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Beng Mealea
Beng Mealea:
is a spectacular jungle temple around 60 Kms drive to the north
east of Siem Reap. It is one of the "new "highlights of Cambodia; having
only been cleared of mines at the end of 2003.
Built by Jayarvaman VII; in the style of Angkor Wat; its scale is huge; being well
over one square Kilometre within its moat. Approached by a four
causeways; Beng Mealea appears to be a huge pile of rubble partially hidden
in the trees. Once you get closer the high walls, the ancient Khmer
Architecture reveals itself. Cloaked in vegetation and with few concessions
to tourism; this temple looks like it would have done when the early
French explorers found it.
A new road
linking Siem Reap to Beng Mealea was cut through the jungle in 2003 and is
now mostly paved. It takes around one and half hours to drive
here.
Beng Mealea is
not yet on the main tourist trail but word is spreading fast; so
come here now as this fabulous place will not stay like it is for too long!
Panorama of central Sanctuary (July 2004)
Beng Mealea surpasses even the famous Ta Prohm for
atmosphere. The whole site is bathed with dappled light from the jungle
canopy making it a fabulous temple for adventurous photographers. There are
many intricate carvings here; some just appear amongst the rubble.
Beng
Mealea has the most beautifully decorated Naga (serpent Head)
balustrades and some impressive lintels. The natural decoration is best seen
from May to November.
19th Century drawing by Louis Delaporte;
showing what the temple originally looked like.
click to enlarge |
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The Moat (1200x 900metres) |
Lightning Tree at south entrance
Destroyed in storm in 2005 |
SE Corner in dry season |
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Blind Lady at Beng Mealea
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South side with entrance ramp |
walls nr South entry
point |
Beng Mealea
is my favourite of all the accessible outlying temples. It is a
spectacular sight. To get the best out of it; agility and a head for heights
will be needed for some sections. There is a lot of climbing on walls and
over huge piles of rubble; from the many parts which have collapsed. Only a
small part of this ruin can be seen without some degree of climbing. There
are steps and ladders in a few places and to the south, access ramps built
for the “Two Brothers” film gives easy access to the central sanctuary.
We usually enter by a little used path which few visitors know about. It
is partially overgrown and mysterious. One can get a real sense of
discovering a real jungle temple this way. Scraps of stone and partially
hidden naga balustrade line the route. The huge ruin is concealed from view
until the spectacular West tower and cruciform terrace appears. A giant
buttressed sponge tree grows out of the upper level.
We breach a collapsed gallery and enter the western enclosures which are
thick with vegetation. Our route into the central area passes under a stone
causeway and up tumbled blocks to a narrow passage with impressive root
formations lining the walls.
From the end of this passage a head for heights is needed. There is a lot of
climbing and descending as we pass the two remaining concentric galleries to
the central sanctuary and tower which forms a rocky hillock with a tree
growing out of the summit.
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Beng Mealea South passage using 10mm wide
angle lens
window |
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Some parts of the temple are so
overgrown to be hard to reach and potentially hazardous so take care!
There are a number of different routes from here; but the most entertaining
involves climbing through a window and up a pile of large blocks to a
viewing platform then dropping down a ladder; over yet another high wall to
a dark passage once reputed to be the home of a tigress
I wondered whether the tiger story was a legend or fact until recently when
a friend working at a hospital told me of a hunter in the jungle 30kms away
was attacked by two tigers in July 2005. The man survived; but only after
killing one of the attackers. Don’t worry there is no risk of seeing a tiger
now as the last sighting of the tigress was over 10 years ago. |
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A spectacular colonnade is hard to reach |
There are some impressive trees
here too |
Churning of the Ocean of Milk with
Turtle |
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A few Kms east of Beng Mealea is the
little known mysterious temple of Kon Phluk. it is on the new
road linking Bang Mealea with Preah Khan Kompong Svay It is near the 3km long reservoir (long dried up) We will be adding this
temple to some of the Beng Mealea tours; where time
permits.
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