The Kulen Mountain is declared as a national park. It’s about 30km northwards from Angkor Wat. It name means “mountain of the lychee” with the highest point about 487 meters. It is considered a holy mountain in Cambodia, of special religious significance to Hindus and Buddhists who come to the mountain in pilgrimage. This widely regarded as the birthplace of the ancients Khmer Empire. During the constructional period of the ancient temples in the nineth century, sandstones were brought from this sacred mountain to Angkor. It was here at Phnom Kulen that King Jayavarman II proclaimed independence from Java in 802 A.D. This mountain plateau served as the capital of the first Khmer Empire for more than half a century before it moved to Roluos.