Kbal Spean

Kbal Spean is a stretch of the Stung Kbal Spean where eleventh and twelfth-century carvers cut images directly into the sandstone bed and banks: fields of small lingas covering the riverbed in regular grids, along with Vishnu reclining on the serpent Ananta, Shiva and Uma on the bull, and Brahma on his lotus. The water flowing over them was understood to be sanctified before running down to the Angkor plain, which is the point of the site. Reaching it means a walk of about a kilometre and a half uphill through forest over roots and boulders, taking forty minutes, ending at a small waterfall. The carvings are best seen when there is enough water to define them but not so much that they are submerged.

History

The carving began under King Suryavarman I and ended under Udayadityavarman II, in the 11th and 12th centuries; the thousand lingas are credited to a minister of Suryavarman I and were cut by hermits living nearby, while inscriptions show that most of the sculpture dates from Udayadityavarman II, who consecrated a golden linga here in 1059. The ethnologist Jean Boulbet found the site in 1969, but further exploration was cut short, and it became safe to visit again from 1989 (Wikipedia, Kbal Spean).

What you'll find

• Linga fields - grids of small carvings across the riverbed.
• Reclining Vishnu - the god on the serpent cut into the bank.
• The waterfall - the small fall at the top of the walk.
• Forest path - a rooty uphill scramble through Kulen foothill woodland.

When to go

July to December, when there is water in the river; by March and April it can run dry and the site loses much of its effect. The walk is hot at midday, so morning is better. The path is slippery in heavy rain.

Good to know

The walk up is a genuine forty-minute scramble over roots and rocks, not a stroll. In the dry season the river can be empty. Some carvings have been damaged by looters cutting heads away. It is a long drive from Siem Reap, usually combined with Banteay Srei.

Nearby

Banteay Srei lies south; Phnom Kulen is east.

Key facts