- Area: Siem Reap Province > Prasat Bakong District > Ampil Commune > Bangkong Village
- | Type: Ancient Remains & Temples
Originally believed to be a 10th-century brick temple that had a central shrine flanked either side by library buildings. Today only the laterite outer wall remains with only scattered remnants of the original temple seen such as colonette fragments.
The walled area has been filled with earth and topped with a contemporary shrine. A curiosity of the site a the numerous sandstone slabs carved with round relief holes and outer circles.
Folklore has it that wild elephants and tigers roamed the area and long ago a Chinese community settled nearby, growing vegetables and selling them in the market. One day a Chinese farmer was attacked by a tiger and only his head was found remaining which was taken and placed in the temple! Since such time the temple was named so, Banteay Kbal Chen (source). I am not sure about the story, but the presence of local Chinese community is a certainty with two related shelters housing Terracotta warrior/Khmer style statuettes.
Map
Site Info
- Site Name: Banteay Kbal Chen (V.) Khmer Name: វត្តបន្ទាយក្បាលចិន
- Reference ID: HA11748 | Posted: January 20, 2021 | Last Update: July 19th, 2021
- Other Names: Kbal Chen
- Tags/Group: Angkor, b, Temples, Wat
- Location: Siem Reap Province > Prasat Bakong District > Ampil Commune > Bangkong Village
- MoCFA ID: 465
- IK Number: 562