Kbal Spean is an archaeological site of the Angkorian era on the southwest slopes of the Kulen Hills, northeast of Angkor, in the Siem Reap district of Siem Reap province, Cambodia. It is situated along a 150m stretch of the Stung Kbal Spean River, 25km from the main group of monuments of Angkor.

The site consists of a series of stone-rock relief sculptures in river sandstone formations and benches. It is commonly known as the "Valley of a 1000 Lingas" or "The River of a Thousand Lingas". The motifs for the stone sculptures are mainly myriads of lingams (phallic symbol of the Hindu god Shiva), depicted as neatly arranged bumps covering the surface of a sandy stone and lingam-yoni drawings. There are also several Hindu mythological motifs, including portraits of the gods Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Lakshmi, Rama and Hanuman, as well as animals (cows and frogs).

Geography of Kbal Spean

Kbal Spean is described as "a spectacularly sculpted river bed, nestled in the jungle northeast of Angkor." The river over which the head of the bridge exists is also known as Stung Kbal Spean, a tributary of the Siem Reap River which rises in the Kulein Mountains to the north of Banteay Srei. The riverbed runs through the sandstone formations, and the many architectural sculptures of Hindu mythology were carved into the sandstone. The archaeological site occurs on a stretch of the river from 150 meters (490 feet) north of the bridgehead to the downstream falls. The river, being sanctified by flowing over the religious sculptures, flows downstream, bifurcating into the Siem Reap River and the Puok River, which eventually flows into Lake Tonlé Sap after passing through the plains and into the temple complex of Angkor.

The archaeological site is in the western part of the Kulein Mountains in the Phnom Kulen National Park. Approach is from the Banteay Srei temple by a road that is about 5 miles from an army camp. Subsequently, it is a 40-minute walk through the forest for about 2 km (1.2 mi) climbing along a path before reaching the first spot, a waterfall, where carved sculptures begin to appear on the riverbed .

History of the Kbal Spean Temple

The sculpture of vestiges began with the reign of King Suryavarman I and ended with the reign of King Udayadityavarman II; These two kings ruled between the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The 1,000 lanyards, but no other sculptures, are attributed to a minister of Suryavarman I during the 11th century, and these were carved by hermits living in the area. The inscriptions on the site testify to the fact that most of the sculpture was made during the reign of Udayadityavarman II. It is also mentioned that King Udayadityavarman II consecrated a golden lingo here in 1059 AD. It is believed that the Siem Reap River flowing to Angkor is blessed by the sacred lanyards over which it flows.

The archaeological site was discovered in 1969 by Jean Boulbet, an ethnologist, but a new exploration was halted due to the Cambodian Civil War. The site regained prominence for safe visits beginning in 1989.

Layout by Kbal Spean

The bridge is a natural sandstone arch 50km northeast of the Siem Reap River. Soon after the monsoon season, when the water level in the river begins to fall, the sculptures are visible on a 150-meter stretch (490 feet) upstream from the bridge and from the bridge downstream to the falls. The 11th century sculptures on this stretch of the river are a galaxy of gods, the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva or Maheswara and celestial beings; several sculptures of Vishnu with Lakshmi reclining on the serpent Ananta, Shiva with consort Uma, known as Umamaheswar Brahma on a lotus petal on a plant stem that rises from the navel of Vishnu, Rama and Hanuman are the sculptures not only seen in the bed of the river, but also on the banks of the river.

Sequentially, as you walk along a path leading off the eroded channel of the natural stone bridge formed by the river, you can see a pair of Vishnu sculptures with Lakshmi sitting at his feet in a reclining pose. Upstream from the bridge, there is a sculpture of Shiva and A mounted on the bull. Approximately 30 meters (98 feet) downstream from the bridge, there are additional Vishnu sculptures. Further downstream until the waterfall and even the water pool are the Sahasra lingas in Sanskrit with the English equivalent "Thousand Lingas". The lingams carved out of the sandstone outcrops of the thick sandstone river are seen about 6 meters (20 feet) downstream from the bridge. According to journalist Teppo Tukki of the Phnom Penh Post, who visited the site in 1995, the lingams, some of which date back to the 9th century, are about 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) square and 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) in.) Deep and lined up a perfect grid pattern. The river runs over them, covering them with 5 centimeters (2.0 inches) of crystal clear water. The sacred objects are designed to create a "path of power for the Khmer kings."