Sense of Relief

An Idyllic Setting and Centuries-Old Sculptures Make The Hike up to Kbal Spean a Rewarding Experience

Siem Reap Provice ? It is quiet in the ?valley of a 1,000 lingas? in the western Kulen Mountains. Only the sound of insects fills the airs, while a few tourists slowly make their way up along the Kbal Spean River on a meandering jungle trail.

On the mountain slope, located 12 km north of the famous Banteay Srei temple, visitors can make the short trek up to Kbal Spean, or "Headwater Bridge," a natural stone bridge on the upper reaches of the river where hundreds of lingas and glyphs from Hindu mythology have been carved into a 150 meter stretch of riverbed.

The l, 400-meter ascent to the carvings, over a sandy path winding through the forested slopes, is full of natural beauty and offers an appealing alternative to those suffering from ?temple fatigue? after days of visiting Angkor.

Rediscovered only in 1968by Jean Bou1bet, a French researcher from the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient, the 11th to 13th century carvings in the riverbed and just above the waterline are fairly intricate and remarkably well preserved after hundreds of years of water flow.

The carvings show the religious importance of the Kulen mountains to ancient Angkor.

The reliefs and rectangular fields of hubbed lingas ? a symbol of Hindu deity Shiva ? were believed to sanctify the water, which flows into the Siem Reap River that runs through the Angkor area and feeds its water reservoirs and surrounding rice fields.

The path to the water is full of rock formations, but the incline is not very steep, and wooden staircases have been built at the steepest parts of the trail. Depending on the fitness of the visitor, it might take between ome-and- a-half and two hours to complete the climb.

Along the way there is a small waterfall, while there are also some great views of the valley below. At the end of track, at Kbal Spean, the river rushes spectacularly past two intricate carvings of a reclining Vishnu, one of the gods of the Hindu trinity, dreaming the cosmos into being.

The trip from Siem Reap town to Kbal Spean takes around 1.5 hours by tuk-tuk and has become more comfortable and quicker since National Road 64 to Anlong Veng was completed last year.

Sourced = The CAMBODIA DAILY