Pyramid of Death (Prasat Thom) – 2nd Part

The area around Prasat Thom is a very scary and mystical place. Even the most courageous people can feel the unintentional tension and stress. The people of all ages, who decided to visit this place once entering the ancient city the core of which is the Temple of Death, feel the shivers down the spine. The organized tours do not usually include this place during the traveling around Cambodia, therefore only few people decided to visit the place on their own. 

The city of Koh Ker is already long forgotten place, therefore do not expect to see lots of locals there, as due to the old legends we have talked about in the previous part of the article about Prasat Thom, they prefer to stay away from it.

Behind the temple there is an ancient hill of the white elephant, which is considered as a sacred place and is guarded to keep the people away. All the prohibition signs found once you get closer to the hill evoke thoughts of the concealed knowledge that there is something to look for, and therefore the descendants of priests-monks try hard to keep this place from strangers ... and even from the fellow tribesmen (telling the legends that this is a cursed place and etc.). Though nobody knows for sure, and not so many people preferred to disturb the ancient gods and demons.

At the bottom of the pyramid there is a security guard who is trying not to let people to get to the top of the pyramid ... but in fact as the guard is usually the only one at the place, he can be easily distracted for a moment, and thus majority of the tourists who dared to come here will eventually get to the top. At the peak of the pyramid there is another guard, though he is not a person, it is a statue of Vishnu - a mythical bird-god who is overseeing everything. In ancient times there was also a huge lingam - a symbol of Shiva, the height of which was not less than 4 meters, and weight was about 24 tons. Local legends also say that originally on the top of the pyramid there was a 5-meter big golden statue. But in 1930, when Prasat Thom was found by the French expedition, the people involved in this claim that nothing was found... And as to pull down this huge statue without any special arrangements and facilities is simply impossible, it was suggested that the statue fell into the pit, which gapes at the top of the mysterious pyramid.    

To check this is, unfortunately, also impossible. Everyone who was descended into the pyramid didn’t come back...

On the 15-meter depth stops working all sorts of equipment, even a flashlight and the safety ropes, on which the explorers were going down the pit begin to torn... The scientists and explorers were also unable to get to the missing people through the holes and paths they were trying to break through the pyramid itself. The mystery of the pyramid has remained undisclosed. Such, it remains even up to this day...

There is also some more recent though unconfirmed information that:

      .  In 2010, some diggers reached the bottom of the pyramid with professional equipment. It was found that the mine was filled up with fresh earth at a depth of about eight meters. Someone shut this strange portal from too curious eyes. However, studies have shown that the pyramid is hollow inside, that is, the mine has remained, and only the entrance is now closed!