Koh Ker Temple, Preah Vihear Province

Location

Koh Ker temple & village is located about 150 km from Siem Reap in the north-east of Cambodia.

Road conditions
Road conditons to Koh Ker used to vary on the time of year from serious mud and back to sand. Now, a new road has been constructed and allows easy access on a flat fantastic road to this temple. Its an ideal run for medium skilled bikers, some tracks and trails exist for experienced rider and great comfort for those travelling by 4WD. There is a huge amount of magic here.

Drive time from Siem Reap
About 2 and a bit hours straight but usually this tour stops at Beng Melea temple also.

A trip to Koh Ker brings you deep into the Cambodian countryside and way back in time. We head north-east from the west of Kulen National Park. From there it’s 85 km to the small village of Seyong, passing through some remote villages and a beautiful forest populated by deer. Guests travel another 30 minutes before entering this massive complex of temples and a small village behind the main temple, where about 75 families live.

Also know as Chok Gargyar, this single pyramid temple dates from the late 9th to mid 12th centuries. Established between 918 and 921AD, it was built by Jayavarman IV who had feuded with family and as a result, constructed this unusual temple and moved the capital to here from 921 to 945AD. It was a short-lived pre-angkorian capital. This monument consists of five brick towers in a row - a very unusual style. They were arranged north south and opened to the east. The central tower is most important. The type of architecture and decoration was in general that of the Art of Indravaman. The temple was dedicated to Vishnu.

This temple is referred to in inscriptions in other temples such as Prasat Kravan and Prasat Thom in the Angkor Complex in Siem Reap. The inscriptions say of Jayavarman IV and Koh Ker “founded by his own power, a city which was the seat of prosperities of the universe”. The country was finally reunited under him.

It is considered in three groups;
- An artificial freshwater lake or reservoir/lake called the “rahal” and Prasat Thom  which is the main temple and the ruins of the walled capital.
- A row or rows of towers to the east of the rahal
-Several towers along a road running approximately south from the south end.
In 2003 is was cleared and demined and a host of new temples are open to be seen. CMAC are still working here  Some very beautiful temples that stand out are the  Lingas, Prasat Thom, Prasat  Kamou, Prasat 5, Prasat Domrei - Elephant temple.  This area is covered with over 80 ruined temples, many of which have been recently demined and uncovered.  Simple in structure, it lacks the extreme sophistication of later twelfth and thirteenth-century but  a stunning complex of temples, of great interest. The surrounding villages, Koh ker , Phum Themi and Rum Jake, all in the shadow of the temple, offer a glimpse at life in  these anceint villages and hidden Cambodia guests have completed many wonderful projects to help and assist the lives of the villagers here.

If you are not very interested in temples, the remoteness of this location will impress, the nature, the  butterflies, the size of the main temple and  closeness of all the others smaller ones and perhaps a quiet moment listening to the sounds of birds and the noises of the surrounding jungle while sitting on a massive column, belonging to the ancient 10 century capital of the Khmer empire  See our new photo gallery of Koh Ker

Accommodation

Hidden Cambodia has built its own  guets lodge in Koh Ker Village with provate rooms, behind the temple, a large wooden house on stilts with a view of Koh Ker from the balcony. We stay amongst the  community,  beside the village chief and the  friendly faces of the villagers and this small community in the shadow of the temple. Food is  brought from HC Base.

Camping is also an option for those that want to camp beside some remote temples. We can hang hammocks at the temple in a wooden cabana. We meet with the chief of the village on arrival and he usually joins us for food and leaves us some trusted friends to sleep out with us. T

Seyong Village has grown considerably  and has a small guests house .

Food & Beverage

4WD tours carry their own cook and food . Dirt bike tours that  are supported by 4WD  carry also transport a cook and all food with them from HC base in Siem Reap.