Josh Gates ventures into the remote, landmine-riddled jungles of Cambodia to investigate the lost city founded by Jayavarman II in 802 A.D. and search for a legendary linga—a sacred stone artifact said to channel the power of the Hindu god Shiva. According to ancient inscriptions, a mystical priest performed a ritual that imbued this linga with divine energy, granting the king the ability to incinerate his enemies. Gates' journey begins in Phnom Penh before he sets out to explore ruins recently pinpointed by lidar laser scanning technology, which has stripped back centuries of jungle growth to reveal the forgotten city's location. His ultimate goal is to understand whether this legendary artifact could have possessed any real power and how it might have contributed to the rise of one of the ancient world's most advanced civilizations.
Mainstream archaeology confirms that Jayavarman II did establish the Khmer Empire in the early 9th century, launching a dynasty that would eventually build Angkor Wat and dominate Southeast Asia for centuries. The linga itself is a well-documented religious object in Hindu worship, representing Shiva's creative energy, and such artifacts were central to Khmer royal legitimacy and temple rituals. What makes this episode compelling is the intersection of cutting-edge lidar technology revealing previously hidden archaeological sites with the examination of how religious artifacts and ritual practices translated into political power. Gates navigates both Cambodia's ancient past and its more recent trauma under the Khmer Rouge, exploring how successive rulers sought to channel the glory and godlike authority of the original Khmer kings.
Angkor Archaeological Complex
Cambodia · archaeological
Josh investigated the looting and theft of priceless Cambodian monuments, diving into murky moats to unearth stolen statues and missing pieces of national treasures.
Bamboo Railroad, Battambang
Cambodia · cultural
Gates rides the improvised bamboo railroad to bypass road construction en route to Battambang, experiencing the ingenious local transport system firsthand including a standoff with an oncoming train.
Bat Cave, Battambang
Cambodia · natural wonder
Gates hikes to a remote mountain cave near Battambang to witness approximately one million bats emerge at sunset to feed.
Battambang
Cambodia · historical
Gates arrives in Battambang to meet an anonymous antiquities expert who provides insider information about looters targeting the lost city and the value of relics being stolen from the ruins.
Cambodia Jungle
Cambodia · archaeological
Josh explored remote, land-mine-riddled jungles to investigate lost cities of the Khmer Empire and search for a mystical relic that allegedly gave god kings the power to incinerate enemies.
Cambodian Temple Sites
Cambodia · archaeological
Josh Gates investigated the massive looting of Cambodian temple statues worth hundreds of millions, rappelling into crumbling pyramids and searching for missing monuments.
Phnom Kulen (Holy Mountain)
Cambodia · archaeological
Gates flies to Phnom Kulen, the holy mountain where Jayavarman II supposedly founded the Khmer Empire in 802 A.D., to investigate the lost city of Mahendraparvata and search for evidence of the sacred linga ritual.
Phnom Penh
Cambodia · historical
Gates arrives in the Cambodian capital to begin his journey toward the lost city, exploring local markets and absorbing the city's complex history before meeting his first contact Nick Ray.
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (Tuol Svay Pray High School)
Cambodia · historical
Gates visits the former high school turned Khmer Rouge detention center, examining photographs of victims and reflecting on the Cambodian genocide.