Sambo Preykuk

Sambo Preykuk is a social and chronicled site situated in Sambo town, Sambo collective, Prasat Sambo locale, around 25 kilometers upper east of Kampong Thom commonplace town. The site was at one time an old capital named Isanapura and a religious place for the love of Shiva Brahmanism. 

Numerous sanctuaries were inherent Sambo Preykuk amid the rule of King Isanavarman I (AD 616-635) in the seventh century. The sanctuaries of Sambo Preykuk built of strong block, laterite and sandstone and finished by bas-reliefs. The lintel, columns and the door jambs are all made of sandstone. As such, 140 sanctuaries have been found in the woodland. 

Sambor Prei Kuk, situated close Kompong Thom, 150km south-east of Siem Reap, lies off the principle street towards Cambodia?s capital Phnom Penh. 

Kompong Thom is a lethargic little town. The main hive of movement was the commercial center alongside the Stung Sen River where we purchased some chestnut palm sugar and Cambodian fragrant rice. The nearby ?taxi? was really an outside wooden truck pulled by an old-fashioned motorbike. Its proprietor was an elderly man wearing exhibitions with thick lenses. 

The excursion to Sambor Prei Kuk was fascinating in itself. We saw no different vehicles other than a solitary villager cycling into town, his bike weighed down with hand-made straw crate. Our van kicked up thick red dust as we sped on the laterite street. A lady scouring her garments close-by was unmindful of the dust that cleared over her. 

Keeping in mind that you engross pictures of fantastic sanctuary ruins likened to the magnificence of the wonderful Angkor Wat, you?d be baffled. Sambor Prei Kuk is a gathering of old sanctuary ruins scattered inside a shady backwoods. Initially called Isanapura, it pre-dates Angkor Wat and was the capital city amid the rule of King Isana Varman 1, the child of King Citrasena. 

Couple of voyagers know of it. The main ?crowd? here was a gathering of Cambodian children who raced to our transport, peddling brilliantly hued custom made scarves at US$1(RM3.50) each. Worked toward the end of the sixth century, the remnants are touted to be a portion of the most seasoned structures in the nation, covering a zone of 5sq km. 

Around 100 little sanctuaries are scattered all through the backwoods. Left in the open and not kept up, a portion of the structures are simply insignificant remainders of their unique building ? maybe a broken divider here, a vine-stifled structure there. There are 52 sanctuaries in conspicuous condition, and another 52 locales where the first structures are presently covered in the ground, obvious just as little slopes. 

All is not lost. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts together with the Waseda University, upheld by The Foundation for Cultural Heritage and the Sumitomo Fund have begun the Sambor Prei Kuk Conservation Project to reestablish these vestiges. 

The primary sanctuary bunch known as Prasat Sambor is committed to Gambhireshvara, one of Shiva?s numerous structures. A portion of the towers still hold their carvings. Numerous are negligible demolishes now secured by vegetation. 

As we strolled further, getting a charge out of the cool peacefulness of the shady trees, the little gathering of youngster sellers had developed to 20. The first band offering scarves had been joined by more seasoned youngsters selling armlets and knickknacks. They were exceptionally tenacious, dropping their costs to very nearly a fourth of the first as we neared the end of our visit. Sambor Prei Kuk does not coordinate the wonder of Angkor Wat. However its tranquil woods and isolation roll out a much welcome improvement from the human masses of its renowned cousin.