Sambor Prei Kuk Temple Area

The Sambor Prei Kuk Temple, the ancient site of the former capital of Isan Borei, is located in Kampong Thom Province, as a cultural property and was inscribed on the World Heritage List on 8 July 2017 at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Krakow, Poland. Sambor Prei Kuk Temple is located in Sambor Village, Sambor Commune, Sambor District, Kampong Thom Province. The temple is located along the Sen River, about 28 km northeast of Kampong Thom Provincial Capital, and about 181 km from the Angkor capital of Siem Reap Province, and about 170 km from Preah Vihear Temple in Preah Vihear Province, and about 196 km from Phnom Penh. Sambor Prei Kuk Temple is a cultural and historical site, about 37 km away, turn onto National Road 64, turn right on Sala Sektar, and cross Bos Sramoch Road. This road is flooded during the rainy season, but we can only travel to Sambor District. Built on a flat land with an area of 3,000 hectares. Sambor Prei Kuk Temple is an old capital called Isanpura, from that time it was a center of Brahmanism dedicated to Shiva or Isoism. The temple complex is built of mud bricks and stone, decorated with carvings on the bricks, poured with mortar, and made of brick panels, but some of them are now destroyed. The reliefs and inscriptions are in diamond letters, and the door frames are all made of sandstone. The temple was built during the reign of King Isanvarman I in the 7th century (616-635 AD). During the Chenla period, the Sambor Prei Kuk temple complex was abandoned since 1971 and was renovated in 1980. During the excavation of the forest, a total of 140 temples were found, and the remaining temples have not been found. The Sambor Prei Kuk site is divided into four main groups: the Northern Temple Group, the Central Temple Group, the Southern Temple Group, and the Kraol Romeas Temple Group.

+History of the Temple

The ancient capital where Sambor Prei Kuk Temple is currently found is identified as Isanpura, the capital of the Chenla period in the 7th century. Chenla, a former vassal state of the Vran kingdom, was one of the first states in Southeast Asia, but it was lost due to wars with the Phnom kingdom and the gradual rise of the Chenla kingdom by King Bhavavarman I and his brother King Mahendravarman I or Chitrasena until his son King Isanvarman I, son of King Mahendravarman I, successfully seized power from the Phnom kingdom, defeating the Phnom kingdom at its last capital, the capital of Naravanor or in Chinese, Nafuna, now on Angkor Wat, Takeo Province. Archaeological Features The main group of monuments is said to have been built by King Isanvarman I, son of King Chitrasena. The decoration, which features Khmer architecture and sculpture, is classified as the Sambor Prey Kuk style. The name comes from these monuments, which date to the first half of the 7th century. From this time on, it was a kingdom. In addition, several successive kings may have kept these monuments as their capitals. The century after the death of Jayavarman I, the last king of the kingdom, in the second half of the 7th century, was a dark period in the history of Chenla. However, it was revived by the accession of Jayavarman II, who established a new form of state administration, and during the Angkor period, other capitals were established, referred to as Angkor temples in the early 9th century. The decoration of the To Temple (central group) is similar to the style of temples belonging to the period of Jayavarman II, especially the lion sculptures similar to those found in Phnom Penh. For these reasons, the complex is said to have been built during this period. In addition, some inscriptions in the Sambor Temple (northern group) are dated to the 10th century, under the reign of that king, Rajaindravarman II. And the Rama Temple complex, located about 3 km north of the main temple area, has other inscriptions from the reign of Suryavarman I. Several other decorations and statues belonging to the late Angkor style are attested in these temples. This historical evidence suggests that these monuments must have belonged to important provincial principle cities after the pre-Angkor period. From the above historical point of view, this group of temples is of great importance not only for Cambodia, but also for the entire region of Southeast Asia, for they are the only remaining sound architectural structures, architectural and sculptural examples of the early period in considerable quantities.

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