Phnom
Sempov |
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Phnom
Sempov, the highloight of my visit to Cambodia this time, is a steep hill
which hosts a compound of interesting Buddhist and syncretic indigenous
temples. It has quite a bloody history: the Khmer Rouge used it as a torture
and execution site. The hill is located about 20 kilometers south of Battambang,
on national Rt. 57. Get a bird's-eye view of the compound and the temple
in the town at the foot of the hill in this
nice video. |
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At
the entrance to the compound at the top of the hill |
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There
is more interesting information about the compound and its curiosities
at
this website. Between 95-98% (depending on your source) of Cambodia's
population belong to Theraveda Buddhism (which is heavily flavored with
animistic indigenous practices). You can see that blend easily on this
compound. Find more interesting info at Religion
in Cambodia. |
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I
tried to discover exactly when and what the artillery on the compound
was used for, but could find nothing that specifically refers to fighting
in the area around Battambang that would include use of artillery. I can
only surmise that it was used during the Vietnamese occupation between
1979 and 1989, in the fighting between Vietnamese and Democratic Cambodia
(Kmer Rouge) forces. That was the only period in twentieth century Cambodia
that there was fighting of a kind that would include use of artillery. |
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This
shrine seems to be more animistic than Buddhist. From Wikipedia, Religion
in Cambodia: "In recent years, the label 'Brahmanism' has been
used (with only a vague reference to Hinduism) to indicate the rise after
1979 of a large network of spirit mediums who propose to their clients
prosperity rituals grounded in folk religion, criticized by some Buddhists
as heterodox and foreign to Buddhism. Others regard 'Brahmanism' and Buddhism
as 'two branches of one religious system that they call "Cambodian
Buddhism," and occasionally Buddhist monks attend 'Brahmanist' rituals." |
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This
monk seemed to be selling something. In the next photo, you can see his
assistant counting proceeds from the monk's pitch. |
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Cambodian
tourists |
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This
huge monastery at the foot of Phnom Sempov apparently has some relationship
with the compound at the peak. I saw no residential buildings among the
shrines and temples on the peak. |
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In
this temple on Phnom Sempov I could not see any animist features. |
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