - a pyramid, and even "death", - of course climbed) Tolya turned out to be athletic and curious, interested in history , though in a somewhat "alternative version", as we usually do. We worked together right away, especially since he is also a person who shoots, so for the first time I got a lot of photos of myself, and a look from the outside is always interesting. In this post, I inserted both my own and his photo.

Well, now about the very place where we were going to go. Koh Ker or Chkhok Gargyar was founded in 921 by King Jayavarman IV of Kambujadesh. The main intrigue associated with this city is that Jayavarman transferred the capital from Angkor (then called Yashodharapura) to Koh Ker. Why did the Khmer king need to move to the north, and suddenly, is now not known for certain. It is believed that Jayavarman IV was a usurper, he wanted to create a new center of power outside Angkor, where another heir to the throne, Ishanavarman II, was then sitting. For a while, the two capital centers existed in parallel, but in 928 Ishanavarman II was helped to die, and Jayavarman IV became the full ruler of the Khmer Empire. At the same time, he did not return to Angkor. Jayavarman continued to equip his new town Chhok Gargyar, who received another sonorous name - Lingapura (I would even hesitate to translate it into Russian), in honor of the royal linga (and this, you know what) - the main symbol of the god Shiva and imperial power in Angkor.

The ruins of the gallery leading to the main temple of Koh Ker.

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Jayavarman IV apparently set himself the task of overshadowing the former capital of Yashodharapura. Kohker, despite his short existence in the capital status (921-944, only 23 years old), became the most big city in Cambodia until the New Age, its area is 35 sq. km. For comparison, the area of ​​​​Constantinople did not exceed 16 square meters. km. Koh Ker, unlike Angkor, has been poorly studied, so its essence can only be outlined in general terms. The city had a rectangular shape - 7 by 5 km, which distinguishes it from the predominantly square cities of ancient Cambodia. The question of whether it was surrounded by fortress walls has not been fully resolved. In the north of this metropolis, the remains of some fortifications remain, but they are absent along the entire perimeter. The solution to this issue was the main purpose of my visit to Koh Ker. Unfortunately, I also did not manage to unambiguously answer this question.

Lingapura had its main temple complex - Prasat Thom. The complex was shifted from the city center to the north, despite the fact that all the main Khmer state temples were always built in the center of urban development. The main temple was supposed to personify Mount Meru, which grew out of the world's oceans, so almost all Khmer sanctuaries were surrounded by wide moats filled with water.

Moat surrounding Prasat Thom.

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There was such a ditch around Prasat Thom. The second important component of a Hindu temple is sacred mountain, as a rule, the main sanctuary was located on the top of this mountain. According to this principle, the temples of the former capitals - Yashodharapura and Hariharalaya were built. Moats filled with water surrounded the temple-mountain, sometimes there were several of them, such as in Bakong. For some reason, this scheme was changed in Koh Ker, the main pyramid of the city - Prang, stood outside the ring of ditches, it was shifted to the west inside the temple complex. And the complex itself, as I wrote, was shifted north of the center of the capital. And the city itself had a rectangular, not a quadrant outline. All this seems to be trifles, but for people who have one hundred percent religious consciousness, such things cannot appear arbitrarily.

Ruins of Prasat Thoma.

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Perhaps the violations of the accepted layout were somehow connected with the personality of the founder Koh Ker - Jayavarman IV. The very fact that he built his capital outside the old district of Angkor speaks of a certain inclination for innovation, although it is possible that he simply relied more on the support of the northern tribes and did not trust the Angkor nobility. Jayavarman died during a campaign against the maritime empire of Srivijaya in 941. The reign from Lingapura was continued by his son Harshavarman II, but he did not rule for long, only 3 years. In 944, the capital was moved back to Yashodharapura, Harshavarman was apparently helped to go to the next world. Power returned back to the dynasty of the founders of Angkor, overthrown by Jayavarman IV.

Despite the short existence of the capital Koh Ker, a new style of Khmer art was created at this time, which received his name. Moreover, changes have taken place not only in architecture, but also in sculpture, a new expressive way of depicting people has appeared. The figures of gods and kings of the Koh Ker period became more solemn, large and, oddly enough, realistic. Architectural forms also became large, the Koh Ker style, this is a craving for gigantomania, and the main pyramid of the city, Prang, became the most impressive building of this period. Unfortunately, now there are no sculptures left in Koh Ker at all, of which there were a great many. They were either taken to museums or simply smashed. But the temple pyramid remained; it is now the main tourist attraction of the city.

