Wat Phnom—Phnom Penh, Cambodia. - Buddhist Temples and Public Shrines on Waymarking.com

Legend states that in 1434 AD a woman named Daun Penh found four statues of the Buddha inside a tree, floating down the Mekong. She recovered these statues and then constructed a Wat on an artificial hill to house them. This was the foundation point, and the origin of the name, of the city of Phnom Penh. Of course, I have read in history books that this story is most likely a myth, created after the foundation of the city, but what do historians know?

Irrespective of its past, the hill and the Wat are both still in existence, and the site of constant activity. A steady stream of both tourists and the faithful trek to the top (an easy 1-2 min walk), while a combination of vendors and tuk tuk drivers peddle their services at the base of the hill. There are also a number of recreational activities available, including elephants, who are ready to give you a ride around the grounds. I can add that on weekends the grounds are filled with families and children, plus lollygagging teenagers, hanging out, being cool, and attempting to impress members of the opposite sex.

The temple on the hill top is relatively small. It contains only one main building, which houses the Buddha images. There are a sizeable number of chedi present. Presumably, the earthly remains of important people, including Cambodian Kings. The current temple was last rebuilt in 1926 and received a facelift in 1998.

$1 for a foreigner to enter. Free for locals.

Open to visitors?: Yes Photography Permitted Inside?: Yes Statue of the Buddha present?: Yes Related Website: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Include in your log one or two complete sentences. Logs containing a few words like "visited it" are subject to deletion.

Photos of the shrine are strongly encouraged when permitted otherwise please refrain from taking pictures inside and in any case, generally have respect for the religious nature of the site.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   03/08/2013 Lachlan1.77 visited it 12/02/2011 denben visited it

View all visits/logs