Phnom Sorsia is a Buddhist hill complex in
Kampot Province, southern
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
. It contains Buddhist cultural features approached by a staircase and a complex of karst caves. One cave, ''Rung Damrey Saa'' ("White Elephant's Cave"), has a stalagmite resembling the head of an elephant; another has a bat colony.
The gateway to the caves is marked by a pagoda, approximately from the main road.
Geography
The complex is located about east of
Kampot. It is accessed via a dirt road which veers from the
NH33; signage refers to the site as the Phnom Sorsia Resort.
Phnom Sorsia,
Phnom Chhnork,
Kep, and
Bokor National Park make up a popular day trip of the
Kampot Province.
The forest-covered hill has several limestone caves. The White Elephant Cave is so named as there are many stalagmites in the limestone formations which resemble white elephants.
East of Phnom Sorsia is the "Bat Cave", with a population of several thousand bats.
They come out to the surface through a narrow chimney-type passage, and are hunted by bamboo-wielding local residents who swat at them while they are airborne.
A concealed pool with cool water is approached through a hole. The vistas from the top of the mountain are of rice fields.
Culture
Phnom Sorsia is considered a holy hill. Steps have been carved in the slopes in a winding formation,
to reach both the top of the mountain and the White Elephant Cave. Cultural features include two
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
statues to the right of the White Elephant Cave, a garishly painted temple, as well as a
stupa
In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
on top of the hill.
References
External links
*
{{Buddhism in Cambodia, state=collapsed
Caves of Cambodia
Buddhist temples in Cambodia
Geography of Kampot province
Buildings and structures in Kampot province
Show caves
Tourist attractions in Kampot province