The remains of the broken statues in Prasat Thom are the head of the Nandin bull and a pedestal from some kind of sculpture.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

Well, now let's move on to the main object. The temple-mountain of Koh Kera was called the Pyramid of Death by lovers of various anomalies. A bunch of tales were made up about her, thereby increasing the income of local travel companies. In most cases, these bikes were created by enterprising guides. Stories about the demon Mare, who was allegedly worshiped by Jayavarman IV, about the mysterious well at the top of the pyramid, which leads to the underworld, are certainly needed to attract tourists to this remote Khmer city. After all, you need to go 80 km in one direction only, and the services of taxi drivers are not cheap, so the Prang pyramid is lovely way solutions to these problems.

It must be admitted that the pyramid itself is very expressive, its height is 35 meters, and the side of the base is 60. Previously, the structure was higher, since there was a prasat temple on top, where there was a giant lingam more than 4 meters high and weighing more than 28 tons. Most likely the total height of the temple was at least 60 meters.

All the events described took place in 2012, when climbing to the top of Prang was strictly prohibited. This was due to the fact that the old wooden staircase leading upstairs was rotten and falling apart, and the ascent was fraught with certain risks. Now (in 2014), as far as I know, the staircase has already been replaced with a new one, and tourists are calmly climbing to the top of the pyramid.

But then, a whole adventure awaited me and my partner) In the photo, the Koh Kera pyramid and the remains of an old rotten staircase with a "stop" sign below.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

Naturally, I could not allow our study of the main temple of the city to be disrupted due to some prohibitions of local authorities. After reading on the Internet the reports of tourists trying to climb the pyramid, I came to the conclusion that local guards are actively preventing the ascent, moreover, as many who have visited Koh Ker, they do not even take money, i.e. it was impossible to bribe them. It is clear that the incorruptibility of the guards is a subjective thing, but still it was not worth the risk, so a trouble-free way to penetrate and rise was needed.

As you know, simple ways of solving problems are almost always the most effective. Therefore, I decided that we would use the surprise factor, when the guards at the pyramid would not be close, we would just stupidly climb up. The temple stands inside a large open courtyard, there is no shelter from the sun anywhere, the guards are sitting somewhere in the shade, no closer than a hundred meters, so by the time they find us and come running, we will already rise at least half the height of the structure.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

That's how it all happened. Security reacted only when we were already at the top. To be honest, I thought that they would be too lazy to climb after us, and they would wait until we went down. But the Khmers were conscientious)

// maximus101.livejournal.com

It turned out that the stairs were not that rotten, just that there were no steps in some places, so in these places I just pulled myself up on my hands, clinging to the stones with my feet.

Of particular interest here is the fact that a wooden staircase was erected over an ancient stone one. And they did it not only because many steps collapsed. The fact is that the original Khmer steps were of little use for a calm ascent to the top. The height of the steps was much greater than the width, which is unusual for a European who is accustomed to climbing stairs exclusively with his feet. You can climb the Khmer stairs only by clinging to it with your hands, since it rises very steeply, and there is a great danger of falling down (there are already many cases of death of tourists in Angkor on these stairs). An interesting conclusion is drawn from this that the temples in Angkor were not intended for mass visits, there and the area of ​​internal premises is insignificant. Upstairs, in the sanctuaries, most likely only the Brahmin priests rose, and the whole people crowded below. Which once again proves the isolation of the priestly stratum and its power over the masses of people.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

In our time, there is almost nothing left on the top of Prang, there is no temple as such. In order to have an idea of ​​how it looked, you can pay attention to a small, almost copy, of the Koh Ker pyramid in Angkor, next to the Phnom Bakheng temple, this is Baksey Tyamkrong - a building also erected in the Koh Ker period, almost simultaneously with Prang . Only it is somewhat smaller and has four stairs, and not one, as here.

On the site of the temple in Koh Ker, some images were also preserved - the muzzles of garudas and, probably, lions, only they were very weathered and overgrown with grass.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

// maximus101.livejournal.com

Once there was a gigantic city. It was built mainly of wood, so there were few ruins from it. In Koh Ker, in addition to Prang and Prasat Thom, there are another hundred temples scattered over a large area, but, in most cases, these are small structures, and they are invisible among the trees.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

Now, let's start examining the most mysterious object at the top of the pyramid, namely the entrance to the other world - to the kingdom of the demon Mary, as it is described by current lovers of anomalous phenomena and enterprising Khmer guides. This is a large well on the top platform. Popular rumor says that they threw the unfortunate victims of the bloody Brahmins into it, and so on and so forth)

// maximus101.livejournal.com

Unfortunately, I was not able to properly inspect this mine, as it was littered with branches, and the Khmer guards were already climbing to the top after us. There was not much time, plus disgusting daylight - too much glare, and my own photos turned out to be not so good. I found a photo of 2014 on the net, when tourists were allowed upstairs and the mine was brought to a more or less decent view.

Pyramid shaft of Koh Kera.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

Without branches, it looks, if not strange, more prosaic - a simple well at the bottom of a square structure, the walls of which are lined with huge blocks dotted with holes. These holes were needed to carry these same blocks. It is difficult to say why the room above the well is needed, most likely, these are the walls of the destroyed prasat temple. It is also possible that it was a cavity where the base of a huge four-meter lingam, for which this temple was famous, was inserted. After all, the Hindu lingam is a very complex structure, where there is not only a symbol of the masculine principle, but also of the feminine - the yoni, it is located at the base of the stone phallus and can take up a lot of space. Now the lingam is not here, but the cavity where it was inserted has remained.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

As for the well itself, there is nothing supernatural. Wells existed in all the temples of the Angkor Empire. For example, a well more than 12 meters deep was found in the very first pyramid erected in the Angkor region - this is prasat Ak Em. This temple also glorified the cult of Devaraja - the divine king, i.e. also had its own stone lingam, but the well was under its pedestal - just like here, in Koh Ker. As a rule, such shafts led to small chambers hidden in the depths of stone temple-mountains. The chambers were used to store various ritual objects, for example, a statue of King Jayavarman VII was found in a similar storehouse in Bayon. But in most cases, nothing was found when digging the wells - either the chambers were robbed in antiquity, or simply destroyed. A very deep well was found in Bakong, it cut through the entire pyramid and went below the surface of the earth, but in the end, nothing was found there.

Apparently, the tradition of creating secluded reliquaries in the foundations of temples came to Cambodia along with Buddhism. Since such repositories are very typical for Buddhist stupas, they kept scrolls with sacred texts, precious statues of Buddhas, etc. It can also be assumed that the ashes of the cremated kings of Cambodia could be stored in such chambers, because almost all the "state" temples of Angkor were also funerary monuments for their founders. For example, the famous Angkor Wat became the tomb for Suryavarman II who built it.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

Eventually, the Khmer guards made it to the top. What was my surprise when, first of all, they did not rush to us, but joined the life-giving source of local obscurantism, i.e. started filming the well shaft with their phones. Apparently, the tales of travel agents have already become a religion and are deeply ingrained in the superstitious consciousness of the locals. The well to hell of the demon Mara himself has already begun to take on a life of its own.

// maximus101.livejournal.com

An interesting facial expression in a person - under the visor of the cap, eyes full of horror, because he is looking into the mouth of the underworld itself)

// maximus101.livejournal.com

maximus101
20/08/2014

Koh Ker is one of the most mysterious places Cambodia. This name means an ancient Khmer city with a unique temple, located in the jungle of this country. South-East Asia. For a long time this mysterious place was hidden from people, and even now it is in no hurry to reveal its centuries-old secrets to the world.

Koh Ker is located in the province of Preah Vihear, just 90 km from the temples of Angkor, but many mines have been preserved in these places, and tourists who first came to this area only in 2007 are not often found here. Only the most courageous true lovers of oriental exotic get here, and it is more than enough here, because Koh Ker is one of the most mysterious places in Southeast Asia.

Mysterious capital of the Khmer Empire

In the 10th century, in just two decades, at the behest of Jayavarman IV, who wished to move the capital of the kingdom of the Khmer Empire from Angkor to a new place, a new scale city, originally called Lingapura. It is this name that is found in most ancient chronicles, and the name Koh Ker appeared much later.

Oddly enough, so majestic city, in which there were up to 100 temples, the capital of the kingdom was not for long, and the history of Koh Ker, as well as the life of the initiator of its creation, is full of many mysteries. In the most mysterious way, Jayavarman IV disappeared, after which the inhabitants of the new capital left these places, and Koh Ker acquired the glory of a cursed place. Nevertheless, in terms of its structures, this ancient settlement is not much inferior to Angkor, and its unique mysterious temple-pyramid attracts the attention of all connoisseurs of oriental mysticism.

Unique pyramid in Koh Ker

total area ancient capital The Khmer kingdom is 35 sq. km, but most of the palace complex and temples of Koh Ker did not withstand the destructive influence of time: only ruins remained of them. However, the greatest interest in the ancient complex is a building that has hardly changed time - a unique in all respects central temple in the form of a 32-meter pyramid, consisting of 7 steps. Such an architectural appearance is more reminiscent of the typical pyramids of the Mayan and Inca civilizations and is not at all characteristic of the Khmer culture: similar buildings are not found anywhere else in Cambodia.

