Mini-treasure trove

One of the 8 ancient seima stones at Wat Vihear Samna

Following a recent visit to Oudong mountain, as we reached Route 5 in the village of Ampil Dam Toek, I called into Wat Vihear Samna to find a mini-treasure trove of items. Surrounding the main vihara of the pagoda was a series of eight very old seima stones, with intricate carvings on both sides. The seima (or sema or sima) stones appear at most modern Cambodian wats to mark the location of a ninth magic stone buried at the center of the main vihara, and it is these stones that give the wat its special power. They also form boundary markers that identify the sacred part of the pagoda, where the monks are ordained (the prayer hall). Some seima stones are of great antiquity and can often be found stored behind the main altar for safety, or set in a concrete base to avoid theft, as these were. The main vihara was fairly modern and contained the normal interior wall paintings, whilst outside sat a solitary sandstone lion, in reasonable condition and in another part of the temple grounds, a large brick-built chedi (or stupa) was jockeying for space with a large tree that had grown out of its roof. I asked the young monks nearby if they knew how old the chedi was but they didn't know, just replying "borann, borann," which means very old. The Oudong area is a rich vein of interesting pagodas and well worth a few hours of your time if you have a spare Sunday. The main Oudong mountain itself is of course festooned with chedis and stupas containing the remains of Cambodian Kings and I'll post some photos of these very soon.

A weather-worn Bayon-style lion at Wat Vihear Samna

The "borann" chedi with a large tree sprouting from its roof