Let’s return to the Koh Ker temples, which I visited in March and managed to visit 22 structures in less than a day, to take a closer look at the single sanctuary of Prasat Neang Khmau - or temple of the Black Lady – which stands alone on the right-hand side as you enter the temple complex. It’s noticeable as it looks as though its been burnt by fire, a common feature for temples built with laterite stone at Koh Ker. It’s actually caused by the oxidation of the stone due to weathering and the 1,000 years that have passed since its construction in the second quarter of the tenth century. You can see the same at the temples of Banteay Pir Choan, Prasat Chrap and Prasat Chen. The main tower is enclosed by a laterite wall, though lacking any entry gopura, and the sanctuary itself sits on a sandstone terrace, opening out to the west. The sandstone doorframe retains its original floral-decorated lintel in-situ, though the figure of the four-faced Brahma sitting on a throne of lotuses in the center has been damaged beyond repair. Either side are two massive octagonal colonettes in excellent condition, while inside the tower is a 132-centimeter tall monolithic pedestal with a spout but the top of the in-built linga has sadly been removed – confirming that the temple was originally dedicated to the god Shiva. The tower has four false floors with the upper levels tapering to the top, with miniature prasat-like antefixes still decorating the corners of each level. The other sides of the sanctuary are decorated with false doors and sandstone steps, but the stone lions that would’ve guarded the doors are long gone.
Prasat Neang Khmau was the first temple I saw on my first-ever adventure to Koh Ker in November 2001. Here’s what I wrote at that time: ‘It was just under eight hours since we'd left Tbeng Meanchey and our arrival at Prasat Neang Khmau, the southernmost temple of the Koh Ker group, was a great relief. The temple itself faces west and is a tall, dark laterite tower inside a walled compound. Through the sandstone doorway with carved colonettes and below a cracked and defaced floral lintel propped up by a large wooden pole, a large pedestal and broken linga litter the inside of the sanctuary.’ Clearly not much has changed in the intervening twenty-two years until my recent visit!
