Date: Possibly 11th to 12th centuries
Style: Bapuon
Reign: Udayadityavarman II
Visit: 1 ½ hrs
Highlights
Location: 50 km northeast of Siem Reap The Siem Reap river (Stung Siem Reap in Khmer), which flows through the main Angkor group and the town of Siem Reap to drain into the Tonle Sap, rises in the western part of the Kulen Mountains north of Banteay Srei. One of its tributaries, the Stung Kbal Spean, flows into it from an outlying hill, the Phnom Kbal Spean. In these upper reaches,
it tumbles down the steep hillside, cutting through sandstone strata, and here, just above a fine waterfall, images of the gods have been carved directly into the river bed along a 150-metre stretch that was discovered only in 1968 by Jean Boulbet. Among these are groups of many stubby lingas arranged in rows, and these gave it its Sanskrit name, Sahasralinga, ‘River of a Thousand Lingas’.
it tumbles down the steep hillside, cutting through sandstone strata, and here, just above a fine waterfall, images of the gods have been carved directly into the river bed along a 150-metre stretch that was discovered only in 1968 by Jean Boulbet. Among these are groups of many stubby lingas arranged in rows, and these gave it its Sanskrit name, Sahasralinga, ‘River of a Thousand Lingas’.
The fields of lingas are indeed striking, but of greater sculptural interest are the several carvings of Vishnu Reclining in the stream bed. The other two members of the Hindu trinity, Shiva and Brahma, are also represented. Whether the carvings are dry or submerged depends on the water level and so the season, and they are probably at their most evocative at the end of the rainy season, when the fast-flowing water courses around but does not completely submerge the majority. Ever since the first Khmer ruler, Jayavarman II, proclaimed himself emperor ot the world in 802, these hills have been regarded as having deep historical and religious significance.
Fortunately, there are several inscriptions carved into the rock, and these date everything to the reign of Udayadityavarman II. With the exception of the one that refers to ‘a thousand lingas’, authored by an elder minister of Suryavarman I in 1054, these inscriptions, carved by hermits, do not refer directly to the sculptures. However, they are of the same period, clearly Bapuon style in 1059 King Udayadityavarman came here to consecrate a golden linga.
Plan
The rock-cut sculptures, some washed by rapids, others submerged in natural pools, and yet others on the rock faces above the water-line, cover a 150m stretch of the river between a natural stone bridge and a waterfall. There are four principal groups, in each case taking advantage of the natural features, which include outcrops, pools and vertical faces.