Some
way away from the Temples, and hence the crowds, is Kobal Spien - the
River of a thousand Lingas - curious bumps carved into the bedrock of a river
which give it the appearance of a flooded cobbled street.
The Lingas (bumps) are in fact sacred symbols - in fact phallic symbols
representing male Gods' genitalia...
It
is believed that the waters flowing over these appendages are blessed. Not only
do they provide fertility to women bathing within, but they also take away
problems from the individuals or families of those who bathe in the waters
downstream.
In addition to the Lingas, the river banks occasionally have relief carvings
etched into the rock. These are largely eroded now, or have been stolen by
treasure hunters, but a few intricate works remain.
Reaching
the carvings involves a fair old hike up a steep and dusty hill. We keep to the
slippery path for straying off into the surrounding forest could well result in
an unwanted encounter with a landmine - a legacy of the bitter fighting that
took place here in the 70's and through into the mid 90's.
A
remarkable sight as we descend, are hundreds of butterflies in a clearing at the
base of a waterfall just below the Linga carvings - the spiritual significance
of this is not lost on us.
