The Pyramid of Death

• Address: 120 km from Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Height: 32 m
• Base side length: 55 m
• Date of construction: X century. n. e.

If you are attracted by mystical places with a very ancient and mysterious history, the Death Pyramid, located in the vicinity of Angkor (90 km in the northeastern direction), is quite suitable for this definition. This is one of the oldest buildings in Cambodia , a look at which every year comes a lot of fans of extreme sports. It dates from the 10th century. n. e. and is located on the territory of the long-disappeared from the land of the city of Koh Kehr. From 921 to 941 during the reign of Jayavarman IV, he was the capital of the Khmer Empire. Then the capital was transferred to Angkor, and Koh Kehr with all its monumental temple buildings came to desolation.

What is famous for the Pyramid of Death?

The pyramid of death, or Prasat Thom, is in the inner fence of the city. It is slightly shifted to the center of the city to the north. It is believed that the temple was to symbolize Mount Meru, erected from the World Ocean. That is why the sanctuary, like most Khmer temples, is surrounded by a moat with water. To date, this temple complex is not fully explored. The basic facts that travelers should know about the Pyramid of Death in Cambodia are:

1. The pyramid has seven steps, and seven, as is known, is a sacred number in Buddhist religion, meaning the transition from our temporal dimension to non-existence.
2. It is believed that this temple complex was to be used as a burial vault for Jayavarman IV, but this did not happen for unknown reasons.
3. The dimensions of the pyramid are impressive: its height is 32 m, and the length of each side is 55 m. As it follows from the inscriptions preserved here, huge lingams stood on its top. According to the researchers, its size was approximately 4 m, and it weighed about 24 tons.
4. All six tiers of the sanctuary are overgrown with vegetation, but here there are promenades, from which it is very convenient to explore the surrounding area.
5. Previously, to the top of the pyramid climbed the wooden staircase, but now it is destroyed. Even earlier to the top of the pyramid climbed the ancient stone steps, but for the Europeans it was extremely inconvenient. This was due to the fact that the height of the steps was much larger than their width, so when lifting, you had to pull yourself up on your hands. At the top of the pyramid, only selected priests came up, so there was no question of comfort for the majority here. In March 2014, a new, more convenient, staircase was built to the right of the main entrance to the church.
6. The entrance to the territory of the ancient temple is paid: tourists are charged 10 dollars per person.
7. Sculptures on the territory of the temple complex is almost no more: they were either destroyed or transported to museums. Now there you can see mostly pedestals, and also miraculously escaped the head of the sacred bull Nandin.
8. The top of the pyramid is guarded by the image of the garuda - the mythical bird of the god Vishnu, carved on a stone block.
9. The megalithic blocks of the pyramid masonry are almost perfectly aligned, there are no gaps between them, and the side surface of the blocks themselves is very smooth, as if it was treated with a grinding machine. The outer side of the masonry has traces of manual processing.
10. Its second name - the Pyramid of Death in Koh Kehr - the temple received because of its bloody history. It is believed that once one of the ancient kings worshiped the dark god Mare, who was sacrificed to people, dropping them still alive in the pyramid shaft. According to one of the versions, this mine was a portal between worlds, on the second - gates into hell itself. Now it is an ordinary well, covered with wooden boards. It is located on the bottom of a square structure erected from stone blocks with punched holes. Local residents prefer to bypass Prasat Thom side, claiming that even animals and birds do not settle in the vicinity of the sanctuary.
11. According to legend, the top of the Death Pyramid was also adorned with a 5-meter golden statue. But when Prasat Thom was discovered by French researchers, there it was no longer there, so scientists assumed that she fell into a mine. It is not possible to verify this, because many of those who tried to descend into it were missing. They say that at a 15-meter depth there is no longer any functioning equipment, even a flashlight, and the safety ropes are torn. The holes that tried to break through in the pyramid itself did not reveal the mystery of the disappearance of people. In 2010, Russian diggers tried to explore the mine, but at a depth of 8 meters it was already covered with fresh earth.

How to visit?

Getting to the Pyramid of Death in Cambodia is not too difficult: it is 120 km from Siem Reap, so the trip will take you about 3 hours. The terrain here is quite deserted, and landmines of the civil war often came across, so it was possible to inspect this attraction only relatively recently. Public transport does not go here, so tourists have to either get there by car or rent a minibus-type transport. The last option on average will cost $ 100.