Ba Phnum District Explained

Ba Phnum
Native Name:Central Khmer: បាភ្នំ
Official Name:Ba Phnum District
Central Khmer: ស្រុកបាភ្នំ
Settlement Type:District
Pushpin Map:Cambodia
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Cambodia
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Cambodia
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Prey Veng
Population As Of:1998
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:71,662
Timezone:ICT
Utc Offset:+7
Coordinates:11.2333°N 127°W
Geocode:1401

Ba Phnum (km|បាភ្នំ, in Central Khmer pronounced as /baːpʰnum/), sometime spelled as Ba Phnom, is a district located in Prey Veng Province, in south eastern Cambodia. The hills surrounding the town are the highest elevation points in Prey Veng province. In Khmer, Ba means "ancestor" and Phnum means "hill." When combined, the town is known as "Hill of the Ancestors."

Ba Phnum is a relatively remote location and has been attractive to ascenti monks (loak dhutang) for centuries. It has also been an occasional center from which millennial movements have radiated throughout Khmer history.

Ba Phnum is a site of interest for Cambodian historians. According to some accounts, the area is the birthplace of the Khmer people. An inscription on Wat Jaan, the pre-Angkorian temple at the base of the mountain (ca. 629 AD), associates Ba Phnum with Shiva and refers to it as "the holy mountain."

Ba Phnum was prominently featured in many of the rural scenes in the 2016 documentary Angkor Awakens.

Human sacrifices were made here until 1872. Khmer Kings made pilgrimage here.

Ba Phnum District

Ba Phnum contains 9 Communes (ឃុំ Khum) and 108 Villages (ភូមិ Phum).[2]

!No.!Name!Khmer!Geo Code!No. Villages
1Boeng Preahបឹងព្រះ14-01-0114
2Cheung Phnumជើងភ្នំ14-01-027
3Chheu Kachឈើកាច់14-01-0314
4Reaks Cheyរក្សជ័យ14-01-0412
5Roung Damreiរោងដំរី14-01-0512
6Sdau Kaongស្ដៅកោង14-01-0615
7Spueu Kaស្ពឺ ក14-01-0710
8Spueu Khaស្ពឺ ខ14-01-086
9Theayធាយ14-01-0918

Funan's capital city

Ba Phnum has purportedly been the location of Vyadhapura, capital of the kingdom of Funan.

References

11.2333°N 127°W

Notes and References

  1. Book: General Population Census of Cambodia, 1998: Village Gazetteer. National Institute of Statistics. February 2000. 214–215.
  2. Web site: Cambodia Gazetteer . 2024-11-04 . db.ncdd.gov.kh.