Monument sights in Phnom Penh
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
Chet Dey Mak Proum
At the northwestern extremity of the ridge stand four large stupas. The first is the cement Chet Dey Mak Proum, the final resting place of King Monivong (r 1927-41). Decorated with garudas (mythical half-man, half-bird creatures), floral designs and elephants, it has four faces on top.
The middle stupa, Tray Troeng, is decorated with coloured tiles; it was built in 1891 by King Norodom to house the ashes of his father, King Ang Duong (r 1845-59). But some say King Ang Duong was in fact buried next to the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh. The third stupa, Damrei Sam Poan, was built by King Chey Chethar II (r 1618-26) for the ashes of his predecessor, King Soriyopor. The fourth …
reviewed
-
Vihear Preah Ko
About 120m northwest of Vihear Preah Ath Roes is a line of small viharas. The first is Vihear Preah Ko, a brick-roofed structure that contains a statue of Preah Ko, the sacred bull; the original statue was carried away by the Thais long ago. The second structure, which has a seated Buddha inside, is Vihear Preah Keo. The third is Vihear Prak Neak, its cracked walls topped with a thatched roof. Inside is a seated Buddha who is guarded by a naga (serpent). (Prak neak means 'protected by a naga'.)
reviewed
-
A
Independence Monument
Modelled on the central tower of Angkor Wat, the Independence Monument was built in 1958 to commemorate the country’s independence from France in 1953. It also serves as a memorial to Cambodia’s war dead (at least those that the current government chooses to remember) and is sometimes referred to as the Victory Monument. Wreaths are laid here on national holidays.
reviewed
-
memorial
At the base of the ridge, close to the road, is a memorial to the victims of Pol Pot that contains the bones of some of the people who were buried in approximately 100 mass graves, each containing about a dozen bodies. Instruments of torture were unearthed along with the bones when a number of the pits were disinterred in 1981 and 1982.
reviewed
