Phnom Srey and Phnom Pros—Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia.
Posted by: 
Ianatlarge
N 12° 01.794 E 105° 25.314
48P E 545922 N 1329895
Twin hills and Buddhist temples, one representing men, the other women.
Waymark Code: WM9RXP
Location: Cambodia
Date Posted: 09/26/2010
Views: 5
To the north west of the small city of Kampong Cham are two adjacent hills, and, atop of each, are two related Buddhist temples. The reason that there are two temples on two hills is as follows.
These two temples sit atop two adjacent hills, with the women's hill being significantly higher than the man's. There seem to be several different versions of why this is so, however, the basic story is: men and women competed to construct an artificial hill overnight, the highest being the winner, who, henceforth, would have the right to choose the other in matrimony, i.e. men could ask a beautiful lady, or a less attractive lady could chose a handsome man to be her husband.
The men were winning the race to build (natch), when the women devised a devious plot to deceive the men (natch). They lit a beacon on the horizon. The men thought that this beacon was the rising sun (or the morning star, Venus, in a different version), and stopped working. The women continued working, and today 'their' hill is the higher, thus Cambodian men have to ask permission of the woman's family for permission to court and marry.
The men's hill and temple is easily reached from the main road, and after ascending a small set of stairs. There is also an associated, small 'amusement park' (play areas, food, a few things to throw and catch) with this temple. One point, there are monkeys scampering around this temple, and they were a little aggressive when I visited. Cute on the discovery channel, but they also have parasites, and rabies is not uncommon in SEA. Take care if you visit.
The gps spot given is the top of the women's hill. The spot for the men's hill is: 12.0293n 105.4165e.
The women's hill is a short distance away to the north, but reaching this hill requires climbing 303 steep steps (I did not count—just kept climbing). Atop there is an excellent view of the surrounds (green, rice, the Mekong), and a small temple. There is also a 'little old lady', who makes a living carry an esky with cold drinks to the top of the hill every day. You might want to buy something from her.
The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
Daylight. Dangerous to climb otherwise.
Admission Prices:
Free, donation is always nice.
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Half of a day (2-5 hours)
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle Only
The attraction’s own URL: Not listed
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