Wat Phnom

CAMBODIA, Phnom Penh

Wat Phnom means Hill Temple. It was built in 1372 on a hill in the area which later became Phnom Penh. There is a legend that a lady named Daun Penh found four Buddha statues inside driftwood in the Mekong River. She decided to create a 27 m high artificial hill, on top of which she built a temple to enshrine the four statues. The temple has been through several reconstructions. The present structure dates back to 1926 and a recent renovation work was undertaken in 2011.
The principal buildings of the temple include the main hall, stupa, and pavilion. The main hall has a hip-and-gable roof decorated with nagas and garudas. The main roofs overlap and are steeply pitched, while the double eaves have more gentle slopes. The pediments are decorated with exquisite carvings. A veranda surrounds the exterior of the hall. Apsaras are found near the capitals of the veranda columns, acting like bracket sets to support the eaves. The main entrance to Wat Phnom is up a long flight of steps which are lined by stone sculptures of guardians, lions, and nagas.
Behind the main hall there is a stupa, which is composed of a base, body and spire. The base is square with multiple corners and consists of many layers. Sculptures of lions and human figures guard the corners of each layer. The stupa body is bell-shaped, with three circular rings at the bottom and floral carvings at the top. The spire takes the form of stacked rings, which are surmounted by a finial. The stupa contains the remains of King Ponhea Yat (reigned 1421–1462) and his family. A Buddha statue from the Angkor period (circa 9th–15th century) is enshrined inside the stupa.