Phnom Kulen is considered to be the holiest mountain in Cambodia. It is the site of the earliest Angkorian settlement, where the first temple was built in the ninth century and was the important source of water for reserviors and agriculture in Angkor region. Based on Sdok Kak Thom inscription, it is this place that King Jayavarman II peformed the cult of devaraja to make the Kingdom independent from foreigners' control. He also commissioned the numerous carvings of lingas in the mountain's riverbeds. A large reclining Buddha was carved in the post-Angkorian period.