KULEN MOUNTAIN National Park
The plateau of
Phnom Kulen “Mountain of the Lychees”, also called Kulen Mountain, is located 40 kilometers northeast of the
Angkor World Heritage Site and Siem Reap town, in northwestern Cambodia. The
plateau extends over an area of 25 by 10 kilometers and is covered by a series of
hills with an altitude ranging from 300 to 500 meters.
Ravaged by civil
war and neglected for many years, Phnom Kulen remains largely unexplored until
this day and contains a myriad of significant archaeological sites – from
sculpted riverbeds and caves to ancient hydraulic structures and 1200-year old
temples. More research needs to be conducted to retrace the history of the
area, which was occupied through the whole Angkorian period. It is also a
complex environment, with a growing population and many environmental
challenges. Phnom Kulen is a popular destination for Cambodian people.
A bit of history
Eight centuries ago, much of
what is today known as Southeast Asia was ruled from Cambodia, where the Khmer
people's vast Angkorian Empire flourished. From its historic capital, seated
beneath a tropical forest on the plateau of the Phnom Kulen, one of the World
most amazing civilisations was born....
According to ancient
inscriptions, Phnom Kulen is considered to be the birthplace of the ancient
Khmer Empire, for it was there that King Jayavarman II proclaimed independence
from “Java” in 802 CE. During the Angkorian era, the relief was known as Mahendraparvata
(“Mountain of Great Indra”).
Starting from the end of the
Eighth century, Phnom Kulen, with its 30 brick temples, was one of the first royal
capitals of the Angkor region. These sites thus have great historical and
sacred value, for both Cambodians and the international community. As of today,
they are the few remnants of the cradle of an amazing civilisation.
After centralizing its power,
the Khmer empire created an enormous political and religious centre, from which
it dominated most of Southeast Asia for more than six hundred years, from the
Ninth to the Fifteenth Century. Remains like inscriptions, sculpted caves and
carved riverbeds indicate that the mountain remained occupied throughout the
Angkorian period (802-1432 CE), even after the capital was moved to Roluos then
Angkor.
Visit Phnom Kulen
Just two hours away from the
Angkor temples, Phnom Kulen is a popular tourism destination in
Cambodia. It is an important pilgrimage site for Cambodian people and,
along with the jungles surrounding Angkor, one of the few remaining tropical
forests in northwest Cambodia.
Recognising its environmental and historical value and trying to protect the
area, the government of Cambodia classified the whole range of hills as a
protected area in 1993, under the name Phnom Kulen National Park. In
December 2012, recognising its exceptional historical value, UNESCO recommended that Phnom Kulen be classified as World
Heritage Site.
Every day, hundreds of Cambodian visitors, even thousands during annual
celebrations, converge from all over the country to Phnom Kulen, an
important pilgrimage site for them. The most famous tourism spots of
Kulen are the waterfall, the River of the One Thousand Lingas, the reclining
Buddha of Preah Ang Thom, as well as the sandstone elephant of Srah Damrei.
Dozens more temples and rock shelters, some of them dating back as far as the
Eighth and Ninth Century, are still inaccessible as of today. Day trips from
Siem Reap are run by local travel agents but they will only bring you to the
waterfall and the River of 1,000 Lingas. To access other sites, you will need
the services of specialised tour agencies.
Read more: http://www.adfkulen.org/
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