Exploring the jungle temple of Beng Mealea

23 March 2019

Beng Mealea is one of the less visited Angkor temple since it is located about 68 km northeast of Siem Reap and away from the main sightseeing routes. The temple was built during the early 12th century but the detailed history of this temple is not well known. What is fascinating about this site is that it is almost completely overran by nature, with ruins that were mostly unrestored.  It is nicknamed “the jungle temple” although Beng Mealea means “Lotus Pond” in Khmer language.

Beng Mealea temple.

It is good to combine a visit to Beng Mealea with visits to other remote sites like Phnom Kulen Mountain, Koh Ker Temple or villages around Tonle Sap.

We hired a private air-conditioned van with English speaking driver for a day to bring us to Kampong Khleang (a stilt village on the shored of Tonle Sap) in the morning, followed by Beng Mealea in the afternoon.

We arrived at Beng Mealea in the early afternoon, after our visit to Kampong Kheang and Tonle Sap. We had our lunch at SomRos Neary Khmer Restaurant, one of the few restaurants in the vicinity of Beng Mealea.
Beng Mealea’s entry fee of USD 5 per person is not included in the Angkor Temple Pass. Tickets can be purchased on the way to the site.

We entered the temple from the south side. A broken multi-headed stone “naga” or serpent marked the start of the causeway or path that leads to the temple.

The temple site is surrounded by a moat, now overgrown with vegetation. It was mostly jungle on both sides of the dirt path.

A blue signboard on the left side of the path reminded us that Cambodia is a country that still has a problem with landmines, leftover from past conflicts. The signboard indicated that the land in that area had been cleared of landmines by CMAC. It was a reminder to not stray away from the well-trodden path.

Multi-headed stone serpents seen along the causeway leading into Beng Mealea temple.

More multi-headed serpents could be seen along the path. Most of these were damaged to some extent.  This causeway reminded me of the causeway leading to the Angkor Wat, except that this is very much in ruins.

This used to be the south gate of Beng Mealea. Now reduced to rubble. A pair of feet that belonged to a stone lion is in the foreground.

A pile of rubble and collapsed stone blocks from a gate greeted us at the end of the causeway. We have to enter the site from the right side where there were wooden boardwalks leading visitors into the heart of the temple ruins.

A giant tree that looked like what we saw in Ta Prohm sticks out from under a huge pile of large stone blocks.

We could see the effects of Mother Nature on the abandoned temple. Most of the temple structure had collapsed, including the central tower.

Collapsed perimeter walls.

Faint carvings of a figure (depicting Hindu God Vishnu?) riding on an animal (a bull?) on a wall.



Lintels with carvings depicting scenes or events based on Hindu religion.


These pile of rubbles from a collapsed arched roof.

The temple does lived up to its nickname “the jungle temple”. The trees overhead provide much needed shade.  Vines and roots grow on the surface of the stone structure.

The design of the windows is similar to those we saw at Angkor Wat and other temples built during that period.




The wooden boardwalk made exploring this temple easier for visitors. It led us through the ruins and rubbles, up and over some of the walls.

Structure engulfed by roots of a strangler fig tree.


A carving that depicts the “Churning of the ocean of milk”. In Hinduism, this is one of the central events in the ever-continuing struggle between the Devas (gods) and the Asuras (demons).


There was even a section that led us through a dark and musty passage to emerge again near the centre of the temple complex.
 
Going through a part of the Beng Mealea temple that had not collapsed.


A small structure in an open courtyard.

Feeling a little like Indiana Jones while exploring the ruins of Beng Mealea.

My friends enjoying a “swing” at Beng Mealea.


One of the lintels with carvings that was “salvaged” from the ruins.


Back to the South entrance of Beng Melea where we started our exploration.

Although it was the last of many temple ruins we visited in Siem Reap, everyone in my group thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Beng Mealea as it was unique in its own way.