Banteay Prei Nokor (Tbong Khmum)

An ancient citadel consisting of a large square enclosure, 2.5 km x 2.5 km, surrounded by a moat and berm. It dates back to the 7/8th century while also being a quite important location in the 16th century.

Once you cross the moat, head to the monastery, Wat Prei Angkor Knoung Sdech Kan, and you’ll find the two ancient towers of Preah Theat Thom and 200 m southeast by foot the remaining tower of Preah Theat Toch. The first dating back to the 7th century and the reign of King Bhavavarman I the western towers dating to the 9th century. There are several other archeological sites within the citadel including Tuol Boran and West Tuol Preah Thiet Muoy although little remains.

Pictured below are the two remaining ancient temples located on the western side of the pagoda, and the much older Prasat Toch, the ancient city’s outer moat, and the beautiful contemporary pagoda.

Several statues and a grand reclining Buddha statue have been added beside the monastery grounds in recent times.

The area is also recorded as Prey Nokor Knung and Luong Preah Sdach Kan Resort (Khmer: រមណីយដ្ឋាន​ហ្លួង​ព្រះស្តេច​កន) and was the first base or capital of the legendary 16th-century king, Sdech Kan (or Sdach Korn), also known as Srei Chettha II or Srei Chetha Thireach Reameathiptei. Sdech Kan was a commoner who grew up amongst royalty, later in life he took over the throne in battle from an unpopular king heralding an era of peace, and lower taxes, along with introducing the first national currency. Several gold coins depicting the mythological bird, Hamsa, have also been found at the Banteay Prei Nokor site. A statue of Sdech Kan can be seen on the monastery grounds.

The refurbishment and beautification of the monastery grounds, additions of statues etc. was sponsored personally by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Reaching the site is easy, there is/was a sealed road leading out of Kandaol Chrum that at the time of visiting was under reconstruction (early 2022) and there are also several dirt roads leading into the larger Banteay Prei Nokor area.

Historical Notes

Prei Nokor. These monuments, all of which are located in the group of villages called Sangke-Suong, can be reached after a few miles in a south-east direction. in Bantéai Préi Nokor = Panday Brai Nagara, “the forest fortress of the kingdom”, located in the middle of the plains of this high plateau of Thbaung Khmum. The vast expanse and also the name of this enclosure seem to indicate that we are here in the presence of one of the primitive capitals of Cambodia. The walls. whose layout is approximately square, measure more than two thousand meters on each side and are hardly inferior to those of Angkor Thom from the point of view of dimensions. But the embankments must have been less high and less wide than those of the latter capital, because, beyond the ditch a hundred meters wide and shallow today, we only find earthen embankments invaded by vegetation, high four to five meters, equally wide and having lost all trace of their covering which must have been made of planks or tree trunks of all kinds.

Each side of the enclosure was pierced by three Thvéar or doors, symmetrically placed, which Cambodians today still distinguish by different names. A causeway started from the central gate on the east face, crossed the town and continued, it is said, to the west, across the plain to the monuments of the rocky forest which ends these plateaus. But before reaching the geometric center of the city, this roadway meets three brick towers. very small, pressed together and facing north. The lintel and the two walls of the door of the left turret were covered with inscriptions which are currently in very poor condition. This small monument, called Preah That Tauch “the small one” could well be contemporary with the founding of the city. Three hundred meters to the northeast of this first temple are the ruins of another monument Preah Theat Thom “the great” which also included three brick towers but much larger and appearing less ancient than the previous ones. They face east. The one on the left is completely ruined, while remains of the interior ceiling can still be seen in the central one.

Behind Preah Théat Thom, there is a pagoda and a hamlet of hereditary serfs. The pagoda is miserable: its little Buddha is modestly placed in a chest which serves as an altar. In 1883 she only owned two monks, one of which was. the chief, bearing the title of Maha Pa, enjoyed a certain traditional authority over all the pagodas in the province. With a sureness of decision and execution which could have served as an example to most civil native chiefs, he was able to promptly provide the passing explorer with all the means of transport which were necessary for him to continue his route. . As for the serfs of the neighboring hamlet, placed immediately under the orders of this bouze, they were responsible for the maintenance of this Vat Bantai Prei Nokor and several other pagodas, such as those of Prahear Antim, Prahéar Klpos of which he been questioned previously.

In the pagoda of Bântéai Préi Nokor a small Khmer inscription was found engraved on the side edge of a black stone. well cut. sort of table similar to a flat and square base, but without holes. measuring forty centimeters on each side and six in thickness. The inscription, the end of which is missing, only includes a few beautiful, clear and firm letters from the 6th century aka. Regarding the inscriptions on the door of the left tower of the small central monument called Preah Théat Tauch, that of the lintel which seems being Sanskrit included two or three long lines of which few letters remain recognizable. The inscriptions on the two walls were written in the Khmer language. We can count around thirty lines on the right wall where we can clearly see a nominative list of qualified sacred workers, va, men, and ku. women whose children are sometimes indicated. The left wall. even more ruined and broken horizontally in the middle, bore an inscription of more than twenty-five lines of which very little is legible. The list of workerss is continued there. Mention of fields is then made there. Names of female workers complete the still recognizable part. The writing and language allow these inscriptions to be traced back to the 6th century s’aka.

Le Cambodge, E. Aymonier, 1901

Inscriptions

Via CIK

• K. 97 – Prasat Preah Theat Toch – 3 + 30 lines of Sanskrit and 22 lines of Khmer
• K. 98 – stele – Khmer – IC VII, p. 32

Rodney Charles LHuillier

Living in Asia for over a decade and now residing in beautiful Siem Reap - Contact via rod@helloangkor.com - more..