Phnom Kulen (or Kulen Mountain; , ; ) is a mountain range and a part of
Phnom Kulen National Park
The Phnom Kulen National Park () is a national park in Cambodia, located in the Phnom Kulen mountain massif in Siem Reap Province. It was established in 1993 and covers . Its official name is Jayavarman-Norodom Phnom Kulen National Park ().
Dur ...
in
Siem Reap Province,
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
.
Geography
Rather than a hill range, Phnom Kulen is an isolated chain of small mountain plateaux of moderate height lying south of the
Dângrêk Mountains. The range stretches for about in a WNW–ESE direction and is located some north of
Siem Reap
Siem Reap (, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia.
Siem Reap possesses French-colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter ...
.
Its highest point is and its height is quite regular, averaging all along the range.
Geologically Phnom Kulen is formed of
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
. It was important as a
quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...
in Angkorian times, the major quarries being located in the southeastern angle of the massif.
Protected area
There is a sanctuary in the area,
Phnom Kulen National Park
The Phnom Kulen National Park () is a national park in Cambodia, located in the Phnom Kulen mountain massif in Siem Reap Province. It was established in 1993 and covers . Its official name is Jayavarman-Norodom Phnom Kulen National Park ().
Dur ...
, straddling the districts of Svay Leu and Va Rin. Its purpose is recreational and scientific in order to preserve the natural scenic features of Phnom Kulen mountain, like some famous waterfalls.
The park is located about to the north of the provincial town of
Siem Reap
Siem Reap (, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia.
Siem Reap possesses French-colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter ...
.
Tentative List entry for World Heritage nomination
This site was added to Cambodia's national Tentative List for World Heritage on March 27, 2020 (originally proclaimed December 1, 1992), to be nominated under World Heritage criteria (iii) (iv) and (v). The effort continued in 2016 when over 300 families were removed from already crowded areas and existing facilities for tourists were upgraded.
Description
The Phnom Kulen mountain range is located northwards from
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat (; , "City/Capital of Wat, Temples") is a Buddhism and Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia. Located on a site measuring within the ancient Khmer Empire, Khmer capital city of Angkor, it was originally constructed ...
. Its name means "mountain of the
lychees".
[ Rooney, 2005, pp. 264–265] There is a sacred hilltop site on top of the range.
Phnom Kulen is considered a
holy mountain in Cambodia, of special religious significance to
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
s and
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
s who come to the mountain in pilgrimage.
Near these mountains is
Preah Ang Thom, a 16th-century
Buddhist monastery notable for the giant reclining
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
, the country's largest.
The
Samré tribe was formerly living at the edge of Phnom Kulen, quarrying sandstone and transporting it to the royal sites.
History
Phnom Kulen has major symbolic importance for Cambodia as the birthplace of the ancient
Khmer Empire
The Khmer Empire was an empire in Southeast Asia, centered on Hydraulic empire, hydraulic cities in what is now northern Cambodia. Known as Kambuja (; ) by its inhabitants, it grew out of the former civilization of Chenla and lasted from 802 t ...
, for it was at Phnom Kulen that King
Jayavarman II
Jayavarman II (; – 850, reigned –850) was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia) after unifying the Khmer civilization. The Khmer Empire was the dominant civilization in mainland Southeast Asia from t ...
proclaimed independence from Java in 802 CE. Jayavarman II initiated the
Devaraja cult of the king,
a linga cult, in what is dated as 804 CE and declaring his independence from Java of whom the Khmer had been a vassal state. (Whether this is actually "Java", the Khmer ''chvea'' used to describe
Champa
Champa (Cham language, Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ, چمڤا; ; 占城 or 占婆) was a collection of independent Chams, Cham Polity, polities that extended across the coast of what is present-day Central Vietnam, central and southern Vietnam from ...
, as well as the legend that he was earlier held as a ransom of the kingdom in Java. See Higham's The Civilization of Angkor for more information about the debate.)
During the Angkorian era the relief was known as ''
Mahendraparvata'' (the mountain of Great
Indra
Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes
Indra is the m ...
).
Phnom Kulen was further developed under the rule of
Udayadityavarman II, who made it the capital of his empire and constructed many temples and residences as well as the 1000 Lingas at
Kbal Spean. At its peak, the Kulen development was larger than modern-day
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...
and one of the largest cities in the 11th-century world.
It would later be eclipsed by Angkor, but still served a vital role, as its water irrigated the entire region.
The
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
used the location as a final stronghold as their regime came to an end in 1979 in the
Cambodian–Vietnamese War
The Cambodian–Vietnamese War was an armed conflict between Democratic Kampuchea, controlled by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, and the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It began in December 1978, with a Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia which to ...
.
Sights
Chup Preah is a stream flowing into the mountain's valley. Kulen Mountain has two waterfalls. The first is between high and wide. There is a shallow pond below it. The second waterfall is high and wide. This pours into a larger area of water which is popular to visit and swim in. These sizes apply to the dry and rainy seasons although the current will be weaker in the dry season.
Kbal Spean is known for its carvings representing
fertility
Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate ...
and its waters which hold special significance to
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
s. Just under the water's surface over 1000 small linga carvings are etched into the
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
riverbed. The waters are regarded as holy, given that Jayavarman II chose to bathe in the river, and had the river diverted so that the stone bed could be carved. Carvings include a stone representation of the Hindu god
Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
lying on his serpent
Ananta, with his wife
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...
at his feet.
A lotus flower protrudes from his navel bearing the god
Brahma
Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...
. The river then ends with a waterfall and a pool.
Preah Ang Thom houses a large statue of
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
. It was built in the 16th century and is high.
Preah Ang Thom is the sacred and worshipping god for Kulen Mountain. There are also two large Cham Pa trees nearby. Besides Preah Ang Thom, Chhok Ruot, footprints of Preah Bat Choan Tuk, Peung Chhok, Peung Ey So and Peung Ey Sey, can also be seen.
The Linga is along the river of Siem Reap and has a lot of figures of Yoni and Linga spreading out at the bottom of the river.
The Terrace of Sdach Kum Ling has a small brick-built ruined temple in its centre. It was covered by lava for hundreds of years.
Srah Damrei is a large, sandstone sculpture of an elephant. It is joined by several other smaller sculptures which have been dated to the 8th or 9th centuries. It is accessible by motor bike and take approximately one hour from the waterfall.
Peung Tbal is a large rock site which has carvings of the Hindu gods Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and Ganesh. This site was made around the time of the 8th or 9th centuries. The site is near to the village of Anlong Thom.
Peung Aysey is another site located inside of the jungle of Kulen and contains more rock carvings of Hindu gods and is said to have been a meditation place for rishis.
See also
*
Phnom Kulen National Park
The Phnom Kulen National Park () is a national park in Cambodia, located in the Phnom Kulen mountain massif in Siem Reap Province. It was established in 1993 and covers . Its official name is Jayavarman-Norodom Phnom Kulen National Park ().
Dur ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*Bruno Bruguier, Jean-Baptiste Chevance, Olivier Cunin, (2020). ''Les "marches d'Angkor"''. Guide archéologique du Cambodge, tome 6, JSRC.
External links
page on Phnom Kulenfrom the official website of Kingdom of Cambodia
on the less-visited angkorian temples of Phnom Kulen
Phnom Kulen video destination guide on YouTube
{{Authority control
Kulen
Geography of Siem Reap province