Koh Ker Pyramid Temple

Koh Ker was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 17 September 2023 during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Koh Ker is a remote archaeological site in the northern part of Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia, about 120 km from Siem Reap and is an Angkor site. It is a sparsely populated area with many forests. More than 180 shelters have been found in the protected area, which covers an area of 81 km2. The area has not been completely demined. Koh Ker was built during the reign of King Jayavarman IV, dedicated to the Hindu god Isa. The temple was originally named (Chokkakarya) or the land of the former capital of Lingapura, now called the former capital of Koh Ker. It covers an area of 16 x 16 km2 and includes 98 temples. This 7-story, 35-meter-high temple was built in ancient times as a place of worship for Hindus. Koh Ker is the modern name for an important city of the Khmer Empire. In inscriptions, the city is described as Lingapura or Chok Kakar. Koh Ker or Chok Kakar is an ancient capital city, estimated to be over 1,000 years old. Chok Kakar is an ancient Khmer word, which means Boeung Kakir or Sra Kakir in modern terms. The word Chok Kakar is the modern name for Koh Ker. Koh Ker was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 17 September 2023 during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Koh Ker Temple was built during the reign of King Jayavarman IV, dedicated to a deity named Triphuvaneswara, whose inscription in Khmer means "rarely decorated by the king", the main deity or giver of happiness in the ceremony of worshiping the gods and the people. This temple, originally called Chak Kakir or Phay Dee Kok Kakir, is now called the former capital of Koh Ker, with an area of 16X16 km. The temple has 7 floors and a height of 35 meters. In the Koh Ker area, in an area of 9 km, there are currently about 100 temples built since ancient times for worship according to Hinduism. The former capital of Khmer is over 1,000 years old. In 921, King Jayavarman IV left his capital at Yasodharapura (Angkor) to build his own capital at Chok Kagya (present-day Koh Ker). He took with him the Jagattarajah, an important royal treasure. The exact reason for his departure is still unknown. One thing we can agree on is that he (Jayavarman IV) may have had problems (a dispute over the throne?) with his two nephews, the sons of King Yasodharavarman I (889-910), King Hasaravarman I (910-923) and King Isanvarman II (923-928), when their father died. Upon arriving at the new location (Koh Ker), King Jayavarman IV began to organize the city, building a large temple (dedicated to ancestors) and a 7-tiered temple (dedicated to the king) for the kingdom and dedicated to the deity Triphuvanesvara (Preah Isora), building a rahal (baray) and many other structures for public use. According to the Neang Khmao Temple inscription (Samrong District, Takeo Province) and the Suk Kak Thom inscription, King Jayavarman IV declared himself king of the country in 928. We have found more than 70 temple structures on Koh Ker (including ancient mounds). According to architectural studies, the oldest temples are mostly brick temples (built between 921-928), followed by Thma Phek Temple (probably started construction in 928) and Thma Bay Kriem Temple (built between 930 and the end of the reign in 941). In 944, King Rajendravarman II moved the capital back to Angkor, building the Pre-Ruap Temple (for the king) and the Mebon Temple (for the ancestors). Although Koh Ker was the Khmer capital for just over 20 years, the construction and development here seemed to be planned in advance and had a clear plan, including the expansion of the city, the selection of sites for the construction of monuments and other places dedicated to the gods Isa, Vishnu, Brahma, Ganesha and other gods in the Hindu faith, especially the construction of large lingas. Having gone through centuries of war, Koh Ker has suffered extensive damage from nature and man. The Koh Ker area was a battleground during the 30-year civil war (1970-1998), and the looting of ancient temples and the destruction of national heritage assets occurred in an anarchic and severe manner, causing many temples to collapse to the ground. From 1970, the Koh Ker area was under the control of the Khmer Rouge army. Until 1998, after the Khmer Rouge army was integrated into the government, the Koh Ker area was reopened to the public, but there were still landmines scattered throughout the temple area.

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