Koh Ker & Beng Mealea Temple Full-Day Private Tour from Siem Reap

Driver pick you up at your hotel in the lobby at starting time selected 

Koh Ker was the capital of the Khmer Empire for a brief period, between 928-941 C.E. under its founder King Jayavarman IV. As yet, the only authentic, contemporary information about the political ideology of Angkor comes from the Koh Ker inscription which establishes a clear shift of Khmer political ideology from ‘rāja’ or king, to ‘rājya’ or the kingdom and its people. In support of this new ideology, no war was waged by Jayavarman IV; his reign was the most peaceful phase of the Khmer Empire, which enabled a cultural resurgence. This time of peace allowed Jayavarman IV to carry out projects of regional, social, economic and architectural development, town planning and rural infrastructure, of which the ensemble of monuments at Koh Ker bear testimony. 

This small temple is in a fair state of preservation, with three surviving sanctuary towers and two libraries. While its enclosure walls survive, the temple's east gopura no longer exists apart from its foundation stones. We do not know when precisely when the temple was constructed as it was never fully completed--note the unfinished lintels above all five of the doorways.

Beng Mealea is one of the most evocative Angkor temples around Siem Reap. A central tower lies in rubble with vines and roots slowly constricting walls adorned with ancient Khmer art. Through the dappled light of huge trees growing through the ruins, impressive carvings hint at the importance of this once great temple.