Kampot Province : Phnom Chhnok

Phnom Chhnok is an ancient temple built entirely of bricks, located in a cave, at least 40 meters above the ground. It is unique in Cambodia, located 12 kilometers east of Kampot province, about 20 minutes, on the road from Kampot to Kep, on the left, there will be a sign showing the way from the mouth of the gorge to Phnom Chea Ho He.

Many tourists have missed this beautiful, ancient historical place.

It is even more special for adventure lovers, they can walk through the cave to reach the temple, guided by small children. Not only is there a temple, we can also climb the mountain to see the scenery of the fields below. The Golden Cave of Darkness requires extreme caution. According to those who have visited, domestic visitors can enter for free, while foreign visitors may be required to pay a fee of one dollar. Phnom Chingok is located in Bus Trabek Village, Trapeang Pring Commune, Teuk Chhou District, Kampot Province. Phnom Chingok Temple dates back to the Chenla Culture Period, as well as the Kingdom Period. Caves with sacred characteristics were revered in the Kingdom of Cambodia today. The sacred nature of these caves can be reflected in the presence of some brick temples. Unlike the Phnom King Temple, which is located in a cave, Phnom Chingok Temple in Kampot Province is a purely brick temple, and its special feature is that this temple was built in a cave that is at least 40 meters above the ground. It is this special feature that made this temple so great and famous in the past. In addition, this site is an important monument in a time when the Khmer people were practicing Brahmanism. When we stepped into this brick temple, we found a natural stone lingam growing from the bottom of the mountain in the middle of the temple. We can confirm that this strange stone lingam originally had a vagina (yoni), but now it has broken into three pieces and been thrown away in the temple on the right. Recently, the village guards took the vagina part to repair and put it back in its original place, that is, they inserted the lingam as it was in its original state. Comparing the temple of Phnom Chhnok and the temple of Asram Maharu Si, it can be said that this temple is influenced by Angkor Borei culture. The construction of this temple in a cave shows a synthesis of ideology between the Khmer beliefs in this region and Indian beliefs. In fact, mountain worship occurred before the historical period. If you look closely, you will see that this temple has a single structure and is built on a single kern attached to the mountain wall, divided into two parts. The upper part has a four-tiered roof with a beautiful peak. This roof is shaped like a garlic bulb, which is very attractive. Below, you can see a pattern of horizontal lines, like the one under the Sambor Prei Kuk Temple or the Kok Preah That Temple. This temple is in the Malabar style of the late 6th and early 7th centuries of the Christian era. The features of the roof are the style of the phoung mala tassel as a bow, and in the middle of the wooden roof there is a round circle that has not yet been decorated with a bow. Please note that there are two other important temples in Kampot province, one near the Golden Boat, the Prasat Sutthong, and the other on Phnom Keng, which is not much different in age from the Phnom Chingk Temple, the Phnom Keng Temple.