Prasat Bat Chum — Attraction in Siem Reap

It consists of three inline brick towers (in poor conditions at present), standing on the same platform, surrounded by an enclosure and a moat, with a single gopura to the east. On the doorjambs there are Buddhist inscriptions that mention Kavindrarimathana, the "architect" (or official in charge for construction) who built Srah Srang, East Mebon, and maybe planned the temple-mountain of Pre Rup. The latter was dedicated in 960 AD, shortly before death of the architect. There were houses and a Buddhist monastery near the temple, but these wooden structures have been gone for a long time. During the excavations in 1952, in the northern and central towers, flagstones showing a yantra were found, which George Coedès was able to reconstitute and with extreme difficulty link to the Buddhist divinities mentioned on doorjambs. In every tower there is a different inscription signed by three different persons. The last verse of each of the three names the elephants as...

This one was under heavy restoration as of September 2023, which although very important for cultural preservation, didn't make for a very memorable visit.

Aside from the scaffolding and tarpaulin sheets everywhere, the temple is a very simple 3-tower design, quite typical in the region. The temple is one of the older temples in the area, but not one of the more visually-impressive.

It is certainly a bit off the beaten track, which means you will see some more authentic Cambodian scenes than you would along the main circuits. It also means that you will likely have this place entirely to yourself.

Although the solitude and greater authenticity is nice, given the current condition of the temple and the myriad options elsewhere in the region, this one can be...

Bat Chum is a small temple built by Kavindrarimathana, a learned Buddhist minister of khmer king Rajendravarman, at the middle of the 10th century. It is about 400 meters (1,300 ft) south of Srah Srang, at Angkor, Cambodia. It consists of three inline brick towers standing on the same platform, surrounded by an enclosure and a moat, with a single gopura to the east. On the doorjambs there are Buddhist inscriptions that mention Kavindrarimathana, the "architect" (or official in charge for construction) who built Srah Srang, East Mebon, and maybe planned the temple-mountain of Pre Rup. The latter was dedicated in 960 AD, shortly before death of the architect. There were houses and a Buddhist monastery near the temple, but these wooden structures have been gone for...