Bat Chum ( km, ប្រាសាទបាទជុំ) is a small temple built by Kavindrarimathana, a learned Buddhist minister of Khmer king

Rajendravarman Rajendravarman II ( km, រាជេន្ទ្រវរ្ម័នទី២) was the king of the Khmer Empire (region of Angkor in Cambodia), from 944 to 968 AD. Rajendravarman II was the uncle and first cousin of Harshavarman. His principal m ...

, at the middle of the 10th century. It is about south of Srah Srang, at

Angkor Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. It consists of three inline brick towers (in poor conditions at present), standing on the same platform, surrounded by an enclosure and a moat, with a single

gopura A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...

to the east. On the doorjambs there are

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

inscriptions that mention Kavindrarimathana, the "architect" (or official in charge for construction) who built Srah Srang,

East Mebon The East Mebon ( km, ប្រាសាទមេបុណ្យខាងកើត) is a 10th Century temple at Angkor, Cambodia. Built during the reign of King Rajendravarman, it stands on what was an artificial island at the center of the now dry ...

, and maybe planned the temple-mountain of

Pre Rup Pre Rup (; km, ប្រែរូប, ) is a Hindu temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built as the state temple of Khmer king RajendravarmanHigham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland S ...

. The latter was dedicated in 960 AD, shortly before death of the architect. There were houses and a Buddhist monastery near the temple, but these wooden structures have been gone for a long time. During the excavations in 1952, in the northern and central towers, flagstones showing a

yantra Yantra () (literally "machine, contraption") is a geometrical diagram, mainly from the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Yantras are used for the worship of deities in temples or at home; as an aid in meditation; used for the benefits ...

were found, which

George Coedès George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

was able to reconstitute and with extreme difficulty link to the Buddhist divinities mentioned on doorjambs. In every tower there is a different inscription signed by three different persons. The last verse of each of the three refers to the elephants as "dyke breakers". Freeman and Jacques, 2006, p.155

Gallery

Bat Chum 2020 - 02.jpg, The temple Bat Chum 2020 - 04.jpg, Left tower Bat Chum 2020 - 05.jpg, Middle tower Bat Chum 2020 - 06.jpg, Right tower Bat Chum 2020 - 11.jpg, Door to the middle tower Bat Chum 2020 - 08.jpg, Stone lions

Footnotes

References

* * Angkorian sites in Siem Reap Province Buddhist temples in Siem Reap Province 10th-century Buddhist temples {{Cambodia-struct-stub