KBAL SPEAN
Kbal Spean or the River of a Thousand Lingas, discovered in 1968, Shiva's linga was reproduced in the riverbed
Kbal Spean, or "The River of a Thousand Lingas", was discovered in 1968 by Mr. Jean Boulbet, an eminent member of the EFEO who was then living in Siem Reap. At the time, the site was magnificent: set in a setting of primary forest, a river, cut by waterfalls, flowed over a sandstone bed covered with innumerable sculptures. Shiva's linga was endlessly reproduced in the riverbed, Vishnus sleeping on the naga adorned the waterfalls, frogs, bulls, a large lizard, unknown gods, Sanskrit inscriptions... all sculpted by monks who had lived there centuries before. The site became inaccessible during the civil war, and was later occupied by the military. But in 1998, Jean Boulbet, elderly but still valiant, was finally able to return to his river. Unfortunately, the Kbal Spean archaeological site had been vandalized by the military, who had occupied and pillaged the region. "One should never return to the place of one's youth," said a crestfallen Boulbet. In fact, the majestic forest he had known thirty years earlier no longer existed, and a number of the sculptures had been sacrificed with chisels..
For us, who had not experienced the site in all its virgin splendour, the excursion to Kbal Spean remained a magical and unforgettable moment. Unfortunately, in 2003, vandals ransacked the site with chisels... The most beautiful Vishnu and his wife had their heads destroyed and a number of other bas-reliefs were hammered out.
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