Phnom Kulen

Phnom Kulen is the sandstone plateau from which the stone for Angkor was quarried, and Cambodians regard it as the most sacred mountain in the country. Its river runs over a stretch of bedrock carved with hundreds of lingas and images of Vishnu, so that the water passes over the carvings and is considered blessed by the time it reaches the villages below, and it then drops over a two-stage waterfall into a pool where families swim and picnic at weekends. Above the falls sits a large reclining Buddha carved from a single boulder on the summit, reached by steps and much visited by pilgrims. The forest around holds further shrines and quarry sites. It is a place of local pilgrimage as much as a sight, and it feels quite different from the temple circuit below.

History

Phnom Kulen is held to be the birthplace of the Khmer Empire: here, in 802, Jayavarman II proclaimed his independence from Java and began the cult of the god-king, and in Angkorian times the hills were called Mahendraparvata, the mountain of great Indra. Udayadityavarman II later made it his capital, with many temples and residences and the thousand lingas of Kbal Spean, and though Angkor eclipsed it, its water still fed the whole region (Wikipedia, Phnom Kulen).

What you'll find

• The waterfall - the two-stage falls and the bathing pool below.
• The riverbed carvings - lingas and deities cut into the rock beneath the flowing water.
• The reclining Buddha - the figure carved from a single boulder on the summit.
• The quarry sites - where the sandstone for Angkor was cut.

When to go

The falls are at their most powerful from around July to November after the rains, and reduced to a trickle late in the dry season, so time a visit accordingly. The access road is one-way, up in the morning and down in the afternoon, which fixes the shape of the day. Weekends bring Cambodian families in numbers.

What to expect

The entrance fee is separate from the Angkor pass and is charged in dollars, which surprises people. The access road runs one way at set hours, so you cannot come and go freely. Late in the dry season the waterfall can be disappointing. It is an active pilgrimage site, so cover shoulders and knees at the shrines and be conscious that families are bathing where you are photographing.

Nearby

Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea are in the same direction from Siem Reap; the Angkor temples lie south.

Key facts