Wat Chheu Khmao (Battambang)

Located on the south bank of the Sangker River and in the floodplains of the great Tonle Sap lake, is a wondrous Buddhist monastery with two pagodas. The older wooden pagoda, raised on stilts is also known as Blackwood temple or Black Tree pagoda. The site is noted as having been founded in the late 1800s. The adjacent pagoda is of a contemporary style and was built in the late 1900s. The pagoda was named after the tree used for its construction, Chheu Khmao (Diospyros crumenata).

Due to its fragile state, and for safety, it’s not possible to enter the pagoda today but regardless, it is still a wonderous site to visit, rising up on an island by the bank of the Sangker River and from the floodplains of the Tonle Sap.

The temple has a brick foundation from which wood stilts rise, keeping the temple well above the high waterline of the months from June to October. Whilst unique, It incorporates a lot of traditional Khmer art style and iconography such as Rahu (Kala) as depicted on one of the gables along with the decorative flames, finials, and cornice decoration. The temple is capped by a metal indented metal dome. Interstingly, the pagoda has a date of the mid-1900s noted on its walls and some locals at the site believe that was when it was built. Some of the material seen in the brick foundation appears contemporary with the adjacent pagoda which may indicate it received some additional or restoration work at that time.

The contemporary monastery is no less interesting. It also features some older-style sema that may have come from a pagoda that preceded the one we see today, but not by long.

Getting there: The site is only accessible by boat which depart from either Siem Reap or Battambang which can be arranged with your local guide or tour desk..

Another option, when the canals have water (usually June to November), is to first go by the dirt road that heads south from the village of Moukh Ben (30 km west of Siem Reap) and then look for the yellow motorbike shelter and hut by the widened mouth of the canal, and from there, take one of the local wooden boats along the channel to the pagoda, about $25 for a round trip. In the dry season, you can take this road same all the way to the north bank of the Sangker river, and then negotiate with a local to take a boat across to the other side (around $10 for a round trip).

Rodney Charles LHuillier

Living in Asia for over a decade and now residing in beautiful Siem Reap. Rodney Charles L'Huillier has spent over seven years in Cambodia and is the author of Ancient Cambodia (2024) and Essential Siem Reap (2017, 2019). Contact via [email protected] - more..