I first went to the Angkor sites in Cambodia in March this year with my good friend Leslie Shaw; and I have just returned there in June for a short visit with another good friend Colin Low. On the first trip we spent 2 weeks at the sites and the result was a whole page at my photographic website Photo Dharma.
Then in May I discovered some great software which could make seamless panoramas from multiple photographs (I will blog about this later). That made me think of returning again to get better coverage of the wall murals at Bayon.
On the first day of the short return trip, however, we decided to go to Kbal Spean, which I had not visited in March. The site is located about 50 km from Siem Reap, out past the exquisite Banteay Srei, and lies up a mountain and inside a jungle. The site is so remote it was only rediscovered in 1968.
Unfortunately its remoteness has made it an easy picking for looters, and some of the sculptures have been hacked off for sale to collectors. Here are the photographs I have just published on my Photo Dharma website, where the high-definition photographs can be found.
For the high-definition files, slideshow and more photographs please see the SOURCE.
Approaching the Mountain
Bridge
Entwined Tree
Jungle Path
Stairway
River Running over the Lingams
Lingams Carved into the Living Rock
Water Rushing over the Lingams
Submerged Lingams
Submerged Yoni with Five Lingams
Lotuses
Mossy Sculptures
Reclining Vishnu
Vishnu
Unidentified Face
Unidentified Face
Vishnu and Lakshmi
Vishnu with Lingams near the Bridge
Vishnu with Lakshmi (looted)
Brahma
Brahma Close Up
Possibly Related Posts:
- Royal Ballet of Cambodia: Khmer Reamker (Ramayana)
- Reconstructing the Ruined Buddhist Complex of Banteay Chhmar
- Divine Dwellings: The Architectural Context of Khmer Sculpture
- The Last Four Albums from Bangkok
- Temples built by Rama III for his Daughter and Grand-Daughter
