Tonle Bati & Phnom Chisor

Tonle Bati & Phnom Chisor

About 60 km south of Phnom Penh are two small temple and pagoda precincts this is Tonle Bati and Phnom Chisor. 

South of the capital is the Takeo province and the first is a temple area in best Angkor style also from the same time slot but much smaller a great looking temple area near a monastery and a large river which is a very popular location for a picnic at public holidays.

A few kilometers further south on a hill is Phnom Chisor. The temples have been constructed in beautiful masonry work and some inscriptions are dated back to the 11th. century when the place was known as Suryagiri.

The temples of Phnom Chisor.

The look quite similar to the Pagodas and Temples in Bagan central Myanmar or Burma. The panoramic view from the hill over the plains of Takeo province is a breathtaking experience. 

Phnom Chisor was created under King Suryavarman I. He reigned for 47 years from 1002 on. During his reign 4 major temple were built. Among them Preah Vihear. The Thai quarrel a lot about the ownership of that temple although the international law court has determined it's Khmer. 

This is in the north and Phnom Chisor plus Tonle Bati is in the south central region of today Cambodia. The buildings of Phnom Chisor are done in brick construction with sandstone lintels above the doorways and the wooden doors: Phnom Chisor was then known as Suryadri, 'the Mountain of the Sun' and due to the influence of Hinduism of that time, was dedicated to Brahma, 'the Creator of the Universe'.