Wat Banan Hill Temple — Rear Sanctuary
Angkor (11th c. CE)·Khmer·🇰🇭 Battambang Province, Cambodia
About
About Wat Banan Hill Temple — Rear Sanctuary
Wat Banan Hill Temple — Rear Sanctuary in Battambang Province, Cambodia is a Angkor (11th c. CE) temple-complex attributed to Khmer. Rear sanctuary behind Phnom Banan main group with later Buddhist addition. Theravada Buddhist modifications with Buddha footprints, later than Hindu core.
Why it mattersType-site for Khmer temple architecture
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronological sequence refinement
- 02Iconography program
Theories
- 01Shaivite cult centre
- 02Hydraulic kingship model
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1050 CE
- Period
- Angkor (11th c. CE)
- Culture
- Khmer
- Purpose
- Rear sanctuary behind Phnom Banan main group with later Buddhist addition
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 1050 CE
Initial construction
c. 1990 CE
UNESCO / EFEO restoration
On the ground
Structures & features
12.5400° N · 103.1420° E · 78 m · 3 mapped features
Wat Banan Hill Temple — Rear Sanctuary — Central Sanctuary Tower
towerCentral kalan or prang shrine
12.5402° N · 103.1421° EWat Banan Hill Temple — Rear Sanctuary — Mandapa / Gopura Hall
mandapaEntrance mandapa or gopura
12.5398° N · 103.1422° EWat Banan Hill Temple — Rear Sanctuary — Enclosure and Moat
enclosureOuter laterite enclosure and moat
12.5405° N · 103.1418° E