Ba Phnom

Ba Phnom District (Khmer: ស្រុកបាភ្នំ sometimes spelled “Ba Phnum”) is a district located in Prey Veng Province, in south eastern Cambodia. The hills surrounding the town are the highest elevation points in Prey Veng province. In Khmer, Ba means “ancestor” and Phnom means “hill.” When combined, the town is known as “Hill of the Ancestors.”

Ba Phnom is a relatively remote location and has been attractive to ascenti monks (loak dhutang) for centuries. It has also been an occasional center from which millennial movements have radiated throughout Khmer history.

Ba Phnom is a site of interest for Cambodian historians. According to some accounts, the area is the birthplace of the Khmer people.

An inscription on Wat Jaan, the pre-Angkorian temple at the base of the mountain (ca. 629 AD), associates Ba Phnom with Shiva and refers to it as “the holy mountain.”

Wat Jaan, or Preah Vihear Chann Temple, is located in what is called Nokor Phnum Resort.

Prasat Preah Pisnukar/Wat Bat Phnom (?) a pagoda of the recent era is quite beautiful and is located on Ba Phnom mountain (រមណីដ្ឋាន​បាភ្នំ). See main picture – source.