A legacy of lions

One of the lions standing guard at the building site of Wat Sokun Meanbon

It is rare enough to find a sandstone lion still in situ on my temple hunting adventures but to find no less than four lions still in place at the site of a pagoda undergoing renovation was pretty unusual, whilst nearby another wat housed two substantial lingas in the courtyard. These pagodas were on my list from my recent visit to Oudong, some forty kilometres north of Phnom Penh and a rich treasure trove of pagodas, having been a former capital in the 17th century. The lions are located at the smaller pagoda of Wat Sokun Meanbon, which is being rebuilt from scratch though the four lions and a pedestal remain from its former life as the site of a small prasat. Three of the lions - they look like lions from the Bayon period (late 12th century) to me - are in pretty good condition, the fourth hasn't fared so well. The pagoda is a building site at the moment and I hope the lions don't disappear during the rebuilding process. At Wat Sala Kou, a few hundred metres away, two excellent examples of sandstone lingas are stood upright in the courtyard of the pagoda alongwith some ancient seima stones. Again, these should really be housed inside the pagoda for safety in my opinion or else these could soon be spirited away as well - literally an accident (theft) waiting to happen. Both pagodas are a mere stone's throw from Route 5 in the village of Oudong.

Two lions flank the west entrance to Wat Sokun Meanbon

Standing upright and proud, this sandstone lion is most likely from the late 12th century

Missing part of his hind quarters, one of the 4 lions at Wat Sokun Meanbon

Looking out eastwards, this lion can see Oudong mountain in the distance between the two trees

A three-part linga in reasonable condition in the courtyard of Wat Sala Kou