One of the temples that was tricky to access

One of the temples that was tricky to access, because of its remote and forested location a few kilometres west of Koh Ker village, is Prasat Bei, literally meaning Three Prasats. It was one of three temples that needed motorbike transport to reach and which sees no foot traffic at all. It’s conventional look, three square brick towers set on a laterite base and facing east, has been dated to the middle of the tenth century and the reign of Rajendravarman II, at the very end of the Koh Ker dynasty before the capital moved back to Angkor, partly attributable to a female statue found in front of the north tower, which bears a mixture of styles. As for the towers themselves, they all have unfinished lintels at their doorways, with two of them housing sandstone pedestals in what appeared to be looted interiors. Two larger pedestals can be found at the rear of the towers too. The standing female statue, upright and rigid, is one of a relatively few sculptures from the 10th century capital of Koh Ker that were recovered by the EFEO before the temple complex became the victim of looting on a massive scale in more modern times. It was brought to the Angkor Conservation depot by Henri Parmentier in the 1920s, when he made successive visits to document the numerous temples at the site. It was transferred to the National Museum in April 1952. It was found in front of the north tower at Prasat Bei, though the sculpture mixes styles in its appearance. Likely depicting a youthful Lakshmi - the revered wife of the god Vishnu - though both hands are missing, which probably would’ve held lotus buds (museum number Ka.1670). The mix of styles between Koh Ker and Baphuon can be seen in her long, straight pleated sampot with a fold at the waist which favours the earlier period, though the low double fishtail anchor is of a later era. Her wide diadem is surmounted by a high cylindrical bun, with no other decoration. Her height is less than four feet tall. She is currently held in reserve at the National Museum.