The temple, the length of the sides of the base of which is 55 m, was built from massive solid stone blocks, which are so close to each other that even a banknote cannot pass between them, but rocks are nowhere to be found in the entire district, and where did such building material come from - mystery. The locals themselves firmly believe that the temple-pyramid was erected by the great gods. Interestingly, the famous pyramids in Giza, which also surprise with the mystery of their creation, were erected at about the same time as the pyramid in Cambodia.

"Pyramid of Death" - the gate to hell?

This unique sacred building is called Prasat Thom, which means “Great Temple”, but it is better known under the eerie name “Pyramid of Death”. Ancient Khmer legends say that on the top of this strange temple, Lord Koh Ker made bloody sacrifices to the demon Mara, dropping them into a deep shaft going down, which was the entrance to the other world, where this bloodthirsty demon lived. Legends are legends, but the reality is that all desperate researchers who ventured to go inside this pyramid ended their lives very sadly. In addition, many tourists note that in the vicinity of the Koh Kera pyramid, no sounds are heard - neither birds nor animals, as if everything had died out here a long time ago, disappeared along with that ancient civilization, which erected this extraterrestrial, even by the standards of contemporaries, structure.

In 2010, Russian diggers managed to descend into the mine, and it suddenly turned out that already at a depth of 8 meters the mine was covered with sand, although scientists recorded that the void inside the pyramid remained. Apparently, someone tried to hide the entrance to this realm of ancient secrets.

Most of the Koh Ker complex still remains unexplored, because it is quite dangerous to go off the beaten path here: the risk of being hit by mines is very high. Because of this, there is also an assumption that, perhaps, not all the buildings of Koh Ker are open yet, and somewhere in the jungle there are ancient temples that people simply could not reach yet. And who knows what other secrets this mystical area of ​​Cambodia holds?

One of the most famous sights of Cambodia, Koh Ker is located in the province of Preah Viheya, a couple of hours drive from. It is both a city and a large temple complex. More than 10 centuries ago, Koh Ker became the capital of the Khmer Empire and turned into one of its richest cities. In the status of the "main city" Koh Ker did not stay long, only 20 years. Nevertheless, during this period, dozens of temples were built in the city, most of which, unfortunately, have not survived to this day.

How to get to Koh Ker

Koh Ker opened for tourists relatively recently, only in 2002. You can get to this attraction from the nearest airport in Siem Reap using a taxi service. The cost of the trip is from 75 to 100 dollars. In time, it will take you about 3 hours. You can enter the temple complex only with a ticket. The cost is 10 dollars.

What is a temple complex

The entire territory of Koh Ker covers an area of ​​35 square meters. meters. Previously, the city was surrounded by high fortified walls, of which almost nothing remains. Nearby is the reservoir barai Rahal, which served as a source of water in the city. During the rainy season, Rahal forms big lake 1 km long. When you first get to Koh Ker, you might think that this is one continuous ruin. Indeed, most of the local buildings that did not stand the test of time simply turned into heaps of stone. However, there are also surviving temples in Koh Ker, which until our time have practically not changed their appearance.

The main attraction of the temple complex is the palace of King Jayavarman IV Presat Thom. This place is covered with mystical legends and legends. In the middle of the palace is a huge Prang pyramid, on top of which a temple once stood. In the temple there was a 4-meter statue or, as it is called here, a lingam, covered with gold. Only the pyramid has survived to this day. Both the temple and the statue, for unknown reasons, disappeared without a trace. The height of the pyramid is 32 meters, which is equal to 7 steps. If you believe the legends of the locals, Prang was created not by people, but by great gods. This is allegedly evidenced by two indisputable facts. Firstly, a pyramid was built in a unique, uncharacteristic for Cambodia architectural style. Outwardly, it resembles rather a typical Inca or Mayan pyramid. Secondly, the base of the pyramid is surrounded by massive stone blocks, which it is not clear where they came from in this area.

Under cover of mystery, there is also a legend that Jayavarmana IV, having made a deal with the demon Mara, allegedly performed sacrifices at the top of the pyramid. After that, people were thrown into a deep mine inside the pyramid. It has not yet been possible to refute or confirm this, since the interior of Presat Thom still remains unexplored. It should be noted that they tried repeatedly to get inside the pyramid, but all attempts ended tragically. After 20 years of his atrocities, the ruler of Koh Kera suddenly disappeared. Neither his grave nor his remains have yet been found. Following the city, the locals also left, after which, the previously majestic and prosperous Koh Ker was empty and became useless to anyone.
A few meters from Presat Thoma is the so-called earthen "pyramid" - the hill of the White Elephant. The natural origin of this mound is very doubtful, since it has a very regular quadrangular shape. No excavations were carried out on the hill, so it is difficult to say what exactly it was used for. Most likely, this place was intended for the construction of another pyramid. A path is laid around the hill, along which there are about a dozen temples of Genesha. According to legend, great treasures are hidden somewhere in these places.

