Phenom Kulen
A day trip to Phenom Kulen outside of Siem Reap. Siem Reap is located in a flat valley but an 1 1/2 hour ride and you are in the mountains. Cambodians eat breakfast around 11 a.m so stopped while our guide Divit filled up. Now on to the mountain and Phenom Kulen which is where the Khmer Empire started. Phnom Kulen is the holiest mountain in Cambodia and a picnic destination for Khmer families. But few foreigners visit. On this peak in 802, King Jayavarman II declared himself a Hindu god-king and kicked off the four-century Angkor period of Khmer history that produced the Angkor temples, constructed of Phnom Kulen's sandstone. The Khmer Rouge used the mountain as a final stronghold for two decades after losing power in 1979
Also, on the mountain is a river that contains over a thousand "lingas" carved into the bottom of the river. The linga is the male fertility symbol which assures a good harvest and lots of children. I am pouring water over the linga and then you collect it where it drains out and pour over your head for good luck.
A sleeping Buddha was carved on the top of huge rock! Preah Ang Tho, a 16th century Buddhist monastery notable for the giant reclining Buddha carved into the top of a 20-m boulder. Climb the rickety wooden staircase to a landing that surrounds the 17-m-long Buddha, where monks and believers bow, burn incense and leave fruit.
Lingas that were carved on the bottom of the river over a thousand years ago! The waters hold special religious significance for Hindus, thanks to the carvings commissioned by Jayavarman II. He ordered part of the river diverted temporarily so that hundreds of lingas could be carved into the sandstone floors along a shady brook area. These lingas which actually look no more raunchy than rounded bumps are surrounded by square outlines.
A short distance from the river is a large waterfall. It was the end of the rainy season so not too much water going over the fall.
Also, on the mountain is a river that contains over a thousand "lingas" carved into the bottom of the river. The linga is the male fertility symbol which assures a good harvest and lots of children. I am pouring water over the linga and then you collect it where it drains out and pour over your head for good luck.
A sleeping Buddha was carved on the top of huge rock! Preah Ang Tho, a 16th century Buddhist monastery notable for the giant reclining Buddha carved into the top of a 20-m boulder. Climb the rickety wooden staircase to a landing that surrounds the 17-m-long Buddha, where monks and believers bow, burn incense and leave fruit.
Lingas that were carved on the bottom of the river over a thousand years ago! The waters hold special religious significance for Hindus, thanks to the carvings commissioned by Jayavarman II. He ordered part of the river diverted temporarily so that hundreds of lingas could be carved into the sandstone floors along a shady brook area. These lingas which actually look no more raunchy than rounded bumps are surrounded by square outlines.
A short distance from the river is a large waterfall. It was the end of the rainy season so not too much water going over the fall.
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