Banteay Chhmar: Temples, Bas-Reliefs and Village Life

The temple complex of Banteay Chhmar, with its moat, reservoir and surrounding unspoiled landscape, is an archaeological site and is considered an important link in Cambodia’s cultural heritage. The tour to Kbal Tonsong and the surrounding area add village life and local livelihoods to this cultural focus.

Temple Complex and Bas-Reliefs

The outer walls of the gallery at Banteay Chhmar temple bear bas-reliefs depicting military and domestic scenes. If lined up, they would stretch for nearly a kilometre. A bas-relief is an image that projects slightly from its background; here, different scenes are connected with the architecture of the gallery. Their approximate length makes the sequence of images a distinctive aspect of the temple complex and gives a sense of its scale.

A Day in Kbal Tonsong Village

Kbal Tonsong is considered one of the oldest villages in Banteay Chhmar. On the “Day in the Life” tour, visitors spend most of the day with families in the village. The tour offers a glimpse of rice fields, opportunities to meet villagers and the chance to help with tasks at hand. These may include growing vegetables, preparing fields, cutting cassava, planting or harvesting rice, cooking and housework. The selection thus includes both field and household activities, looking beyond the rice fields to different aspects of village life. Tour details may vary; activities and locations may also change depending on the weather and road conditions. If a particular activity is important to you, ask for up-to-date tour details in advance; weather and road conditions can affect activities or locations.

Excursions and Surroundings

For excursions to satellite temples and barays, you can ask the Banteay Chhmar CBT group about moto or kuyon trips. Bicycles can be rented in Banteay Chhmar; rental arrangements may change.

Boeung Cheung Kru lies in the vicinity of Banteay Chhmar. It serves the local population as a source of water for agriculture, fishing and household use, and is a habitat for various birds, including herons. This combination of water use and bird habitat adds a local perspective to the view of the temple architecture.

A kuyon trip to Banteay Torp may include a picnic. Confirm local arrangements before your trip.

Two different scales come together in planning your trip: if lined up, the reliefs would stretch for nearly a kilometre, while visitors on the “Day in the Life” tour spend most of the day with families in the village. The spatial extent of a sequence of images thus meets the time involved in a village visit. When weighing your interests, you can treat architecture and village life as different priorities for your stay.

Discover more destinations: Poipet

Return to the main travel overview: Banteay Meanchey.