After a tour of Presat Thom in Kho Ker, it is also worth visiting the ruins of the Presat Chen Temple. This shrine has survived to this day not in such good condition as Presat Thom, but still worthy of your attention. Initially, the temple consisted of three sanctuaries, enclosed by a wall of laterite. Now only inlaid columns, several walls and a lintel depicting a garuda fighting snakes remain from them. Once upon a time, a three-meter statue stood behind the shrines, personifying the battle between Sugriva and Valin. Unlike the temple, the statue survived and was moved to National Museum in Phnom Penh. Now in Presat Chen, only a huge stone foundation reminds of her.

In addition to the above places in Koh Ker, you can still see the ruins of 14 temples, each of which is unique in its own way. There is also an assumption that far in the jungle of Koh Kera there are still several temples that used to be part of the great Khmer capital.
Koh Ker is a city of secrets and mysticism. That is why tourists from all over the world strive to get here in order to try to solve all its mysteries.

About which not very much is known around the world. Everyone knows about the Khmer temple of Angkor Wat, and they can also remember the many-sided Bayon and tell something about the jungles of Cambodia. It would seem, what else could be so interesting there? Surprisingly, Cambodia is also a country that has its own pyramid, which is located in Koh Ker, the ancient city of Angkor, built at the beginning of the 10th century, at the dawn of the Khmer Empire.

I have always been interested in ancient structures around the world, and so when I found out about the Cambodian seven-step pyramid, which is also called the pyramid of death, I became interested in looking at it. And so, finally, being in the city of Siem Reap, I decided, in addition to visiting the most important temples of Angkor, by all means to get to Koh Ker and see this pyramid of death.

Koh Ker is a temple city and a huge temple complex in the province of Preah Vihear, 120 km northeast of the city of Siem Reap in Cambodia. In ancient times, it was called Lingapura, that is, the city of the linga (phallus), and was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. This ancient city has a number of attractions, the main place of which is occupied by the mysterious pyramid of death Prasat Prang, located on the territory of the main temple of Prasat Thom. In addition to it, there are still many ruins of Khmer temples from the Angkor period - some of them are almost completely destroyed and not explored. However, all of them are of considerable interest, since the Koh Ker era was special in the history of the Khmer empire.

Basic information about Koh Ker

Koh Ker on google map:

temple complex Koh Ker belongs to the so-called distant temples Angkor. This means that a visit to Koh Ker can take all day. Visiting Koh Ker will be interesting for those who are really passionate about the history of Cambodia and Angkor.

Despite the fact that mistakes during construction led to the rapid destruction of the pyramid, one cannot but recognize obvious things - some elements of the main temple Prasat Thom served as an example for the construction of the most famous Khmer temple - Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We are talking about the famous long galleries. They first appeared here, in Koh Ker, then they were tested during the construction of Beng Melia, and then they appeared in all their glory in the design of Angkor Wat. And when they saw how Prasat Thom collapsed due to water washing, the builders of Angkor Wat took this into account and made an additional embankment of sand and a unique engineering system for stabilizing the soil with the help of groundwater.

Lingapura city

For a long time, the ancient city of Lingapura was forgotten, but with the start of the tourist boom in Cambodia and the clearing of fields and jungles from mines, Koh Ker also began to attract the attention of travelers, albeit not on a par with the famous Angkor Wat complex. Residents of the neighboring village of Koh Ker have lived here for centuries in the shade. great pyramid and led a very simple life, and now they accept tourists, asking to be taken as a guide in order to earn some money. The name of this village gave the modern name to the ancient city.

Barai around the main shrine in Koh Ker

Koh Ker was built during the reign of King Jayavarman IV at the beginning of the 10th century, who decided to move the capital of the empire closer to the village where he himself was born. Changes in the life of the Khmer Empire began with a struggle for power, which was not crowned with success: Jayavarman left Yashadharapura (that was the name of the capital of Angkor at that time and it was located where the Roluos temples are now located), proclaimed himself the real king, built the new city of Lingapura, and ruled there for a while. Thus began a completely unique era in the history of Angkor, which has not yet received a clear explanation in scientific circles.

