Wat Preah Keo Morakot (Silver Pagoda) is located in the
southern portion of the Royal
Palace
The temple was later damaged, and Queen Kosamak Neary Rath
asked that it be repaired. Under the direction of her son Samdach Preah Norodom
Sihanouk, who at that time was the head of state, the old temple was dismantled
and reconstructed in 1962 on the same site with reinforced concrete. The floor
was laid with silver tiles, and the columns were covered with glass stone imported
from Italy .
The architecture, however, remained the same.This temple is called Pheah Vihear
Preah Keo Morakot because the main Buddha statue is made of priceless emerald, which
Cambodians call Keo Morakot. Westerners, however, prefer to call the temple the
Silver Pagoda because of the 5,329 genuine silver tiles that cover the floor.
There are 1,650 art objects housed in this temple. Most of
them are Buddha figures. They are made of gold, silver, bronze and other
valuable materials. Some are decorated with diamonds. They are gifts from the
King, the royal family, dignitaries and other people who worship at Preah
Vihear Preah Keo Morakot, where they pray for peace and prosperity, for
happiness and for the preservation of Cambodian cultural heritage for the next
generation. In front of the throne, site a Buddha statue made of gold, weighing
90 kilograms (about 200 pounds) and decorated with 2,086 diamonds. The biggest
diamond is on the crown. It is 25 millimeters. This statue was commissioned in 1904
by King Sisowath, following the suggestion of King Norodom. King Norodom said, after
his body was cremated the gold casket should be melted to make Buddha statue
representing Preah Srei Araymetrey. This Buddha statue is named Preah Chin
Raingsei Rachik Norodom.
Objects of particular interest in the Preah Vihear Keo
Morakot include: The Preah Keo Morakot, the Emerald Buddha, which sits atop
throne in the center of the temple. There is a small glass cabinet that
contains what Buddhists believe are ashes of the Buddha. The ashes were brought
from Sri Lanka in 1956 by
Samdech Head Monk Lvea Em, who stayed in Wat Langka in Phnom Penh . In a nearby cabinet sits a gold
Buddha figure offered by Queen Kosamak Nearyrath, mother of King Norodom
Shihanouk, in 1969. This Buddha figure is protected by naga. It represents when
Buddha stayed at the Muchalonti Pond. Objects in other cabinets are the
keepsakes and decorated objects for royal and Buddhist ceremonies. The temple
is surrounded by lofty gallery. On the wall of the gallery, there are
traditional paintings of the entire Ream Ke epic. These paintings were done by 40
Cambodian artists between 1903 and 104 under the direction of Oknha Tep Nimit. The
Ream Ke painting is 642 meters long and 3meters high. It starts from the south
of the eastern gallery and winds its way around the gallery. This means that
visitors must walk in a circle to see the entire story.
The ancient epic Ream Ke along the gallery shows a unique
scene not copied completely from Indian Ramayana. Because some plots of
Cambodian Ream Ke are so mysterious, visitors mush look at the painting
carefully. Visitors who are familiar with Indian Ramayana will understand the
Cambodian Reap Ke easily, even thought the two versions are different. Some
themes are also depicted by La Khon Khaol or depicted in Sbek Thom and other
sculpted figures. Astrologers also use the story to tell fortunes. Weather, structural
damage and destruction by visitors over the years have caused the paintings to
deteriorate. In 1985, the Cambodian government was cooperating with the
government of Poland
to restore, protect and maintain the paintings. The venture lasted only five
years, however, because the budget was terminated. Today the Cambodian
government is looking for way to conserve, restore and maintain this cultural
heritage.
Monks from Phnom Penh and
other provinces once studied the Pali language in classes that were held along
the gallery before the Pali School was opened in Phnom Penh on Dec 16, 1930. In front of Preah
Vihear Preah Keo Morakot, are two stupas and a statue under the roof. The south
stupas hold the cremains of King Ang Doung, the great-great grandfather of King
Sihanouk. The north stupas hold cremains of King Norodom, the great grandfather
of King Shihanouk. Both stupas were dedicated on March 13, 1980. The statue of
King Norodom riding a horse was erected in 1875. It was the keepsake of the
French King Napoleon III. It was kept in front of Preah Vihear Preah Keo
Morakot in 1892, but at that time there was no roof. During King Sihanouk?s
crusade to win independence fron France , he prayed in front of the
statue. After Cambodia
won its dependence on Nov 11, 1953, King Sihanouk had the roof built in honor
of King Norodom.
South of Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot beside Thamma Hall, a
place for praying, and the stupa of King Sihanouk?s father, King Norodom
Soramrith, which was built in 1960, visitor find: Keung Prah BatKeung Preah Bat
houses the footprints of the four Buddhas who have already reached
enlightenment. Those Buddhas are Kok Santhor, Neak Komonor, Kasabor and
Damonakodom. In additional to the four Buddha, Preah Srei Araynetrey, whom
Buddhist believe has not yet been born. They believe that he will come 5,000
years after the fourth Buddha reaches Nirvana. Buddhists believe that Preah
Srei Araymetrey will come and help the people. Phnom Khan Malineati Borapat
Kailasha Phnom Khan Malineati Borapat Kailasha or Phnom Mondul is the manmade
hill that represents Phnom Kailasha, where the Buddha left his footprints on
the stone. On the Phnom Mondul, there is a statue of the Buddha and 108
blessings of life before the Buddha reaches enlightenment.
Kunthabopha Stupa was built in 1960 as the resting place for
the ashes of Princess Norodom Kunthaboph, the daughter of King Norodom Sihanouk.
She was 4years old when she died of dengue fever. The stupa?s design is base on
the ancient Banteay Srei temple in Siem Reap. West of Preah Vihear Preah Keo
Morakot is a bell hall. The bell is used in the various ceremonies and to mark
the opening and closing of the Silver Pagoda. In the past, the bell was also
used to call the monks who studied Pali in the palace. To the north, is a
building that houses. Tipitaka, the fundamental scriptural canon of Buddhism. They
include: Sutta Pitaka
The Sutta Pitaka, a collection of discourses, is primarily
composed of dialogues between the Buddha and other people. It consists of five
groups of texts: Digha Nikaya(Collection of long discourses), Mijjhima Nikaya (collection
of medium discourses), Samyutta Nikaya (collection of grouped discourses), Anguttara
Nikaya (collection of discourses on numbered topics), and Khuddaka Nikaya(collection
of miscellaneous texts). In the fifth group, the Jatakas, comprising stories of
former lives of the Buddha, and the Dhammapada (religious sentences), a summary
of the Buddha?s teachings on mental discipline and morality, are especially
popular. The Vinaya Pitaka, the code of monastic discipline, consists of more
than 225 rules governing the conducts of Buddhist monks and nuns. Each is
accompanied by a story explaining the original reason for the rule. The rule
are arranged according to the seriousness of the offense resulting from their
violation. Abhidharma Patika
The Abhidharma Patika contains philosophical, psychological,
and doctrinal discussions and classifications. It consists of seven separate
works. They include detailed classifications of psychological phenomena, metaphysical
analysis, and a thesaurus of technical vocabulary. The Building also houses a
Shiva?s mount Nandi
