After walking the 358 laterite stone steps up the renovated staircase you will have a commanding view for miles around. Looking down past below the steep staircase and slightly beyond into the rice fields you’ll clearly notice the remains of the abandoned 100 metre wide and 200 metres long baray or water table that was built to support this Angkor era mountaintop temple. Beyond that lies peaceful looking outlying countryside and this vast panorama, dappled with varying shades of green and dotted with sugar palms, continues for miles to the
Built imposingly on a hilltop, the Frenchman Henri Mahout famous ‘discoverer’ of Angkor Wat actually visited Phnom Banan in 1858. In his book, Voyage dans le Royalle de Siam de Cambodge, he describes a larger number of Buddha statues inside the temples as well as an infinity of smaller deities. He also describes an enormous statue at the entrance which he calls a guardian with an iron stick. Indeed many temples, both ancient and modern, have large yieks standing guard with their magic wands.
Unfortunately, the statues along with the yiek, have all been looted and only the bare edifice remains.
A small Angkorian ruin still stands at the base of the stairwell which is guarded by six sandstone lions. This terrace at the base of the one remaining stairwell (there were originally four – traversing the north, south east and west of the hilltop temple) is still regularly used for prayer ceremonies.
You’ll see monks more often than tourists sauntering slowly up the steep narrow steps which begin with recently restored statues of garudas and nagas. The curious inscriptions on the sandstone banisters are the names of the many Khmer donors to have contributed to the renovation work and as you pass upwards you’ll see a number of lion statues created in slightly different styles. There is no symbolism for this, it merely reflects the fact that the statues were built by different local artists. It’s a lot of work getting up these steep stairs and there is little to mitigate the steepness, but eventually, you will eventually reach a cool shaded terrace where you can sit on a stone bench and share the glorious view of open country with a young monk or two.
The five temples atop the mountain were built of dolomite and sandstone in 1057, according to inscriptions found there and reported by the Pavie Exhibition of the late 1900’s. This places it in the reign of Udayadithyavarman, predecessor of Suryavarman II, builder of Angkor Wat.
The temple five structures themselves remain intact with the central structure being the largest – the French hunter Boulangier said that local Khmers then referred to it as being ‘the navel of Cambodia.’
Look closely, however, and you’ll see the results of massive looting.
Shiva statues remain in parts but most of the apsaras on the temple walls have either been decapitated or not so delicately chipped off – with much of this looting reportedly taking place as the 1980’s when the hilltop temple was used as a military based during the Vietnamese occupation. Indeed, a large water tank built by Vietnamese soldiers still sits quite incongruously amongst the temples, although the artillery pieces they also left behind have now been removed.
Walking around the temple top you will notice the ruined, remnants of the three other stairwells and looking in a northerly direction you will see a verdant green forest covering an adjacent hilltop.
Back down below at the entrance to the temple there are a few simple food and drink stalls, smelling slightly of the locally produced fish sauce and making it possible to have a simple meal of rice and stew to fortify oneself for the long, steep and breathless climb to the mountain top. It would be certainly be wise to stock up with water before attempting the journey.
Built imposingly on a hilltop, the Frenchman Henri Mahout famous ‘discoverer’ of Angkor Wat actually visited Phnom Banan in 1858. In his book, Voyage dans le Royalle de Siam de Cambodge, he describes a larger number of Buddha statues inside the temples as well as an infinity of smaller deities. He also describes an enormous statue at the entrance which he calls a guardian with an iron stick. Indeed many temples, both ancient and modern, have large yieks standing guard with their magic wands.
Unfortunately, the statues along with the yiek, have all been looted and only the bare edifice remains.
A small Angkorian ruin still stands at the base of the stairwell which is guarded by six sandstone lions. This terrace at the base of the one remaining stairwell (there were originally four – traversing the north, south east and west of the hilltop temple) is still regularly used for prayer ceremonies.
You’ll see monks more often than tourists sauntering slowly up the steep narrow steps which begin with recently restored statues of garudas and nagas. The curious inscriptions on the sandstone banisters are the names of the many Khmer donors to have contributed to the renovation work and as you pass upwards you’ll see a number of lion statues created in slightly different styles. There is no symbolism for this, it merely reflects the fact that the statues were built by different local artists. It’s a lot of work getting up these steep stairs and there is little to mitigate the steepness, but eventually, you will eventually reach a cool shaded terrace where you can sit on a stone bench and share the glorious view of open country with a young monk or two.
The five temples atop the mountain were built of dolomite and sandstone in 1057, according to inscriptions found there and reported by the Pavie Exhibition of the late 1900’s. This places it in the reign of Udayadithyavarman, predecessor of Suryavarman II, builder of Angkor Wat.The temple five structures themselves remain intact with the central structure being the largest – the French hunter Boulangier said that local Khmers then referred to it as being ‘the navel of Cambodia.’
Look closely, however, and you’ll see the results of massive looting.
Shiva statues remain in parts but most of the apsaras on the temple walls have either been decapitated or not so delicately chipped off – with much of this looting reportedly taking place as the 1980’s when the hilltop temple was used as a military based during the Vietnamese occupation. Indeed, a large water tank built by Vietnamese soldiers still sits quite incongruously amongst the temples, although the artillery pieces they also left behind have now been removed.
Walking around the temple top you will notice the ruined, remnants of the three other stairwells and looking in a northerly direction you will see a verdant green forest covering an adjacent hilltop.
Back down below at the entrance to the temple there are a few simple food and drink stalls, smelling slightly of the locally produced fish sauce and making it possible to have a simple meal of rice and stew to fortify oneself for the long, steep and breathless climb to the mountain top. It would be certainly be wise to stock up with water before attempting the journey.
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