Phnom Da is located in Prek Ta Phor village, Kork Thalork commune,
Angkor Borei district, about 24 kilometers east of Takeo provincial town
by water canal or about 102 kilometers south of Phnom Penh by the road.
This part of the country is flooded six months of the year, during the
rainy
season, and dry the rest of the year.Phnom Da is a cultural,
historical site that has been renovated to provide visitors a place to
relax or research Cambodian history. The scenery is beautiful all year.
In the rainy season, there is a vast water basin that produces lush,
green rice paddies during the dry season.
Phnom Da temple was
built on the top of a small hill in 6th century by King Rutravarman, who
reigned during the Norkor Phnom period, according to the French
historian Mibreno. The temple is 12 meters square and 18 meters high. It
was constructed of laterite, brick and sandstone. A Brahman temple, it
faces north towards Norkor Kork Thalork, which was the capital of Nokor
Phnom at the time the temple was built. There is no rampart.
The
temple's peak is damaged, and a sculpture depicting the story of
Churning of the Ocean of Milk(Cambodian calls Ko Samutra Teuk Dos) has
been broken into two parts. A lintel illustrates the figure of sleeping
Vishnu. There are false doors on three sides and a real door that opens
on the north side.
In the flank of the hill are five man-made
caves that reflect the style of Phnom Da, which is similar to India
style. In each cave, there is a Shiva lingam and Uma yoni, objects that
Brahmans worship. During the Pol Pot regime, between 1975 and 1979, the
caves were used as cremation places by the Khmer Rouge.
About 300
meters southwest of the temple is another smaller temple known as Asrom
Moha Eysei. Built at the end of the 6th century in Zhenla Period,
during the reign of King Pavavarman I, the temple has five windows and
two doors. It is 5.5 meters square and 7 meters high, it is built in the
Indian
style and features a double wall of basalt that faces north.In 1992, a
number of clergymen and nuns built a pagoda south of the hill. It is
called Phnom Da pagoda.Nearly three decades of war have left the road
from Phnom Chiso to Angkor Borei district in poor condition; during the
rainy season, flooding makes it impassable. Nevertheless, the site
attracts foreign tourists and many Cambodians interested in researching
Cambodian history during the Koh
Kork Thlork Period.After 1979,
the Takeo provincial authority constructed a canal, Canal 15, which
links Takeo provincial town to Angkor Borei district. This has made
access easier since the road between Angkor Borei and Phnom Da is still
difficult to travel, especially during the rainy season, when it floods.
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