Phnom Kulen Linga River

The river of 1,000 lingas owes its name to the images of Hindu gods, their spouses and the over 1,000 lingas carved on the bed and river banks of the Siem Reap river in Phnom Kulen. The lingas are symbol of God Shiva's essence and were built to purify the water of the river and make it fertile to then irrigate the rice fields. Along with the lingas, we find various carvings in the river bank depicting various scenes and inscriptions. The most recurrent scene is the recreation of the world fallen into chaos. The carvings and lingas date back to the reign of King Udayadityavarman II and the manpower and technics used to create them over a thousand years ago have surprised archaeologists and scholars, as the King had the course of the river altered in order to carve the lingas on the river bed.

A visit to the river can be combined with a visit to other attractions a Phnom Kulen and other Siem Reap temples further afield, such as Banteay Srei.