Compared to another usurper king in Sri Lanka, Kasapa built a smaller but still impressive palace atop a huge rock. As after the overthrow of Jayavarman IV, they tried to forget about the Sinhalese king, but his miracle palace is now very popular among tourists.

The short reign of King Jayavarman IV ended (in fairness, it must be said that it lasted 20 years, and during this time a huge city was built), the capital returned to its former place. And judging by the ease with which everything was forgotten, no one wanted to remember Jayavarman's rebellion. Lingapura was not destroyed by the hands of the conquerors, but fell under its own weight - the main temple-pyramid was erected with technical errors.

Prasat Prang, a seven-step piamid, was built as a receptacle for the royal linga, the symbol of the god Shiva and the king as his representative on earth. This happened during the life of the king, and after his death the pyramid was supposed to become his mausoleum, so it is called pyramid of death. However, according to scientists, they did not find the grave of Jayavarman IV. And the name "Pyramid of Death" still stuck.

When tourists began to be allowed into Koh Ker, many tried to get inside out of curiosity. For many years there were terrible rumors that strange phenomena were happening inside her. For a long time no one dared to get in, but finally there were daredevils who, having violated all the prohibitions, nevertheless got inside. According to their stories, in the center of the pyramid is an empty sarcophagus. What conclusion can be drawn from this?

Pyramid of Death Koh Ker was intended to become the posthumous refuge of Jayavarman and (like Angkor Wat later) served a dual function - it was the temple of life during the reign of the king and was supposed to be the place of his transition from one plane of existence to another after death. According to the beliefs of the ancient Khmers, it is the seven steps of the pyramid that provide the king with the most favorable outcome for rebirth.

How to get to Koh Ker from Siem Reap

The temple complex of Koh Ker is located near a small village of the same name in the province of Preah Vihear.

You can come to Koh Ker from Siem Reap in about 2 hours, but in general it will take a whole day to visit this distant temple of Angkor. There are several options for getting there:

• Book a tour at any of the travel agencies in Siem Reap (the more people, the lower the price). In this case, you will be clearly tied to the tour schedule. However, this is a significant savings if you are traveling alone. The price for a trip to Koh Ker can be around $45.
• Book a car with a driver. It will cost more, but more profitable if there are two or three of you. The car costs $90-100. A private transfer is good because you are left to yourself, you can safely calculate the time. You can also combine a trip to Koh Ker with a visit to the Beng Melia temple, which is located on the way to the pyramid of death.
• Come to Koh Ke on your own by renting a motorbike. Rent - $15-20, gasoline - $5-10.

How to get to Koh Ker

Ticket price for Koh Ker— $10. Tickets to the Angkor temple complex are not valid here.

Opening hours 7.30 — 17.30.

You need at least 2 hours to inspect the city-temple and the pyramids of death, and with great interest in Khmer culture - 3-5 hours.

Important information: one of the locals can get involved as a guide in hopes of earning some money. If you do not want an assistant, then say so immediately and clearly. Perhaps not the first time, but from the second or third they usually understand with whom it is unprofitable for them to go. Children can be especially intrusive and will also offer you all kinds of postcards, books and souvenirs in the hope of softening you up and getting cash dollars.

The road to the pyramid of death passes along dusty rural roads, but most of the way is a new highway from Siem Reap to Styng Treng

Map of Koh Ker (clickable)

The ancient city of Koh Ker (Lingapura) occupies a huge area around the Rahal artificial pool. All tours and excursions from Siem Reap, entering the territory, immediately pass to the parking lot, which is located near the main attractions temple complex Koh Ker- to the distant temple of the Angkorian period Prasat Thom and the step pyramid Prasat Prang.

Sights of the ancient city of Koh Ker (Lingapura):

• Prasat Thom- the main temple of the city was built even before Jayavarman moved the capital here.
• Prasat Krahom is a temple made of red brick, which is reflected in its name, which is translated from Khmer as “red tower”.
• Prasat Prang- a seven-step pyramid, the burial place of the king and the storage of the linga, part of the Prasat Thom temple.
• Grave Hill of the White Elephant- a hill and a sanctuary behind the pyramid, from which views of the surrounding area and the Prasat Prang pyramid open.
• Numerous prasats with lingas along the road. Worth visiting are Balang, Tneng, Krachap, Chrap and Damrei.
• Prasat Pram- five harma towers at ground level, entwined with tree roots.
• Rahal Basin filled with water only during the rainy season.

