Beng Mealea
- Jon Elkins
- Jun 10, 2018
- 1 min read
Located 40km from Siem reap, Beng Mealea, which translates as 'lotus pond', has a similar overgrown vibe to Ta Prohm. Built on a similar scale to Angkor Wat, and badly ruined in places, the appeal of Beng Mealea is the Indiana Jones-style adventure of a 'lost' temple still gripped by the jungle.
Beng Mealea was built under King Suryavarman II, the founder of Angkor Wat. It is said to be a forerunner or blueprint for Angkor Wat itself and was decorated in a similar style.
The temple has remained hidden by jungle and until recently was hard to access, due to poor road conditions and landmines. In 2003 the landmines were cleared by CMAC (Cambodia Mines Action Centre) and the Halo Trust, at which point the temple was opened to the public.
Due to its collapsed state a wooden walkway has been constructed through the temple's central sanctuary making it more accessible.
The temple is best experienced in the early mornings and late afternoons where you should be able to avoid the tour groups. You won't require an Angkor Pass to visit this temple, it has its own entrance fee of $10 to pay at the gate and there are a handful of local restaurants opposite the temple if you are looking for lunch.
A visit to Beng Mealea combines well with the further temple of Koh Ker and with Banteay seri and Phnom Kulen.
The images used in this article are licensed from "commons.wikimedia.org - The Beng Mealea in Cambodia" by Jack French under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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