SIEM REAP — From the Kulen mountain to the floodplains of the Tonle Sap lake, historical sites abound in Siem Reap city and its surroundings. One of them is Phnom Krom temple that sits on a hill overlooking the vast freshwater lake, the endless rice paddies and present-day Siem Reap.

This temple that has been described as early architecture in a dramatic setting has stood firm over more than 1,000 years in spite of neglect and the elements. Today, the area is a choice destination for family outings and picnics on the mountain slopes, for running in the fresh air as its elevated road is perfect for mountain running, and as a site for foreigners or Cambodians to visit with its centuries-old temple, its Buddhist monastery below, and its view that turns spectacular at sunset and rivals that of Phnom Bakheng.

During an interview, Ros Visoth, conservation officer with the APSARA National Authority—the government institution tasked to preserve and manage the Angkor Archaeological Park—explained the distant and recent history of the temple.

Sem Vanna: Who built Phnom Krom temple and what is its relation with other temples set on mountains in the Siem Reap area?

Ros Visoth: The temple of Phnom Krom was built by King Yasovarman I who reigned over the Khmer Empire from 889 to 910. During his reign, the king relocated the centre of power from the city of Hariharalaya, which was around 20 kilometres south of present-day Siem Reap city, to this new location called Yasodharapura with Phnom Bakheng temple being at the centre of power. However, this did not mean that the former city was abandoned. The king also left the temple of Lolei he dedicated to his ancestors in the city of Hariharalaya. During his reign, a number of other mountain temples such as Phnom Krom, Phnom Bakheng and Phnom Bok were built.

Phnom Krom literally means “temple of the lower mountain,” referring to its location next to the Tonle Sap lake that sits at a lower elevation. The name of Phnom Bakheng, which is also called Phnom Kandal temple, literally means “the temple of the middle mountain,” which implies being at the centre of power. There are also other temples north of Phnom Bakheng, such as Phnom Bok that is located at a higher elevation.

Both Phnom Krom and Phnom Bok look strikingly similar with their three main towers resting on platforms surrounded by smaller towers made either of stones or bricks. The central tower is dedicated to Shiva, the northern tower to Vishnu and the southern tower to Brahma, the three divinities of the Hindu trinity.

Here at Phnom Krom, some laterite stones around the towers have holes, which suggests to us that in the past, there might have been wooden pillars and wooden structures here covered with clay tiles and so on. This site was restored many decades ago by the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO, that is French School of Asian Studies).

Although Phnom Krom was built as a Hindu temple, when Theravada Buddhism spread in the kingdom, it is believed that a Buddhist monastery was built and has been present at the site since the 14th century. This might be as old as some of the oldest known Buddhist monasteries around the ancient city of Angkor Thom.

Sem Vanna: Why are the stones here so damaged?

Ros Visoth: This temple was damaged over time due to natural factors and human factors. Let us start with nature. The Phnom Krom temple was built on a 140-metre-high mountain right at the edge of the Tonle Sap lake, an area with strong winds and heavy rains during the monsoon season. In addition, this mountain does not have a lot of large trees to help reduce wind strength. Since the towers were built of sandstones, the cycles between hot and humid weather led to layers of cracks over time.

It is known that sandstones get set in layers horizontally. However, to build higher temples, it is more convenient to put the sandstones vertically…At first it was fine. But over time, when the layers started to show decay, stones with vertical cracks simply could not withstand as much stress as those with horizontal cracks.

Also, not all pieces of stone form the same way in nature. There will always be stronger stones and weaker stones. This means that the rate of decay can very much vary between blocks.

On the human side, because of its strategic location, Phnom Krom was used to station artillery weapons in times of conflicts in the late 20th century. Plus, explosives were used here to extract stones from the mountain during the 1980s. All these tense vibrations damaged the temple one way or another.

The temple is closely monitored by Cambodian and international experts. In 2004, a decision was made to use wooden beams to support the temple from the inside. In 2008, another decision was made to use steel ropes to help prevent the upper portion of the temple from collapsing. This is what we can do as of now.

The smaller brick towers are also in need of restoration. If not, more and more layers of bricks will continue to loosen and fall apart. Initially, these brick towers were coated with stucco that helped keep the water out. Once the stucco vanished, the bricks were left at the mercy of insects, plants and water. The lower parts of the structures also decay relatively quickly as it is more exposed to the water at ground level.

Sem Vanna: People coming here often wonder what the recent structure at the back of the temple is? Was it recently built and by whom?

Ros Visoth: Not much is known about this structure in ruins, but it was built by the French somewhere during the 1940s or 1950s. There is also a huge well here to store water. The structure has been floored to the ground, leaving only a small house here at the back, doorless and roofless. In 2003, our team restored this small house and kept it as a storage room.

- Why should people visit Phnom Krom? -

Going to Phnom Krom is an opportunity not only to visit a 1,000-year-old site located a short distance from Siem Reap city, but also to see a rural community today.

First, from the mountain on which Phnom Krom in set, one gets an amazing view of the Siem Reap area, comparable to that from Phnom Bakheng or when getting in the tethered helium Angkor Balloon. The temple on this mountain is surrounded by the Tonle Sap lake, floodplains with rice paddies, villager houses on stilts, freshwater port, and a view of Siem Reap city in the distance with each house twinkling like a small star over the horizon against the blue sky. Visitors walking around the peak of the mountain get a view of the whole area.

Second, Phnom Krom has gentle slopes perfect as picnic areas, and also parking space. Especially on weekends, many people sit on mats and enjoy dinner at sunset. Small food vendors often come, selling local food such as fried shrimp, papaya salad, boiled eggs with pepper, grilled beef, snails, eels, and more.

Third, Phnom Krom is also fine for casual walks, jogging and cycling. For a more intense workout, visitors can climb the steeper rocky slopes making sure to use caution. Runners can also go up the pagoda staircases or the curvy concrete road up the mountain.

Fourth, Phnom Krom is usually quieter in the morning. For those who prefer being alone or being in the tranquillity of nature, a morning at Phnom Krom will not be a bad plan.

Fifth, Phnom Krom is significant both in historical and religious terms. As mentioned earlier, the Phnom Krom temple and its Buddhist pagoda are important for the area, and have been of interest to history enthusiasts and researchers.

- How to get to Phnom Krom? -

There are basically two ways to get to Phnom Krom from Siem Reap city; they pretty much start and end at the same place.

The first option is by the road along the Siem Reap river starting from the area in town known as Pub Street. Since the river is curvy, so is the road running along it. While this way is longer, it takes people through rural areas with villages, pagodas, fish markets, wooden houses and more. This path is around 13 kilometres long, that is maybe 20 minutes on a motorcycle. This road is smaller than the road of the second option.

The second option is by the Phsar Krom road that makes the trip around 3 kilometres shorter. This path offers a brief view of the Phsar Krom fish market and rice paddies. Visitors can see Phnom Krom temple in the distance when using this road, which is also wider than the other one.

Getting to the top of the mountain is fairly easy. Visitors can choose to walk up the mountain using staircases or the curvy concrete road that motorcycles and cars use. Or they can park their vehicles midway to the top in the small parking area. Visitors can also get to the top from the pagoda, which is a short walk up the staircase after parking their vehicles.

Foreigners need an Angkor Pass to enter this temple. Visitors can stay until dusk and enjoy the sunset.