| Kompong Thom is a small town
with sleepy colonial buildings, located on the bank of the
Stoeung Sen River. It is the capital of Kampong Thom province,
one of the five provinces surrounding the Tonle Sab lake. On the road from Phnom Penh to Siem
Reap, it serves as a lunch stop for travellers from the Cambodian
capital to the site of the Angkor temples.
The original name of Kampong Thom was "Kampong
Pus Thom" or the Kampong of the big snakes (Kampong is a peer, a
landing on a river). This name was derived from a couple of big
snakes that were said to live in cave at the Sen river and which
people saw on the holy Buddhist days. The French during the colonial
times abbreviated the name of the city to "Kampong Thom" or big
Kampong and named the province after it when they divided the
kingdom into provinces. |
Kampong Thom is the base for excursions to the important
archaeological site of Sambor Prei Kuk, the ancient capital of
Chenla.
Just 35 km away from the city, this site can only be reached by
travelling down an unpaved road. Approximately 170 temples from the pre-Angkorian
period (7th century) can be found here surrounded by lush
forest. Other tourist attractions are the
mountain Phnom Santuk, Prasat Kuh Nokor temple ruins,
the 11th century Prasat Kok Rokar temple, the
temples Prasat Phum Prasat and Prasat Andet, the
natural and cultural site of Prey Pros and the bird sanctuary
of Boeung Tonle Chmar. |
