The Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh from the southeast corner
As I'm not allowed to take photos inside the
Silver Pagoda, here's a few from outside and from different angles. In a break from my football posts, this is one of the crown jewels in Phnom Penh,
Wat Preah Keo Morokat, better known to all as the Silver Pagoda, in respect of the 5,329 silver tiles that cover its floor. Its also known for its Emerald Buddha, made of Baccarat crystal, a 90kg gold Buddha encrusted with thousands of diamonds and many other priceless statues and objects, though as with many things in Cambodia, the signage is pretty awful in explaining what you are looking at. The building itself was constructed in wood in 1892 and renovated in 1962. In the same compound are a number of stupas, shrines and wall paintings, or frescoes, that tell the story of the Reamker. More of that later, for now, enjoy the Silver Pagoda.
A view of the northwest corner of the Silver Pagoda
The western (back) entrance to the Silver Pagoda, together with the miniature replica of Angkor Wat
The Silver Pagoda from the southwest corner
The northeast view of the Silver Pagoda
Looking at the Silver Pagoda from the southeast, you can see the spires rising from the Royal Palace are behindLabels: Phnom Penh, Silver Pagoda
The Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh from the southeast corner
A view of the northwest corner of the Silver Pagoda
The western (back) entrance to the Silver Pagoda, together with the miniature replica of Angkor Wat
The Silver Pagoda from the southwest corner
The northeast view of the Silver Pagoda
Looking at the Silver Pagoda from the southeast, you can see the spires rising from the Royal Palace are behind
5 Comments:
Beautiful palace and beautiful pictures! They make me feel like going to the Kingdom of Cambodia. I've heard say that the country was the only one in the region untouched by the ravages of war, having remained neutral during the Vietnam War under the leadership of Prince Siam Nook. Had he not attained legal age at the time? Is this the reason why the country was governed by a boy prince and not a king?
Your blog is full of exotic pictures and curiosities, my congratulations. Jason Elliot - South Sioux City, Nebraska USA
Hi, Jason
How old are you? why don't you enter a search in your PC for, for example, "Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge" to get the basic facts about the kingdom you wd like to visit? Your questions just give more ground to the widely-held opinion that Americans are the most ignorant people on Earth...
--- Alison
Jason,
according to a USAF database released by Bill Clinton to the Vietnamese in 2000, Cambodia was the most bombed country in all history: 2,756,941 tons’ worth, dropped in 230,516 sorties on 113,716 sites. But that was just the beginning...
Hey, get your facts straight before committing your ignorance to writing and ridiculing yourself for all to see. - Chanrithy
Yes, Jason, the boy prince was only 16 then but very clever, he turned Cambodia into a branch of Vegas & Hollywood, opened the first Disneyland of Asia and invited the royal house of Monte Carlo to move to the country, while the world fell apart all around. Then Grace Kelly, years before Angelina Jolie, came to star a Hitchcock film set at Angkor Wat and adopted the first Cambodian child, who's now a direct heir to the throne of Monaco. Thats why the temples pictured look so pristine, it was indeed an oasis of peace and tranquility, and thus it remains. A minor issue we had here, was the case of some corrupt government officials who pocketed money from the cassinos and are now being held on trial at the capital, see http://www.cambodiatribunal.org/index.php
Hi, guys
Who knows? it may be just a boy attracted by the beauty of the pictures, the strangeness of it all and the first glimpse of a remote, unknown land...
Such ironic, disparaging comments, however fit in a sense, seem to me a bit displaced here.
Hi, Jason, i would recommend you to read "Youth" by Joseph Conrad and, of course, something about Cambodia's recent history until you come and see for yourself. Its a beautiful country and the most gentle people I have ever met.
--- Anne Le May
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