Prasat Bat Chum ប្រាសាទបាទជុំ, Angkor

Prasat Batchum (26 February, 2006)


Prasat Bat Chum ប្រាសាទបាទជុំ (GPS: 13.42468, 103.90785) is a small and rather difficult to reach temple in Angkor. It was built in the middle of the 10th Century for King Rajendravarman (who reigned from AD 944 to AD 968) by Kavindrarimathana, the same architect and Buddhist minister who designed the king's palace as well as the temple of East Mebon, and also probably had a hand in Pre Rup. Kavindrarimathana is the only ancient Khmer architect whose name is known. To his own credit, he also designed Srah Srang.

Prasat Batchum, still encased in scaffolding after all these years.

Prasat Bat Chum is in the centre of the Map of Angkor

I introduced Prasat Bat Chum to my tuk tuk driver Mr Han. Although he has not been to it, I told him where it should be, and insisted on searching for it. At first he was reluctant, but later helped to drive me on the lane that I pointed out, until we reached the temple.

Prasat Bat Chum consists of three brick towers, or prasat. They sit on a platform facing east. You can catch a glimpse of them from the main road that runs between Srah Srang and Prasat Kravan. From Srah Srang to Prasat Kravan, be on the look out for three brick towers (as seen on this page), and turn left into the lane that leads to it.

Prasat Batchum (26 February, 2006)


When I visited, the northern prasat was undergoing restoration, and hence was engulfed in scaffolds. I observed that the brick towers had stone door frames, lintels and octagonal colonettes, all similar to those found at Prasat Kravan. In front of the temple are the stone guardian lions. On each tower are inscriptions which, I learned afterwards, were poems of praise to the builder, and signed by different persons. And curiously, all the three inscriptions conclude with a sort of "ancient no parking sign", requesting that elephant owners prevent their animals from trampling on dykes and damaging them.

How to reach Prasat Bat Chum

Prasat Bat Chum is located aboout 400 meters south of Srah Srang. Look for a turning on the left. From the opposite direction, it is 300 meters north of Prasat Kravan, with the turning on the right. The turning in leads into an unpaved road which makes a turning to the left after about 300 meters before turning left again.

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