Koch Ker

Koh Ker Temple Complex is located in Cambodia. Hundreds of temples and sanctuaries were built on the territory of the artificial reservoir of Rohal. Temples were built in honor of the god Shiva, who was the main one in the dominant religion. The construction took place under the leadership of King Jayavarman IV, it was he who made the built city the capital of the Cambodian Empire. The new capital has existed for twenty years.

There is also a legend about the Koh Ker complex, for which the king had a connection with the devil himself by making a deal with him.

Nowadays, many buildings are represented as ruins, but some structures still managed to be preserved. The main building of this area is the Prasat Tom.

For a long time, the territory of Koh Ker was surveyed for mines, only after carrying out mine clearance work, in 2002 the temple complex was opened to tourists. At this hour, there is no full-fledged road to the temple complex. There are three anomalous zones on the territory of the sacred buildings, as evidenced by the trees that have grown in a curved form.

The pyramid of the temple of Prasata Toma consists of seven steps with a height of 32 meters. The number seven was chosen for a reason, in Buddhism it symbolizes ascent, and the pyramid itself is an ascent to the "highest." The pyramid structure is built of huge blocks. A shaft runs vertically down 15 meters from the top of the pyramid, which is famous for myths and legends associated with mystical phenomena. It was believed that this place was the entrance to the underworld, through which donations were made to the demon Mara. The payment was made not only in gold and jewels, but also in human lives, which Jayavarman IV dumped his subjects inside as sacrifices. The pyramid of Koh Ker temple complex is covered with mysteries and riddles. For some unknown reason, its coordinates are not recorded by GPS navigators. Neither birds nor small animals live near the pyramid. For security reasons, the entrance to the top through the stairs is closed to tourists. The tiers are overgrown with vegetation.

A statue of the mythical bird of the god Vishnu stood more than four meters high on the top of Prasat Tom. The Garuda bird has been well preserved to our times, but in 2002 it was moved from the pyramid to the museum apartments located in Phnom Penh.

There are several other temples located on the territory of Koh Ker, which are poorly preserved to this day. Their remains can be observed in the thickets of grass and trees. The most important of them are Prasat Krach and the temple-mount Prasat Prang.