Phnom Bok

Construction : Late 9th/Early 10th century

Religion: Hindu (Shivaism)
Style : Bakheng
King : Yasovarman I   (889 – 910 )
Location : In North East of Eastern Baray, approximately 8 kilometers.

Phnom Bok forms part of the trilogy of the Temples Mountains of Phnom Bakheng, Phnom Krom and Phnom Bok, and dates at a few years close to the same time. Far from the tourist tours, it is visited rather little what gives an additional reason of going there and have a look. There are several manners of reaching it, we recommend the way which passes by Prasat To, where you will stop only just time to take a photograph, and which skirts then a splendid lake to arrive at the foot of the mountain. After a few tens of meters of a rocky way, you find yourself vis-a-vis a gigantic staircase of 635 steps – we counted them – which it is better to tackle when the weather is still fresh, in the early morning for example.

The exceptional sight that you discover while arriving in top is with the height of the efforts made to reach it. 360° of a landscape which extends on several tens of kilometres to the round, the rice plantations as far as the eye can see the forests and even the lake Tonle Sap perfectly visible. The guards who are on the spot and who thus make the rise every day, affirmed us that it came at least a tourist each day! The temple in itself on the other hand is rather disappointing; there remain only sections of wall and immense stone heaps. The question is to know how and in how much time these thousands of stones, of which some are enormous, could be conveyed until in top of this mountain. They spoke to us about a system of pulleys.

The guns of sad memories whose carcasses are still on the spot have appear it largely contributed to the collapse of the building. With the return, you will be able to take the way which leads to Banteay Samre to return to civilisation Kampuchean. Note that the Apsara ticket is not required for the visit of these ruins.