Koh Ker

Koh Ker is a temple-site with a story: it is a city in its own right, capital of the Khmer empire from 928 to 944 with its ruler Jayavarman IV.

The area of Koh Ker must have been prosperous in the period around the year 928 considering the large number of monuments built there, forming a solid base for a seizure of power. Its ruler, not founder, Jayavarman IV, became king of the Khmer empire in 928 , succeeding Ishanvarman II in a peaceful way. He decided to stay in Koh Ker while ruling the Khmer empire, thus abandoning Angkor as the capital. This must have been a shock to Khmer society but apparently the powerbase of Jayavarman IV was wide enough. Nevertheless, after his death, his successor Rajendravarman I moved the capital back to Angkor.

Even after Angkor became capital again, Koh Ker continued to play an important role in the Khmer empire, due to its key location: there was a direct road from Angkor to Preah Vihear via Beng Mealea and Koh Ker. After 2008, when Cambodia faced military struggles with Thailand, this road became important again so it was partially paved and improved year by year. Tourism benefits from this as more and more sites become easier accesible.

Not only the location of the capital was changed, the classical building style of a state temple representing Mount Meru was not continued. In stead, the existing style of Koh Ker was extended, finally resulting in what was to become the highest Khmer temple: Prasat Thom. Just like a few other important temples, the already existing Wat Phu (near Champasak in present day Laos ) or the future Preah Vihaer (on a top of the Damrek mountains bordering Thailand and Cambodia), the state temple of king Jayavarman IV was built in a line.

Nowadays, these temples are the main attraction of the Koh Ker region and very well accessible with few, but adequate facilities. However, the Koh Ker region has many more worthwhile sites, to name a few: Prasat Andong Kuk, Prasat Pir Chean, Prasat Damrei, the remains of the baray of Rahal, Prasat Balang, the scarce remains of historical dykes. The map pictured here shows the location of these sites. In practice, there will always be a driver with you from what ever transport you chose to come here, and please do stick with him and do listen to him, or ask him for an experienced local, for this one good reason: the area is largely demined, but not completely. The Khmer Rouge has been very active in this region before they retreated to the border with Thailand in 1979 and placed numerous landmines.

Koh Ker is about 100 km north east of Angkor. I went there in August 2011, that is in the rainy season, but with two preceding days without rain, the road was dry and reasonably clear of potholes. I spoke to a Japanse tourist who came there solo from Siem Reap with his Cambodian driver by motorbike (quite extraordinary for a Japanese tourist, he admitted), but especially in the rainy season it is safer and faster to take a private car, or taxi. The road from Siem Reap has a solid surface until the junction near the temple of Beng Mealea, where tickets for both temple complexes are sold. From there on, a sand road with a fairly solid surface leads to some unused tollgates and eventually to the Koh Ker area. Near Prasat Thom, there are tourist stalls for souvenirs and food and little further on there are toilets.

The drivers let me alone with the monuments, and with just 2 or 3 other visitors over this wide area, alone really means alone. However, when I tried to climb the temple using the wooden structure, the guide who inspected my ticket at entry showed up, prohibiting me from climbing. He said the wooden ladder was not safe, and the stone structure was not to be set foot on. What a pity: no climbing means no view from the top. Walking around the base of the pyramid proved to be very worthwhile instead.

During my visit, the atmosphere in Koh Ker was of an almost sacred kind. The quietness, the heavy, humid air, the bricks of the temple, the long grass, the flies, the shadows varying from pale with the sun behind a cloud or sharp, when it appeared again - it is like magic.The feeling of respect that it gave me must have been similar to that of a commoner while the temple was still in service.

Prasat Thom is large and impressive; the only other temple I visited, Prasat Damrei, is small, ruined and hidden in the jungle, but no less atmosperic.

With your driver it is important to make arrangements beforehand about the price of the taxi, tollgates, tickets, food and, if required, a local guide. I payed $65 for the taxi (of which $ 38 was used for gasoline), taxi payed the tollgates (twice about 5000 riel, so $ 1.25), I payed my own entrance tickets ( $ 5 for Koh Ker and $ 10 for Beng Mealea), I paid for the food (but the drivers had lunch already because they did not have breakfast), I did not hire a local guide (and saw other temples only from the road) but would have needed one since my two drivers did not know more than what the signs along the road told them (and me!). Because my combination with a visit to Beng Mealea, I only visited Prasat Thom and Prasat Damrei. When we were back in Siem Reap, just before dark, I gave both a tip of $ 5. So my total cost was slightly over $ 100, very satisfactory. I remember 22 August as a highlight of my holiday in Cambodia.

Advice: 1) travelling with more people reduces the personal cost (and, for that matter, the carbon-dioxide-footprint per person), 2) for real enthousiasts a visit only to Koh Ker (and not another site) is absolutely worth the time and money; for a tourist it is explorable in a day (historians, writers and fact-finders certainly need more days!), 3) a combination visit to Koh Ker with Beng Mealea is doable in one day. Leaving early is always recommended, the trip to Koh Ker takes about 3 hours by taxi, so count on 6 hours travelling time.

Jayavarman IV was succeeded by Rajendravarman I, who relocated the capital back to Angkor and is most credited for perfecting the classical building style of a temple-mountain with his state-temple of Pre Rup.

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