Contemporary monastery built upon an ancient site known as Prasat Bakan where the laterite blocks form a large rectangular base atop which is a pyramidic arrangement of blocks. Who did what and when is a little hard to know. Certainly, in recent times, a prayer hall has been added atop the base and more recently, … Read more
Located on contemporary monastery grounds are the remains of a sandstone temple that creates a real curious puzzle for its rearrangement is extensive. Entering the monastery, you will immediately see some interesting sema, pedestals lining the way, with a decorated door column, and part of the temple crown. Look to the right, a rectangular area … Read more
Located in Pursat Province on the waters of the Tonle Sap Lake, Kampong Luong is another of Cambodia’s unique floating villages where the community lives their life in a water-centric world. The area features a large community that is part land-based with houses on stilts and the larger community in floating homes, making a living … Read more
Located in central Pursat city, Koh Sampov Meas is a boat-shaped man-made island in the middle of the Pursat River. It features several shrines and a tree-lines facade making it a nice place to relax by the water. At one end is the Preah Ang Chao Sen temple. So legend has it, in days gone by … Read more
A sacred place for many Cambodians who will stop by here to pray and relax in the beautiful grounds which feature several shrines, sculptures, water features. Klaeng Meung is revered as a military hero who, as legend has it, sacrificed his own life to enter the afterworld and raise an army of ghosts to fight … Read more
Also recorded as Mountain Kachongkot Borey and Phnom Borey. Located in Pursat just across the border from Kampong Chhnang Province, it’s a natural scenic site, a cultural site, and according to locals also an ancient site. The site features a lot of contemporary sculptures on its two plateaus including monumental statues of Yaksha guarding the … Read more
Located centrally, the local museum houses a collection of remnants from ancient temple sites in the province. While the collection is small, some of the pieces are not seen elsewhere, an example are the unique sema stones with 3-dimensional iconography that came from one of the more important sites in the area, Bakan Temple, and … Read more
Located in central Pursat city, it’s an older pagoda retaining its original inner murals, decorative pediments, and features. I am not sure of its exact foundation date, perhaps what we see dates to around the mid-1900s. The pagoda also features a beautifully decorated balan (pedestal for the Buddha) and outside, an equally beautifully decorated stupa. … Read more
Contemporary monastery and pagoda located 7km north of Pursat city. On our visit in Aug 2023 there is a massively tall construction underway behind the pagoda, let’s wait to see what it becomes.
Located on the southeastern side of the city of Pursat, Wat Moniratanarama or Mony Ratanaream, is a unique new pagoda that has recently been completed. Inside, you can take the spiral staircase that leads up through the different levels with grand views on offer at the top. On Buddhist holy days, at night they turn … Read more
Contemporary monastery and pagoda located 15 km south of Pursat. It has recently been renewed and is quite pretty with a beautiful location on the mountainside.
Contemporary monastery and pagoda located atop Phnom Borvong, about 12 km south of Pursat. The mountaintop features several attractions, all related to the pagoda. On there north side there is a monastery and pagoda with several buildings in development including a meditation area. Just south of that is a grand Chedi. A little to the … Read more
Located around 15km south of the RN 6 in Krakor District of Pursat Province is Wat Phnum Kuk also recorded as Phnom Kuk. It is an active monastery and contemporary pagoda located at the eastern foot of a 17km long mountain range. The area is gated and normally closed although the monk was happy for … Read more
Contemporary monastery located on an ancient temple site retaining several sandstone remnants. (more to come soon) More pieces of the puzzle, including more “column” pieces, a frieze, a sandstone pedestal, and a sandstone lion.
Contemporary monastery and pagoda located 25 km south of Pursat. It is one of the older pagodas in the area and features notable pediments along with murals on its inner walls.