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By
: Ann Creevey, Picture by : Nathan Dexter.
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The stairway to Wat Phnom, flanked
by Nagas
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Back in
1372, Phnom Penh was a nameless and sparsely inhabited
place.
It was merely a level piece of land to the west
of what was then called Tonle Chab Chheam, or River
of Blood perhaps because of the number of battles
that had taken place upstream and regularly stained
its waters red with blood.
The river was also called Tonle Chaktomuk, or River
of Four Faces, due to the confluence of the Tonle
Sap, Mekong and Tonle Bassac at this place.
One day, a wealthy widow called Yeay Penh, or Daun
Penh (Grandmother Penh) was walking by the river
and noticed a large koki tree log floating close
to shore.
She called her neighbors to help drag it in, and
in a hollow of the log she found four bronze statues
of Buddha and one of stone.
That signaled the birth of a city. The widow built
a hill in an auspicious place and constructed a
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shrine on top to
house the statues.
This hill became the highest point of the area and was
named Wat Phnom. Phnom means mountain or hill. Wat Phnom
is now the heart of Phnom Penh a city named after Yeay
Penh and the hill she constructed here.
People built homes around the hill and a town and then
a city evolved. A powerful neakta, or deity, moved to
Wat Phnom Loakta Preah Chao. A special shrine was built
for him halfway up the hill. |
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This shrine
is often called the Chinese shrine because of its
style, but this is probably only because the person
who built it was Chinese.
When King Ponhea Yat abandoned Angkor in 1434, he
eventually moved to Phnom Penh and the city was
stamped as the Kingdom's capital.
Wat Phnom is considered a must-see for tourists.
Several recent beautification projects, partially
funded by the one-dollar entrance fee for foreign
visitors, have enhanced the natural beauty of the
area, providing lush lawns, a massive clock on the
southern side which is illuminated at night, and
a facelift for the wat itself.
Large trees provide shade for visitors who relax
and sip cold drinks and young coconut juice around
the hill, and for the many fortunetellers who sit
waiting to tell mainly Khmer visitors what lies
in store romantically and financially.
An elephant called Sambo provides rides and photo
opportunities.
An ancient royal decree brought the brass statue
of Buddha and bronze lions from Angkor down from
Siem Reap to stand on top of the hill. |
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The eternal smile of the statue
of Yeay Penh
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| The vihara, or
inner shrine, has been renovated many times over the centuries
in 1437, 1805, 1994 and again in 1998. |
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Women of the Royal Court--perhaps
Royal Court dancers--come bearing gifts of clothes
and floral tributes for one of the ancient Khmer
kings.
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Some people
say King Ponhea Yat's remains rest in the stupa
on the western side of Wat Phnom but no one knows
for sure.
Eventually, a shrine to Yeay Penh herself was built
on the hill. Although she never became a neakta
herself, she is still regarded as the owner of the
mountain and the hundreds of Khmers who flock to
Wat Phnom to pray and give offerings of thanks for
wishes granted also worship her.
Fishermen pray for a good catch, others for good
luck and health, and travelers for a smooth journey.
"A lot of tourists visit Wat Phnom as well,"
said chief of the Heritage Office at the Ministry
of Culture and Fine Arts, Tith Kim, 55.
"Especially Japanese, Chinese, French and Germans.
Many ask about the Chinese shrine and I have to
tell them it is for the neakta Loakta Preah Chao,
but Chinese and Vietnamese here have a lot of faith
in him and they often make offerings to him, too.
"But for Khmers especially, this is a very
holy place," she said.
"Wat Phnom wasn't really hurt by the Khmer
Rouge. It was the same before 1970 as now."
But the secret of where the original statues that
Yeay Penh found all those centuries ago lie and
when they disappeared is now lost.
"The four statues in the vihara now are not
the originals. We believe those were probably put
in King Ponhea Yat's stupa," she said. |
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Next Article
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Suite
B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
E-mail:
editor@leisurecambodia.com |
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