Ek Phnom

Ek Phnom (ប្រាសាទឯកភ្នំ) is an 11th-century Angkorian temple north of the city of Battambang (បាត់ដំបង). A working pagoda stands beside it. The temple lies in Takorm village, Peam Ek commune, Ek Phnom district, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the city.

Heritage site details
Khmer name	ប្រាសាទឯកភ្នំ
Site type	Temple
Location	Takorm village, Peam Ek commune, Ek Phnom district, Battambang province
Country	Cambodia
Period	11th century, reign of Suryavarman I
Subjects	Religion & Spiritual Life; History & Remembrance

History

The temple was built in the reign of King Suryavarman I (សូរ្យវរ្ម័នទី១), in the first part of the 11th century. Its style falls between the late Khleang and the early Baphuon (បាពួន) styles. The travel guide Travelfish writes that the king ordered it built as his "temple of the west", and that for this reason it is made mostly of sandstone, which was costlier than the laterite of most provincial temples.

The inscription known as K.211 is carved on the door frames of the hall on the east side. Its complete part has nine lines in Old Khmer and two in Sanskrit, and is dated 959 in the Saka era, the year 1037. A shorter inscription of five lines is too damaged to read. Some researchers read the temple's date as 1027 instead.

The Khmer Civilization study of the inscription identifies the temple as a shrine to a Shiva linga called Sri Suryavarmesvara, in a place named Narendragrama (នរេន្ទ្រគ្រាម) in the land of Bhimapura (ភីមបូរ). The Khmer text records the gifts of a Brahmin teacher, Sri Yokisvara Pandita, who founded the shrine and gave it goods, among them a jar and a parasol. It says that Suryavarman I ordered the boundaries of the land to be marked and gave servants to the Brahmin. In the Sanskrit lines the Brahmin offers a gold jar to the linga.

The temple

The temple of Ek Phnom, north of Battambang, 2016. Photo: Clemens Schmillen, CC BY-SA 4.0

The temple faces east and stands on a base of two tiers, with a gallery around it. The temple is of sandstone, and its tower and enclosure wall are of laterite. The site measures more than 85 meters (279 feet) from west to east and 63 meters (207 feet) from north to south, with entrances on the east and west. A library stands south of the central tower, in a laterite courtyard.

Kim Sophoan, director of the provincial Department of Culture and Fine Arts, told Cambodianess that Angkor Wat, built a century later, repeats two of Ek Phnom's features: a moat, and an enclosure wall around the main tower. He said the moat stands for the ocean around Mount Meru, the home of the gods in Hindu belief. Monks have used the moat for ceremonies for centuries. Part of it, south of the temple, serves as a pond for the monks of the pagoda.

Carvings on the central door and tower show the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, Shiva riding the bull Nandi with his queen, and Vishnu and Indra on elephants. Koh Santepheap also lists Vishnu lying on the serpent Ananta with Lakshmi at his feet and Brahma on a lotus rising from his navel, and Hanuman visiting Sita while she is held in Lanka.

The weather, war and looting have badly damaged the temple. A technical team from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has carried out emergency repairs, supporting the eastern stairway, strengthening the western gate and parts of the central tower, and working on the carvings. Travelfish writes that the Khmer Rouge tried to take the temple apart, and gave up after a run of accidents convinced them that the spirits were displeased.

The pagoda

The pagoda beside the temple is officially named វត្តឯកបព្វតារាម and is commonly called Wat Ek Phnom. Earlier publications called the temple Wat Ek, after the pagoda. Elders date the pagoda's founding to 1757. Under the Khmer Rouge its grounds were used as a killing site. The vihara was repaired from 1991 and consecrated in 2001, and a statue about 25 meters (82 feet) high was built north of the vihara in 2003.

Tours from Battambang often combine Ek Phnom with Wat Baset, a temple built by the same king.

References