Prasat Kuhak Nokor or Prasat Kuk Nokor

Kuhak Nokor temple: central building

Kuhak Nokor is a 11th century temple located in Kampong Thom province, about 96km from Phnom Penh. Visitors can be easily reach the temple from the nation road no.6, turn left through an entrance of a Buddhist pagoda ‘Wat Kuhak Nokor’.

Kuhak Nokor was built in the reign of King Suryavarman I (1002-1050). The temple is made of laterite and decorated with sandstone lintel, fronton, and pillars. The temple is surrounded by the rectangular 3 meters high wall in the length of 45 m and 35 m wide. The temple faces east and visitors can enter through the east gopura of 9 m high. At the west wall, there is another gopura, but it’s the false one. In front of the central tower, there are two ponds which is the structure of the Hindu temple. The highest tower of the central sanctuary is 15 m high and has only one opening porch to the east, no window on the walls.

However, the temple has only one library at the left, faces to the west. On the left wall there is another building (13 m long, 7 m wide) which the local called it ‘Kuk Sampov’, where ‘sampov’ means sailing boat. It was named so because the building has the shape similar to a sailing boat.

Kuhak Nokor hasn’t been decorated with many carving like other temples. We find only one carving of Indra on his three-head elephant on the lintel of the main tower. However, Kuhak Nokor is built in a good structure and well balancing.

Kuhak Nokor temple: East entrance gopura

Kuhak Nokor temple: west gopura (false entrance)

Kuhak Nokor temple: central building side view

Kuhak Nokor temple: library

Kuhak Nokor temple: lintel on the porch of central tower, Indra on his three-head elephant

Prasat Andet

Prasat Andet is another Hindu temple located about 27 km north west of Kampong Thom provincial. The date of construction of the temple date back to the 7th century in the reign of King Jayavarman I. The temple is constructed in rectangular shape of 7.5 m long and 5.5 m wide, under Prei Kmeng style with one single tower. It’s made of brick with some parts decorated by sandstone. There is only one opening porch to the east, and the other three walls are false doors. The temple was built as a worship place of Hinduism in the ancient time, which a Harihara statue was house inside. Currently the statue is kept in the National Museum in Phnom Penh.

Prasat Andet: located behind Wat Prasat Andet pagoda

The whole area around Prasat Andet are flooded every year during raining season, but the temple was built on a high artificial hill that it’s never been flooded. That’s why the temple got the name as Prasat Andet, means Floating Temple.

Currently Prasat Andet is hidden behind a Viheara of a modern Buddhist pagoda, in which it took the same name as the temple as ‘Wat Prasat Andet’.