Map of the main shrine of the ancient city of Lingapura

Entering the territory of Prasat Thom, you immediately meet the prototypes of future long galleries that will glorify Angkor Wat all over the world. The great sanctuary is in ruins, but many elements are visible and striking in design.

A variety of materials were used for the construction of the city - sandstone, laterite and brick. All three are presented here in all their glory. The walls are made of fragile laterite, and some of the prasats, including the tall Prasat Krahom, are built of brick. The main buildings are built of solid sandstone blocks of rather impressive size.

Prasat Thom and Prasat Prang are separated from each other by laterite walls, decorated with small lingas around the perimeter. The famous strangler ficuses that adorn the more famous temples of Angkor - Ta Prohm and Ta Som, also tried their best here and approached the wall of the temple, even taking root in some places. However, they did not show full rights to win.

Ficus stranglers leaned against the wall, but did not break it

Due to illegal entry into Prasat Prang and general insecurity some time ago on pyramid of death climbing was forbidden, and the only staircase leading upstairs was closed to tourists. However, by 2016, another staircase had been built and Prang had been fortified, and now curious travelers can climb up and look around.

The stone pyramid can be walked around from all sides, marveling at its solid masonry, which still holds the entire structure, despite the fact that the inner levels have failed. The outer wall seems impenetrable. Behind the pyramid is the burial mound of the White Elephant, which you can climb and look at the high prang not only from ground level, but also from a slight rise in height.

Old unreliable stairs

View of Prasat Prang from a nearby hill - the burial mound of the White Elephant - even in the dry season, the pyramid is covered with grass

Lingapura was gigantic: everything here was the largest and larger than that of its neighbors - the city is larger (it occupied an area of ​​35 km 2), the pyramid is higher (36 meters), the linga on the top of Prasat Prang is also larger (4 meters), the lingas in the city are larger . And even the stones from which the pyramid is built are large compared to the rest of the buildings in Angkor (including those that were built later). Angkor Wat then surpassed Koh Ker only in two respects - in height (42 meters) and in the length of the galleries.

Interesting fact: By the way, the reason for the collapse of the Koh Ker pyramid was not the size of the stones, but the wooden floors, which rotted and stopped supporting the stone walls. The same happened with other temples where the stones were not so huge. They, too, collapsed due to the common mistakes of Khmer architects.

It is believed that Khmer temples can be compared with the Inca in terms of technique and method of construction. However, in my opinion, the Inca temples and buildings in Peru differ radically from the Cambodian ones. Yes, the size of the stones, especially during the construction of Koh Ker, were similar, the masonry is very reliable. However, a fatal mistake allowed the temple to collapse, which would not have happened if the ancient Khmers had figured out how to build from stone without wooden beams, as, for example, in Peru, in Egypt, or in the construction of other megalithic structures around the world.

This is the most important difference (there are others, of course), which does not allow putting the temples of Angkor on a par with other incredible megalithic structures antiquities. Usually, looking at the "temples" of the Incas, one cannot help but wonder: how was it built, why is it still standing, despite earthquakes, is it possible for a person at all (more precisely, for the technologies that mankind owns)? In the case of the Khmer temples, everything is very clear: a person is capable of doing this, and we see exactly how everything worked out or did not work out.

In Cambodia, we see a logical history of architecture (and if you are interested in getting acquainted with the temples of Angkor in the order in which they were built, read the materials on our website). In Peru, methods and technologies appear ready-made, there is no development, only perfection and incomprehensible logic. Compare with eg. And Cambodia is alive - with mistakes, wonders and beauty. And apparently this is the admiration of any of the temples of Angkor and Koh Ker in particular.

Prasat Prang in Prasat Thoma. And we usually call this miracle the Pyramid of Death Koh Ker

The stones of the lower level of the pyramid

Prasats with lings in Koh Ker

Numerous prasat small size compared to the main pyramid, which also store lings. If we compare them with the royal linga that stood on top of Prasat Prang and was estimated by scientists to be 4-4.5 meters in height, then these lingas seem quite small. However, they are still larger than any linga found on the territory of other temples of Angkor. Jayavarman definitely wanted to make his city the most majestic and did not spare anything for this.

Admittedly, the idea was grandiose, but the technical side and technologies of the Khmer civilization were not ready for such construction feats.

There are more lingas even of small prasats than on the territory of other temples of Angkor. What can we say about the 4-meter ling that stood on top of Prasat Prang?

