River of a Thousand Lingas
In Cambodia, northeast of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, lies the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen. Here are many 11th century carvings showing various forms of the Hindu God Shiva, other divine beings, animals and over a 1000 Lingas, symbolic Shiva representations. These reliefs are carved into the sandstone rocks along the banks and in the river bed of the sacred river of Kbal Spean. As the river flows over them, it was believed that the energy these carvings contain renewed life by activating the water’s fertility. This blessed water, saturated with the spirits of the Heavens, then traveled downstream bringing water to a number of Temples as well as irrigating the regional rice paddies, sustaining the Khmer community both physically and spiritually.
This series of photographs are of these powerful carvings together with photo montages of the flowing Kbal Spean River revealing the power and spirit of this unique location. The iconography of Shiva, in the form of Vishnu, sleeps in the cosmic ocean of milk. Growing from his naval, Brahma emerges in deep Meditation, sitting on a Lotus Lily Pad, dreaming of the next creation. The water washing over these carvings enhances the power of their symbolism. Each photo montage, combined from 4 positions of the same image, reflect the multiple versions of Shiva. These montages of the water flowing over the carvings strive to glimpse into the unseen world of 11th Century Cambodian Hindu Beliefs and the River Spirits they inspired. They show the fluid beauty and rhythmic essence of these cascading waters, blending nature's poetry with Hindu iconography into a visual symphony of movement and transcendence.