Siem Reap : Kbal Spean

Kbal Spean is located 50 kilometers from Siem Reap and about 18 kilometers from Banteay Srei Temple. This place is known as the Valley of 1000 Lingas. The place is full of stone carvings in and around the Kbal Spean River. Most of these carvings were built from the 11th to 13th centuries. Kbal Spean was built by King Suryavarman I and completed by King Udayadityavarman II. Because the water flowing here was believed to be a source of prosperity and coolness, and was also used for agriculture, countless lingas were carved along the riverbed, from the north side of the upper part of the natural stone bridge down to the waterfall. Therefore, the Sanskrit inscriptions call this place Sa Preah Linga 1. Each one has a carved vagina as a throne attached to it. These carvings are scattered along the riverbed for about 200 meters, along the banks and on some of the cliffs. In addition, many sculptures feature the image of Vishnu rising from the middle of the ocean in the middle of the ocean. Brahma emerged from the navel of the river through a lotus flower to create a new world. The water that flows through and receives the magic from all these sculptures forms the river, which splits into the river and the river Siem Reap. The head of the bridge is the name of a large rock that is shaped like a stone bridge in the Kulen Mountains, with a river flowing through it. For the Angkor-era Khmer, this natural site was extremely sacred, because the water of this river, which also has a waterfall, sprinkled the Angkor Thom area before flowing into the Tonle Sap Lake after it meets the Siem Reap River. The sacred nature of the bridgehead can be reflected through the exquisite carvings in the Baphuon style, which are carved into the stone walls or along the riverbed, such as Vishnu or Narayana on a dragon, Shiva or Isa sitting on a lotus, and Brahma sitting on a lotus, and a sculpture of Shiva linga.