Prah Kahn is not one of the "all-stars" of the Angkor ruins, but only because it gets overshadowed by over-achiever Ta Prohm.
Like Ta Prohm, Prah Kahn has been left to the jungle, whose giant trees and multi-colored lichen make a slow meal of the temple's stone corridors and multudinous rooms. Between the two, Ta Prohm is probably more"dramatic," but Prah Kahn is fascinating in it's own right, and in fact turned out to be my favorite temple.
The temple is laid out like a giant cross, with a very long central passageway (through with you can see from end to end, over 200 meters) intersected by a wide perpendicular corridor. All along these main arteries branch smaller passages, which themselves open to breezeways, courtyards, and rooms of all sizes.
The central sanctuary is fairly well preserved, but as you make your way toward the outer walls from the central passageway, the passages are increasingly littered with fallen stones, jumbled walls, and tree roots worming through the cracks.
To reach the outer wall itself, you literally have to climb through tiny openings and cross pitch black rooms — don't worry, that sinking feeling in your stomach goes away when you break back into the sunlight!
Prah Kahn is also home to an interesting exhibit on the complex process of preserving and re-enforcing the ancient temples. It's worth checking out, as you're likely to find at least one or two temples undergoing structural renovation during your visit.
The Roluos Group
The Ruluos Group is a loose cluster of three temples — Lolei, Prah Ko, and Bakong — lying eleven kilometers from Siem Riep.
Dating from the late ninth century, the Ruluos temples are the oldest temples in the Angkor complex, and together they comprised the first coherent capital of the Khmer Empire. As such, they make an interesting visit, although of the three temples, Bakong is really the only one of particular aesthetic interest.
Bakong is built in a classic pyramid shape with five tiers and a central sanctuary on top. Stairways lead up all four sides, and are flanked by stone lions at each landing. The view from the top is excellent, and it's not a bad place to spend a sunset, though you shouldn't linger too long, since it gets dark fast and you've still got a twenty minute motorbike ride to get home.
Encircling the base of the central tower are eight small sanctuaries, an architectural composition that is very common in the Angkor temples. Typically — and Bakong is no exception — the large stone block above the sanctuary's entryway (called a "lintel") is decorated with intricate carvings, and false doors may also be carved with the figures of Hindi deities. The other Ruluos temples, Lolei and Prah Ko, are less notable, as they are quite rundown.
One peculiar note: Dawn Rooney warns visitors to Lolei to "be careful of the ants," which struck me as an odd inclusion to her book. But sure enough, as I was leaving Lolei I felt a little bite, and I soon discovered I was crawling with ants. Fortunately they seem to have weak jaws, and were more of a nuisance that anything. But it goes to show you that Dawn sure knows her stuff!
East Mebon
Along with their temples, the Khmers were notable for their skill in irrigation and water management.
Among their most lofty accomplishments were the West and East Barays, massive artificial lakes, perfectly rectangular in design. Spanning fourteen and sixteen square kilometers, respectively, East and West Baray were used to irrigate thousands of acres of surrounding farmland.
A temple was built in the middle of each lake, to be visited only by boat. Nowadays, East Baray has been drained, and the temple — East Mebon — is approachable by motorbike. West Baray is still filled with water, but boat service has all but ceased, making the temple there inaccessible.
East Mebon is an intriguing site, primarily for the nearly-lifesize stone elephants perched on the corners of its tiers. Each elephant appears to have been carved from a single block of stone, and it marvels the mind to imagine moving, lifting, and carving such gigantic chunks of granite.
Smaller stone lions, of equal artistry, line the stairways leading up to the central platform. From the top, the lakebed, now covered in rice fields, stretches below you in all directions. As in all the temples, you are left to imagine what it was like back then, when the Khmer people built temples to their kings and gods, and the world was a much different place.
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