Koh Ker did not interest me at all in 2012 so I was more than fine to have skipped it when I went to Preah Vihear Temple, despite the former being on the way. Little did I know that I missed something. While as a complex it is not as spectacular as the ensemble in Angkor, the axial alignment of the Terrace of Lingams-Prasat Thom-Prasat Roum-Prasat Prang-Mound of the White Elephant King reminded me of the impressive configuration of Preah Vihear Temple. While there are joiner tours now offered taking visitors to Koh Ker and Beng Mealea, this only works if: 1. You are happy seeing the pyramid alone, and 2. you have an active Angkor Pass to let you in Beng Mealea. My friend and I opted renting a car for a full day in Koh Ker instead. In doing so, we were able to do the loop and explore most of the temples. Aside from Prasat Pram, I also like the laterite-built Prasat Neang Khmau, an interesting single monument surrounded by two enclosures, and the heavily ruined Prasat Chrap that demonstrates clear design flaws in its three towers possibly arising from hasty work (a theme that will recur in most temples here). Prasat Damrei is another charmer with its elephant and lion sculptures (photo), and it even has an antecedent square sandstone temple that once housed a lingam too.

The nomination dossier spent a great deal in explaining about alignments and how the temples were built according to a certain plan (e.g., the three main Hindu divinities are enshrined in a very calculated manner as demonstrated by Prasat Thom, Prasat Chen, and Prasat Banteay Pir Choen), justifying its supposedly unique urban planning. Add to that, the builders had to play around with the fact that the rahal (baray) was the first structure to be constructed, thus affecting temples' orientations. It definitely seems more sophisticated than what meets the eyes. It also has a vast array of temple types that can easily be taken for granted. I, therefore, recommend reading its detailed nomination dossier as it also mentions of traces of paintings in the shrines of Prasat Roum -- quite rare to find surviving ones from the entire Angkorian period. 

Another outstanding feature that a visit to the site alone won't reveal are the large ornate sculptures originally enshrined. They are individually considered as masterpieces, but almost all of them are already in museums. The Ganesha statue once housed in Prasat Bat has recently been returned from the US and is now in the National Museum in the capital. Koh Ker, along with Preah Khan Kampong Svay, had been heavily looted in the past. The knowledge that these artifacts came from Koh Ker, nevertheless, adds value to its material cultural richness. Over all, not many visitors pay attention to the other temples aside from Prasat Prang, so we were happy to have explored the others by ourselves. And having reached the famed pyramid in the afternoon when all the group tours in vans and buses have left, we also had the pyramid all to our own. Light was so good that day that from the top is was even possible to spot Preah Vihear Temple in the distance. Prior to this visit, I have already seen Angkor twice. And I visited Angkor again the day after Koh Ker. Looking back, Koh Ker did not turn out massively disappointing.