Wat Phnom Sampeau Temple

Wat Phnom Sampeau is about 12 km southwest of Battambang town centre. Visitors can reach the site by tuk-tuk or taxi; the hill is accessible on foot from the parking area with a short climb to the pagodas and cave entrances. Local guides are available at the site for historical context.

• Arrive near sunrise to avoid heat and to catch the cave's morning light and resident bats leaving.
• Wear a good headlamp or flashlight if exploring cavern areas-the path lighting can be minimal.
• Respect local memorials and guided signs-some sections of the site are culturally sensitive.

Phnom Sampeau and the surrounding hills are steeped in local legend, and the slopes hold Buddhist temples built over the past century alongside caves and remnants of Cambodia’s civil war. Under the Khmer Rouge, several pagoda buildings and the caves beneath them were used for torture and execution. Once the site of theatre performances by local inhabitants, these “killing caves” lie on the hillside, roughly halfway to the summit.

A now bare pagoda beside the caves was used to interrogate thousands of people, who were then killed or thrown into the pits below while still alive. Stairs lead down into the caves, where a small shrine houses some of the victims’ bones.

Higher up the hill stand a pair of anti-aircraft guns left over from the war and a funerary spire dedicated to the wife of Marshal Lon Nol (1913-1985). Near the summit is a temple honouring the legendary Rumsay Sok, and at the very top a Buddhist prasat with views for miles in every direction. Reaching it means climbing more than 700 steps, which is punishing in the midday heat; the winding mountainside trail is a gentler, if still steep, alternative.