| | Set on top of a 27m artificial hill, Wat Phnom is Phnom Penh’s tallest temple and the center of activity during Pchum Ben, the Festival of the Dead. Legend has it that Madam Penh built the temple in 1373 to house six Buddha statues that were washed up by the Mekong River. | |
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| Temple on a hill Like all temples in Cambodia, its main entrance faces east and is guarded by stone warriors, lions and nagas while more lion dogs and nagas sit protectively on the roof of this classical Cambodian wat.. The Cambodians come here to pray for good fortune and often come back with gifts of floral garlands or fruit to thank the spirits. Cambodia’s capital is named after this hill - Phnom means ‘city” and Phnom Penh means “Penh’s hill”. | | | Temple murals and Preah Chau’s shrine While other shrines and buildings were added through the years, the vihara (temple sanctuary) was itself renovated four times between 1436 and 1926. Some of its murals have been refurbished but the fresco in the ceiling, atop the large Buddha shrine, is original. Just below the vihara is the shrine to the spirit Preah Chau, who is dear to Vietnamese devotees and who is guarded by club wielding spirit guardians. To its left is a statue of the 8-armed Vishnu. There is a large stupa housing the ashes of King Ponhea whereas Madame Penh’s statue is housed in a nearby pavilion. Look out for the overgrown stupa, barely held together by the roots of trees growing on it, on a slope behind Wat Phnom. | | | Temple park In the hillside park around the temple are young kids selling the chance to release birds in a cage for a fee – watch carefully; these birds are trained to return to the cage. Complete your tour of Wat Phnom with a short elephant ride around the foot of the hill or stand at the summit and get a photo view of the city’s tree-lined avenues. | |
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Last Updated on Monday, 14 September 2009 23:03 |
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