Mountain of the Great Indra. Today, the long gone city’s splendour lives on in stunning rock carvings depicting Hindu deities.
Hidden in the forest, the 11th century carvings have a wonderful history that attracts archaeological students and tourists curious about the ancient city. In Hindu-Buddhist belief, people consider mounds, cascades, valleys, storms, rain, thunder and spirits as guardians that look after forests and villages.
Overhanging rocks on mountains are also believed to be a sacred place to have temples or shrines, and though they are rare, carvings and ancient inscriptions of deities in such locations can still be found today. Among the already discovered carvings is Poeung Komnou, or Poeung Keng Korng, on the northern side of Kulen Mountain. It is located in Ta Siem commune’s Trapaing Toem village in Svay Leu district. There are several carvings depicting beautiful scenes from the Khmer Empire during the 11th century rule of Harshavarman III
The first one is an oval shaped rock depicting the Hindu God Vishnu sleeping on Adishesha (king of all nagas).The second rock carving is located in front of Vishnu and depicts an eight-handed Ganesha (the Hindu God with an elephant like head)
surrounded by three columns.
The third carving depicts many deities in green with inscriptions and animals, including Vishnu, Vamana and Shiva. About 40m from that carving is the fourth rock, Vishnu on a Garuda. “We know that stones to build Angkor Wat were brought from quarries at the base of the nearby Kulen Mountain. The temple was built with between five million and 10 million bricks, some weighing up 1,500kg per piece,” said Meas Sovannaroth, a tour guide from Siem Reap.
Plants and wild flowers blossom in rainy season on the green rock carvings. But today, some of the overhanging rocks on which the carvings are etched sit precariously.
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