KAMPONG THOM — Set among unassuming Cambodian villages, testimony to long-ago known and unknown history, traces of these times past often subtly appear in the landscape, still present as if time was standing still.
At times, they come in the form of temples whose age easily dwarfs generations of people. Bei temple is one of them, a centuries-old site whose story has nearly been lost.
Heavily affected by the elements over the centuries, sources suggest that Bei temple was most likely built around the 7th century, during the kingdom of Chenla in Cambodia, prior to Angkor. Now protected due to the goodwill of the Buddhist monks and villagers in the area, Bei temple stands today next to a Buddhist pagoda.
A contemporary vihara (Buddhist shrine hall) has been constructed a couple of meters from the temple, confirming the religious and sacred character of the area as if it had never left.
As can be seen across the land, temples of the size of Bei temple and of this long-ago period of Cambodia, can be seen all across the land especially near mountains, rivers, streams, or lakes, which were areas of strategic importance for forestry, fishery and agriculture, attracting a population requiring religious institutions.
Built of tens of thousands of precisely laid bricks, Bei temple is in size quite similar to many other temples of its era. With an entrance opening to the east, such a temple usually was home to sacred statues of deities. These have long been taken away, leaving inside a lonely sandstone pedestal standing half in, half out of the temple.
Although the roof and many corners of this ancient monument have disappeared over time, Bei temple still retains a number of historical features crucial for the study of the temple’s history.
First, lines of inscriptions, some of them heavily eroded, can be found on the two sandstone door jambs. Second, the temple still retains some of its wall decorations of “floating palaces,” plus a two-dimensional brick curving of fine artistry that seems to be the depiction of a temple.
Even though they slightly differ in style, these “floating palaces” are a common feature in many pre-Angkorian temples in Cambodia. Three of these floating palaces are still fairly visible on Bei Temple’s walls.
At the present time, the temple is topped by a corrugated roof supported by thin concrete pylons, which is one of the many affordable and reversible techniques used to protect fragile temples from rain, falling debris and direct sunlight.
With so little structure remaining, Bei temple is virtually not on the tourism map. And yet, the monument still stands as a firm testament of the enduring religious beliefs of the population in the surrounding villages.
New pagoda facilities are being constructed around the temple where annual ceremonies and festivals are held by fellow villagers with friends and relatives from other areas taking part.
Today, getting to Bei temple has become much easier due to the improvement of communal roads.
Located around 200 kilometers from Phnom Penh along the busy National Road 6, visitors only need to exit this main road and travel along a smaller communal road for about 5 kilometers.
This communal road, except for the final 300 meters from the temple, has recently been laid by concrete, which makes travelling effortless.
It is understandable that Bei temple may not immediately catch the attention of a tourist. However, for history enthusiasts, Bei temple is worth visiting, being a time capsule that offers people a glimpse of a bygone era in an ordinary farming village of Cambodia.
Beside Isanapura—capital of the kingdom of Chenla of around the 7th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site—there is a number of small brick temples similar to Bei temple in Kampong Thom province. They include West Thnot Chum temple, North Thnot Chum temple, Andet temple, Phum Prasat temple, Balang temple, and many more.
Since the pagoda next to Bei temple is religious premises that people visit, entering the temple requires no fee. Since pagodas are generally gated after dusk, it is better to visit the temple during the day.
Please be aware that there is a larger and better-known temple of the same name in Siem Reap province’s Angkor Archaeological Park. A good number of temples in Cambodia happen to have the same or very similar names.
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Locate Bei temple on Google Maps, or by using the coordinates below:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/bZNZupWoG5qkcy717
12.883331008037304, 104.66384831217216
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Images below show the general views around Bei temple:
