Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Oudong's smaller hill
A separate stairway flanked by nagas leads up Oudong's
smaller hill
, 100m beyond the
foot of the southeastern staircase of Phnom Preah Reach Troap. At the top is a small,
damaged mosque,
Vihara Ta Sann
, and the ruins of a large reclining Buddha whose
giant feet are all that can be seen rearing up from the pink bougainvillea. Just beyond is
a stark, ageing chedi dating back to 1567 and built by King Bat Boromintho Reachea
- for whom, no one seems to know.
Vipassana Dhura Buddhist Centre
At the foot of Phnom Preah Reach Troap, the expansive
Vipassana Dhura Buddhist
Centre
complex is worth a quick visit to marvel at its imposing jade Buddha and
beautifully painted walls. Another vast reclining Buddha can be seen in the smaller
shrine southeast of the complex, and in the centre of the large basin to the north stands
a golden statue of
Preah Neang Kong Hing
, goddess of the Earth who draws water from
the end of her long plaited hair. In a small pavilion next to the temple lies the
glass-encased remains of an orange-robed mummified monk, the most venerable Sam
Bunthoem, who was shot in Wat Langka in 2003 by assailants angry at his
encouragement of monks to vote in the National Assembly elections.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
OUDONG
By bus
Oudong can be reached by taking the Kompong
Chhnang bus from Phnom Penh; let the driver know where
you're going and get off at the orange archway (around
37km from the capital). From here, take one of the waiting
motos for the final 3km ($1-2).
By tuk-tuk
With a tuk-tuk - for around $25 - you could
take in several rural villages en route to Oudong; for a few
dollars more you could combine Oudong with visits to
Phnom Brasat or Lovek.
By bicycle
You can cycle to Oudong on a guided trip with
Grasshopper Adventures (see p.78).
Lovek
54km northwest of Phnom Penh • By moto, head north from Oudong on NR5 in the direction of Kompong Chhnang; after 12km take the
turning at the small blue sign on the right for Traleng Keng Pagoda site - beyond the concrete portico flanked by golden lions, the village
stretches along a 5km straight track, before it bends at a right angle towards the shrines (you could get as far as the main road turning on
the Phnom Penh-Kompong Chhnang bus, but you'll need to clearly state your intentions to the driver)
Little is known about
LOVEK
, the capital of Cambodia during the reign of King Ang
Chan in the sixteenth century. It was captured by the Siamese in the latter part of the
century, and the name has been passed down through a well-known local legend (see
box below) as much as anything else. Today a sparse village stretches across the site,
consisting of a few houses, a school and two fine
shrines
at the farthest reaches: the
larger Wat Preah Kaew (Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha) and Wat Preah Ko (Pagoda of
the Sacred Cow) a little further beyond. In both wats, every bit of wall is painted with
THE LEGEND OF LOVEK
When Lovek was capital, it was said to house two statues of
Preah Ko
and
Preah Kaew
that
contained sacred texts, written in gold, recording “all the knowledge and wisdom in the world”.
During one of the periodic conflicts between the Thai and Khmer, the Thai army was encamped
outside Lovek, which it had repeatedly failed to capture, and was about to make its seasonal
retreat in advance of the rains. The story goes that the Thai fired a cannon loaded with silver
coins into the bamboo thickets that afforded the city some natural protection. During the rainy
season, the Khmer gradually cleared the bamboo in their search for the coins, such that the Thai
were easily able to capture the city in the following dry season. Removing the statues to
Ayutthaya, the Thai were able to read the sacred texts and so became more knowledgeable
than the Khmer. The legend has it that the statues are still hidden in Bangkok and that when
they are returned to Cambodia the country will once again have ascendancy over Thailand.
