Kulen Mountain National Park,Siem Reap Province

The Kulen Mountain or Phnom Kulen is declared as a National Park. It is an isolated mountain massif located in Svay Leu District and some 48km from Siem Reap. Its highest point is 487 meters.

Constructed: 9th century C.E.
Religion: Hindu
King/Patron: Jayavarman II
Style: Kulen






This is widely regarded as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer Empire. During the constructional period of the ancient temples in the nineth century, sand stones were brought from this sacred mountain to Angkor.  It was here at Phnom Kulen that King Jayavarman II proclaimed independence from Java in 802 A.D.

The site is known for its carvings representing fertility and its waters hold special significance to the people of Cambodia. Just a few inches under the surface of the water, over 1000 carvings of Yoni and Linga are etched into the sandstone riverbed. The waters are regarded as holy, given the sacred carvings which also include a stone representation of the Hindu god Vishnu lying on his serpent Ananta, with his wife Lakshmi at his feet. A lotus flower protrudes from Vishnu’s navel bearing the god Brahma. The river then ends with a beautiful waterfall.  Phnom Kulen is regarded highly by Cambodian people as a sacred location and has developed into a great tour destination.

Archaeological sites
Indra. Prasat Koki (Phnom Kulen). 9th century
Phnom Kulen National Park is located in Svay Leu District about 48 km from the provincial town of Siem Reap and about 25 km from Prasat Banteay Srey via Charles De Gaulle Road. At Phnom Kulen there are several attractive places, such as:[3]

Chup Preah
Chup Preah is the plain spot where having cool water flows and is located at the mountain’s valley. Next to it, there is a rare big tree of Cham Pa having 0.7 meter diameter and 15-meter height. At Chup Preah, there is a big Buddhist statue and many other small statues made during 16th century.

Linga 1,000
Linga 1,000 (is located on the mountain, along the Kbal Spean River, which is tributary of Siem Reap River and has a lot of figures of Yoni and Linga spreading out at the bottom of the river.