Our impressions

A visit to the ancient city of Koh Ker in Cambodia can give a lasting impression. After all, a unique period in the history of Angkor, during which Lingapura was built, clearly stands out in the logical and consistent history of the Khmer Empire. The structure of the seven-step pyramid of death cannot be compared with other temple-mountains, such as Bakong, Phnom Bakeng, Bapuon or the later built Pre Rup, East Mebon or Ta Keo. The gigantic size of the city then could only be repeated by Jayavarman VII, who built temple-monasteries at the decline of the empire. But a parallel can only be drawn in the scale of the work, but the gigantism of the megaliths and the size of the buildings were not beaten.

As we have already said, it makes no sense to compare with similar structures in Peru. And what about the pyramids of Mexico and Egypt? The Cambodian pyramid of death is inferior in size and materials, but the function is the same - according to the Khmer (Hindu) cosmogony, the transition from one plane of existence to another. Apparently for this reason, it was the shape of the pyramid that was important, and this unites many cultures far from each other around the world.

For us, this pyramid was the first one we saw during our trip to Cambodia, and therefore, of course, it is still special. ancient monument stands very close to a small village, and the ruins of a Khmer temple serve as a place for locals to gather and relax. Small and dilapidated houses of virtually impoverished Cambodians are in close proximity.

It is known that residential buildings in Lingapur were also built of wood and therefore have not been preserved. But it seems that they should have been different from modern dwellings. This contrast is especially vividly imprinted in memory. The inhabitants of the once capital of a mighty kingdom have endured so much suffering since then and can never recover, living in the poorest conditions.

Whether to give alms to the kids in Koh Ker - everyone decides for himself. Begging is not very accepted here, maybe because the place is not very spoiled by tourists. The more tourists come (mostly organized tours from China), the more Koh Ker will look like the most visited and popular temples of Angkor, where sometimes you can’t push through from children’s hands asking for a dollar.

Resting in the shade of ancient ruins

We visited Koh Ker in the hot March and arrived by car, which seems to me the most convenient way to travel to the distant temples of Angkor. The pyramid changes every season. In the dry season, red earth gives a special charm to ancient buildings. During the rainy season, the road used to be difficult, but now, after the construction of the highway, this problem is not relevant. A lot of grass grows on the pyramid and it turns green. The unity of nature and human structures appears in a completely different way than rooted temples like Ta Proma or Beng Melia.

I was very surprised how many megaliths are lying on the territory of the city of Koh Ker. There are not so many megalithic masonry in Asia: in addition to Koh Ker, one can recall some buildings in. Sandstone for the construction of the temples of Angkor was mined on Mount Kulen, located 60 km (in a straight line). Usually the material was delivered by rivers, however, the size of the stones inspires respect for the builders.

We really liked the pyramid, we tried to spend as much time as possible here, despite the heat, we went around it several times. However, we still regret that as soon as we climbed into the air-conditioned car, we softened a little and examined prasats with lingas with not very great enthusiasm. I think that it was necessary to visit them at the very beginning of the visit.

Nevertheless, we took one of the most precious impressions and memories from Cambodia from Koh Ker. Here one of my childhood dreams came true - to see the pyramid! So despite the travel distance and quite significant expenses within budget travel, the visit to Koh Ker lived up to all expectations and was worth the effort.

What else you need to know about Koh Ker

The cost of the excursion from Siem Reap to Koh Ker: for a visit to Koh Ker we paid $100 for a car and $20 for two tickets. By combining this trip with a visit to the Beng Melia temple, we saved some money. We returned to Siem Reap just before sunset, rested and went to the night market.

Helpful advice: if the cost of a car trip to the distant temples of Angkor seems high to you, find fellow travelers and share the cost of renting a car with a driver with them.

Observation: there is a souvenir market near the main entrance to Prasat Thom and the parking lot. You can also buy water here.

Tips and tricks for visiting the pyramid in Cambodia

• Koh Ker is best viewed in the morning, after 10 o'clock it is already very hot. Therefore, it is better to leave Siem Reap as early as possible. You can sleep in the car.
• Walk first along Prasat Thom, and only then go to the Pyramid of Death.
• Be sure to ask the driver to stop almost immediately after entering the temple complex to view Prasat Pram, famous for its five red brick prasats entwined with trees.
• Prasats with lingas are usually inspected on the way back, as they are on the far loop ring road around the Rahal pool. However, if you want your impressions of the ancient city not to be clouded in the shadow of the pyramid, ask to stop at Prasat Pram, then drive along the main lingas, and only then visit the ruined Prasat Thom and, finally, the Prasat Prang pyramid.
• It is possible to climb the White Elephant Hill, but the distance between the hill and the pyramid is not so great that Observation deck impressed. And the hill is not higher than the pyramid. However, there is still an alternative to viewing from ground level!
Angkor in different periods of history