Neang Khmao Temple

Hello and welcome to Forgotten Temples with myself, Mr. B. Now this is the kind of temple I like because we've got a bit of history here. Have a look at that doorway. If you look to the right and to the left, you can see that it's darker, much darker, and that is said to be caused by fire damage. And this has led to two of its first names. One is the Black Lady and the other is the Black Virgin. But there's a third tale as to why this is black and that is this was actually a residence for the goddess Kali, the one of destruction and of darkness. So it's rather reassuring that we see a temple that has so many tales, but there's yet more. Now the second tale is one of love and princesses and I want to get it right. So excuse me, but I'm going to read from my notes because what it says is many years ago, a powerful king who lived in the Chisor Mountains. One day, his daughter went off and met a handsome man. But this wasn't a usual meeting because the handsome man had been a bit underhanded. He had used magic to make her fall in love with him. But when the king heard of this, he wasn't very pleased and he ordered his daughter to be exiled to two towers. And it's while she was in exile, she fell in love again. And this time it was with a monk and over time that monk fell in love with her. And in doing so, he decided to give up the calling of religion. And that is where they dwelled together was in one of these two towers. And it is said that this is one of them. And it's rather sweet, isn't it? She'd been tricked into falling in love. But then through her exile, she found her real love from her life. And that gentleman gave up his calling of religion so he could join the one that he should have been with. And it is here they stayed together and lived happily ever after. Now this is certainly a strange temple, i.e. is this the most romantic temple we've ever seen with that wonderful tale of a princess and a commoner falling in love? Or is it due to Kali, the goddess of destruction? I mean, wouldn't it be bizarre if you came through the jungle and it's impenetrable jungle as it is, but there was this one tower just standing there and nothing would grow near it. And then you heard of the legend, here dwells the goddess of destruction. I mean, it would make you think, wouldn't it? So what is it we're looking at? Well, like with all these temples, so often it's down to interpretation. And what we're going to do before we nip inside is just go around the edge here because it's on this lovely platform and have a look at this big enclosure it's in. It's very unique in its own style and I love it for that. But what about that tale that this is fire damage? Now I can't say for certain that it is not. I mean, it did end up with the name of But I don't think it is. And the only thing I'm basing that on is I've seen this before, this darkening. And I think that what causes this, because it does look incredibly like, you know, stone that's been burned, it is in fact some kind of fungus or mould. And then as it dies off, it leaves itself, it leaves this black mark. And I've seen it over and over again at temples. But I would like to think I'm wrong. Because, as I say, I do like its names. And if we do have a closer look, the blackening effect is not exactly even. You know, it doesn't go along with what could be a fire, I don't think. And for goodness sake, to burn a tower like this, and for these marks to stay for so long, well, you'd need an entire jungle to cause such damage. So I honestly think this is some kind of mould. Now I won't walk you around this temple because it's the same on every side. And there's something much more interesting here. And of course, we need to go in. Now what we're seeing here is not what we should see, because there are two items missing. And this amplifies what happened here at the Koh Ker complex. This is an abandoned city in the jungle that has many temples. And I've been here all day, and I've seen pretty much nobody. It's an amazing place to come. And what we're not seeing is in this square, and that square. And what I feel would have flanked this is two resplendent lions. It could have been statues, we just don't know. But because of this place's location, being so out of the way, shall we say, the looters came here, and they could work their merry evil, knowing full well they wouldn't be interrupted. And we can see this again. As we look up at the doorway, we see these majestic pillars. And it amazes me that they're still here. But it's above the doorway we need to focus in because this temple was dedicated to Shiva. And can you see right in the center there, something has been hacked away. And that was probably the image of Shiva himself, which is tragic, isn't it? When the God is taken away from his rightly residence. But inside, there's even more to see. Because we must never forget that these places are the homes of the gods. And let me just take a moment to stop here and show you this. And I'm not touching. But look at the amazing detail here. And these temples were absolutely smothered with these details. It is incredible. But it's not just the fine artwork they were good at. Oh, no. I mean, have a look at this in front of you. It's absolutely huge. And here yet again, the looters have done their dastardly work. Because we still have remnants of what was and what was here was a linga. But they've only taken part of it. And what I can see is the round shape of the linga, which is a Shiva linga representing the God Shiva. But I can also see an octagonal shape here, which represents Vishnu. And at the bottom of this pillar, there would also be a representation of Brahma. So there's three Hindu gods in one here. But the predominant name I believe that rings on this is Shiva for it is a Shiva linga. And this is a Shiva temple. So the water would be poured over the linga, which would have been up here with its dome top. And then with me trying to keep in frame, it would have run down this channel here and then off the end. And as soon as it leaves this, which is called the Yoni, then it is blessed water. It is sacred water. And the people that came here would have been asking for all sorts of things. Because in this abandoned city, there was well over 10,000 people. I mean, it was a busy town with all sorts of things going on. And people would have had the same problems and the same worries we do today. So it's incredible, isn't it? To think at this very location, people would have poured water, collected the blessed water. And they would have asked for such things as, please help my crops, please help my aging mother, please help me with this broken heart. With a bit of imagination, these aren't temples. These are time machines. So there it is, a truly wonderful temple. Because for once, we had quite a lot of data to go on. And it told such a beautiful tale. But me myself, as I leave here, I'm left wondering, where have I just been? Is this the final resting place for two people who fell into love? One, a princess, the other, a man of religion, and they lived here happily? Or is this the dwelling place of Kali, the goddess of destruction? Maybe it's both. Because love sometimes is often accompanied by destruction. And maybe that is the tale this wonderful temple tells. It certainly has been an absolute treat for me. And I hope you've enjoyed this brief video. As always, I ask you to like, subscribe and comment. And if by chance, you could drop just a handful of coins to help me build this library, I would be truly grateful. The address for that is patreon.com forward slash temples. As always, this has been Mr. B. And I wish you absolutely nothing but the very best. Take good care now.