Oddar Meanchey Province : Ta Moan Thom Temple

Ta Moan Temple is located in Kou Village, Ampil Commune, Banteay Ampil District, Oddar Meanchey Province, on National Road No. 56, 48 kilometers from Samrong City. From Ta Moan Thom Temple to Ta Moan Toch Temple, there is a distance of nearly 2 kilometers. Ta Moan Thom Temple is 60mX60m, built of sandstone, on the back of Dang Rek Mountain. This temple has already been registered as a heritage site by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. According to the assessment of archaeologists, the architecture of this temple has already been built, but in terms of sculpture, we see that there are many areas of the temple that have not been carved. In addition, Ta Moan Temple has a wall surrounding it facing south. Why? This is according to the necessary requirements of the geographical location, which is a plateau, this point faces south. The entire temple is built into the ground. Those who have studied ancient Khmer architecture and art can agree that this temple is the work of King Suryavarman I, if not from that era or reign (the first part of the 11th century), although there are no inscriptions and no sculptures.

According to some sources, the temple of Ta Moan was built in the 11th century, during the reigns of King Suryavarman I (1002-1050) and King Udayadityavarman II (1050-1066). The architectural structure and decorations in the halls and courtyards of the temple indicate that it is in the Khleang and Baphuon style and dedicated to Lord Shiva. In this temple, there is a pillar of Lord Shiva, called the “Svayambhuva Linga” meaning the Linga arises spontaneously. The “Svayambhuva Linga” is a very special place for ancient times, and the Khmer people still believe in it to this day.

In this temple site, it was a monastery in the pre-Angkor era, according to inscriptions in the reign of King Suryavarman I.

Another interesting thing is that they did not level the ground for construction, but built it directly on the mountain rock by just leveling it and probably taking the stones there to build the temple. As for the statue, we have not seen anything except in one room with a natural statue. This is a stone that has grown straight up, which the ancient Khmers considered to be a linga. Please note that there are two types of linga. The linga that is carved by people and can be moved to a different place, which is usually buried in the vagina, is called “Sthabit Linga”. The stone that is attached to the ground and has a shape that can be considered a linga is called “Svayambhuva Linga”, which means a linga that occurs spontaneously. The veneration of the two lingas is the same, but the linga itself here is connected to the outside of the temple compound through a stone groove or a water spout, "Som Sutra", which is prepared for the water used in the linga ritual, and flows out for the devotees to use in their respective faiths.