Phnom Banan Temple

Phnom Banan Temple tickets and tours: which one to book

No advance ticket for Phnom Banan is sold online. Foreign visitors pay a small fee at the foot of the hill, where the steps begin, and that is all the paperwork there is; Cambodians and monks go up free. The money is collected by local staff, so carry small notes in US dollars or riel. Most people reach the temple from Battambang town, about 25 km to the south along the Sangker River. The usual way is a tuk-tuk hired for a half or full day, either directly from a driver or through a guesthouse, and the driver waits while you climb.

Day loops around Battambang commonly combine Phnom Banan with the bamboo train, a winery on the same road, the killing caves and bat cave at Phnom Sampeau, and village workshops making rice paper or fish paste. Some drivers speak good English and act as informal guides; a hired motorbike works too if you are confident on rural roads. If you want history rather than transport, ask a tour office in Battambang for a guide who knows the Khmer temples of the province, because there are no explanatory panels on the hill. Children at the bottom offer to guide you up and to the caves for a tip, and they are often surprisingly well informed. Bring water, as stalls at the summit sell drinks at a mark-up.

Visiting Phnom Banan Temple: what to see and how to behave

Phnom Banan is the best preserved of the Khmer temples in Battambang Province, set on a steep, isolated hill rising out of the paddy fields. The approach is a steep laterite staircase of a few hundred steps, flanked by naga balustrades, which takes 15 to 20 minutes to climb in the heat. At the top stand five sandstone towers arranged in a quincunx, the same plan as Angkor Wat on a much smaller scale, so the silhouette is the first thing to look for as you reach the platform. The temple was founded in the 11th century under Udayadityavarman II, a Shaivite king, which is why parts of the structure follow Hindu temple design.

Most of the surviving carving, however, is Buddhist, and many images were later defaced in the same way as at Angkor, suggesting a rebuilding under Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century. Look for the lintels still in place over the doorways of the central tower and the carved pediments on the side towers; several others were looted during the wars of the late 20th century, and gaps in the stonework show where. Behind the towers, a viewpoint looks out over the Sangker valley and the plain towards Battambang. A path at the foot of the hill leads to caves used as shrines, one of them reached through a narrow passage; take a torch. A modern Buddha image inside the central tower receives offerings, so remove your hat, keep your voice down and avoid stepping over the incense bowls.

Phnom Banan Temple: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The site is open from early morning until late afternoon every day; there are no fixed published hours, but the ticket staff are usually at the steps from about 7 am to 5 pm. Climb in the first hours after sunrise, when the stairs are in shade and the air over the rice fields is clear, or after 3.30 pm, when the heat eases and the light turns golden on the towers. The dry season from November to March is the most comfortable time, with green paddies early in the season and dusty, hazy views by March.

April and May are the hottest months, and the rains from June to October bring afternoon storms that make the steps slippery. During Khmer New Year in mid-April and the Pchum Ben festival in September or October the hill fills with Cambodian families. Allow an hour to climb, look around and come down, plus 30 minutes for the caves. Pair it with the bat exodus at Phnom Sampeau at dusk to make a full day from Battambang.