Part II - Sambor Prei kuk temples - Kingdom of Cambodia!!

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It was the day of leaving Siem Reap, the city of Angkor! The plan was to travel to Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia , 6 hours drive and on the way visiting Sambor Prei Kuk Temples! Frankly, the name didn't excited me much! But when we arrived, it turned out to be one of the archaeological wonders for me!! 

 Sambor Prei Kuk is an archaeological site in Cambodia located in Kampong Thom Province,30 km  north of Kampong Thom,the provincial capital, 176 km  east of Angkor and 206 km north of Phnom Penh. The now ruined complex dates back to the Pre- Angkorian Chenla Kingdom ( late 6th century), established by king Isanavarman I as central royal sanctuary and capital known then as Isanapura.

  In 2017, Sambor Prei Kuk was declared as UNESCO World Heritage site.

 The whole compound is made of three clusters classified as a group C for central, N for north and S for south. They are enclosed in a double walled encircling 1000 acre in which there were 150 Hindu temples today mostly in ruins.Group N - Prasat Sambor is considering the main temple and its dates from the 7th century. It was dedicated to one of the reincarnations of Shiva known as Gambhireshvara.



The other Group S is Prasat Yeah Puon includes 22 sanctuaries dates from the 7th century during the reign of Isanavarman II in dedication to Shiva.


Group C is occupied by the central sanctuary of Prasat Boram with lion sculptures. 






The grandeur of these temples is such that you can actually imagine the era before Pre Angkor! Such temples shows the existence of Hinduism before all the religions. Most of the temples are having similar structures those of temples in Southern part of India.



Shiva , who has been always worshiped in the form of Linga was the main deity of Sambor Prei Kuk city those days. We had fantastic time in the jungle reserves with the guide. I personally feel, travellers must visit these temples, its one of the key attraction in Cambodia! 


Only few temple ruins are existing at the site. One of the temple was engulfed with the roots of the trees, I didn't find it fascinating as it shows the way we have not taken care of the structure in the past! Same is the case of temples across India..

 Sambor Prei Kuk temples needs attention from globe! There are hardly any archaeological structures from 6th century existing on earth! Request to Cambodian tourism ministry to take care of the these temples in the best possible way..


 Earth has everything hidden in it, truths cant be denied and Archaeology helps to reveal it! All the hidden truth behind the falsely constructed assumptions are open to the world through excavations and digging.

 As per my understanding Archaeology holds the key of knowing who we are and where we come from, the state of architecture of such temples to the concrete jungles we live in today!! Life has changed a lot and yes the thought process too..

 Visit Cambodia! Visit Sambor Prei Kuk temples!


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