Lost treasures emerge in Cambodia’s hunt for historic sites as locals dream of tourist dollars
- A large carving of a reclining Buddha is one of the latest ancient sites discovered in Cambodia as locals scour the country for lost history
- Many hope such finds will help create long-term growth in tourism in the poor Southeast Asian nation
Stories of a large rock-face carving of the Buddha on Kangva hill, in Cambodia’s Pursat province, had long been told in the village at the foot of the hill, but no one alive remembered seeing it.
Local legends of giant snakes and earth spirits, or neak ta, had largely kept villagers away from the low hills that straddle the border of Pursat and Kampong Chhnang provinces, on the western banks of Tonle Sap lake. That changed last year on the morning of November 27.
“Bun Sopheap was scrambling over the rocky hill with four women from the village when he saw it,” says Eng Kunthea, boss of the Cambodian People’s Party in Krakor district, Pursat province.
“Straight away, an unknown old lady appeared and hugged him, crying with joy and thanking him for finding the carving. As the other four women caught up with Bun Sopheap, the old lady disappeared, and then everyone prayed for protection. She was a guardian spirit, and only Bun Sopheap saw her.”
Eng Kunthea, an adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng, understands the tourism potential of this dusty district of central Cambodia. He is helping bankroll the rediscovery of local sites lost to history as a way of attracting visitors and preserving the country’s past.
