Buddhism in stone

This face of Buddha is not quite the finished article at the village of Kakoh

Chisels and stone polishers were much in evidence on this pair of seated Buddhas at Kakoh

The village of Kakoh is primarily known as the access point to visit Phnom Santuk - a mountain about fifteen kilometres outside Kompong Thom city and famed for its gorgeous views, its collection of Buddha statues and its exhausting 980 steps to the top. However, the village is also home to a series of stonemason houses where at any time of the day, you can pause and see how the experts carve those beautiful statues from a rough block of stone, chip away with their chisels and then polish the stone to give it a lovely smooth finish. Some of the carvings are enormous and a couple dwarfed the nearby houses when I stopped to take a look last week. Sokhom told me that the best quality stone comes from Preah Vihear province these days. Its certainly worth a look next time you are on Route 6.

This enormous, unfinished Buddha dwarfed the nearby house

Be careful not to make a mistake - it could be costly!

The mason's wear face masks because of the dust and chips from the stone-working