| An
excursion to Udong, 40 kilometres northwest from Phnom Penh is a must
for all tourists visiting Phnom Penh. Following National Road nr 5 (the
road to Batambang) along the Tonle Sab you will notice the two hills on
the left side of the road with the distinct shapes of the dominating
stupas. Between
1618 and 1866 Udong was the capital of Cambodia, built on the top of
Phnom Udong. This hill is made up
of a series of stupas and shrines in a variety of conditions.
Unfortunately almost all of the buildings that were not previously
bombed by the Americans (as collateral damage resulting the Vietnam war)
have been destroyed by Khmer
Rouge in 1970s.
If you start your visit at the northern end of the
hill, where there is a cluster of trinket shops, you can climb the
hill by a steep stairway with 509 steps which will lead you to the
newest addition to Phnom Udong: a glitzy modern temple home to a
famous Buddha relic (some bones and a tooth), previously housed in a
shrine in Phnom Penh in front of the railway station. This temple is
a recent construction, but the panoramic sight from this location is
spectacular.
From
there you can take a path that runs along the ridge allowing you to
visit each of the sites. First, it will take you along three stupas for
former kings. The first one houses the remains of King Soryopor. The
second one is inhabited by the corpse of King Norodom’s father King
Ang Duong with four bayon style faces at the top. South again lies Chedi
Mouk Pruhm, a bland concrete building holding the remains of King
Monivong. |
Next come a series of small chapel-like temples, one holding a
replica of a statue of a holy cow. The original statue was lead off by
the Siamese after they sacked the area and taken to Siam.
Conclude the tour with a visit to the "Vihear of the 18-Cubit
Buddha" which was badly damaged during the war and whose large
Buddha image was blown up by the Khmer Rouge in 1977. All that remains
of the Buddha is his lap and right torso and shoulder. Also two rows of
tall pillars which would have held a very high ceiling still remain.
At
the base of the ridge is a memorial to victims of Pol Pot, containing
the bones of people buried in the 100 or so mass graves found in the
area. After the visit, take a lunch at one of the shaded stalls at the
foot of the mountain. You can bring your own pick-nick as most
Cambodians would do. After lunch, take a rest for the hottest part of
the day . |
