"Kulen Mountain is a national park and waterfall which most attractive place in Siem Reap. Also known greatest heritage site where the birthplace of the Khmer people which grew out from the kingdoms of Funan and Chenla to the Khmer empire and also where king Jayavarman II proclaimed Cambodia’s independence from Javanese dominion to be the Khmer empire "Universal monarch" in AD 802. Phnom Kulen was a capital city named Mahendraparvata, “Mountain of Indra, the King of the Gods”. It was a thriving city around the size of 40/50 km square of the plateau and later on, the capital was moved to Hariharalaya presently named Roluos in the Bakong district of Siem Reap."
Site Info
Phnom Kulen has an official Khmer name is Preah Cheyvaraman-Norodom Phnom Kulen National Park (Khmer: ឧទ្យានជាតិព្រះជ័យវរ្ម័ន-នរោត្តម ភ្នំគូលែន). Phnom Kulen range is located 30 km northeast of the Angkor archaeological site, Siem Reap province, northwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It is registered since 1992 on the Government of Cambodia’s tentative list as a World Heritage potential cultural site, with the criteria V and VI.
Phnom Kulen means the Mountain of Leeches in Khmer. According to the old Khmer inscriptions (and particularly Sdok Kak Thom inscription), the mountain is known as Mahendraparvata, the mountain of the Great Indra, an ancient city established at the late 8th-early 9th-centuries, comprising several temples, the religious remains of this former capital of the Khmer Empire. Archaeologists believe that the stone used to build the ancient city of Angkor was taken from Kulen Mountain.
The capital was settled on the plateau, located 70 Km to the south of the Dangrek Mountains which is one of two a long rank mountain of Cambodia, and 30 Km away from the great Tonle Sap Lake. Today, the Phnom Kulen National Park is a 37,375 hectares protected area, located in Banteay Srey, Svay Leu, and Varin districts, in Siem Reap province.
Phnom Kulen is a mountain that Cambodians consider a sacred place of worship for Cambodia, a place of worship for Hindu and Buddhist clergy, and an important symbol of the Cambodian people that represented to the birthplace of Khmer.
According to the legacy story of Kulen Mountain or Phnom Kulen is the origin of the Khmer birth, which is said to be: Originally, there was Preah Thong or in the national documents named prince Koden as an Indian, came to marry the dragon princess or in the national documents named Princess Soma in Koh Kork Thlok (an island name) or called Phnom Kulen today. These two kings will be the source of the Moon dynasty. For the sake of the new couple, the Dragon King held the sea dry and created a huge hell for his children. The symbols of Preah Thong and Neak Neak also entered the Khmer tradition, which is revered today.
There are several natural features, historical places, and other sights making Kulen National Park an interesting place to visit. Moreover, there are 20 temples found in the mountain. The main attractive sites are the following:
** Waterfall: There are two main waterfalls in Phnom Kulen: First waterfall: 4–5 meters tall and around 25 meters wide during the rainy seasons. Second waterfall: 15–20 meters tall and around 15 meters wide during the rainy seasons. The size of the waterfalls varies according to the seasons and the rain. Khmer people are known as "Choub Preah" (means Catching God) which is a waterfall flowing in a valley.
*** Preah Ang Thom: is an 8 meters tall statue of the reclining Buddha reaching nirvana built in the 16th century. The statue is carved into a huge sandstone boulder. Preah Ang Thom is the sacred and worshipping god for Phnom Kulen. There are also two big trees of Cham Pa at nearby. Besides Preah Ang Thom, there are Chhok Ruot, the footprint of Preah Bat Choan Tuk, Peung Chhok, Peung Ey So, and Peung Ey Sey.
**River of 1000 Lingas, divided into three ports for the Hindu trinity gods, and with a riverbed filled with thousands of unique, ancient carvings.
Site Facts
Name: Phnom Kulen National Park & Waterfall /Kulen Mountain
Completed date: N/A
Deity: N/A
Affiliation: Hinduism & Buddhism
Style: N/A
Access Ticket Price:$20.00 /per person, separated from the Angkor Pass Ticket.
Getting There:
Phnom Kulen National Park is located on Route 67, about 47 km north of Siem Reap and about a 2-hour drive from the city. Within the park, the road is just a one-way dirt track that snakes steeply up the mountain. Hike to the summit, or hire a car to drive you all the way to the top.
The one-way road to the summit changes direction every day at noon: cars may go up in the morning and may come back in the afternoon. So if you’re planning to drive, you’ll need to hire a car for the day, arrive by 11 am, and then wait until the afternoon to descend.
The ticket office is at the bottom of Phnom Kulen and is the entrance to the Phnom Kulen National Park and where you need to pay for your ticket.
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