Phnom Penh - Cambodia - page 158

Udong
Udong (the Victorious) served as the capital of Cambodia under several sovereigns
between 1618 and 1866, during which time 'victorious' was an optimistic epithet, as
Cambodia was in terminal decline. A number of kings, including King Norodom, were
crowned here. The main attractions today are the twin humps of Phnom Udong , which have
several stupas on them. Both ends of the ridge have good views of the Cambodian coun-
tryside dotted with innumerable sugar palm trees.
The larger main ridge - the one you'll hit first if approaching from NH5 - is known as
Phnom Preah Reach Throap (Hill of the Royal Fortune). It is so named because a 16th-cen-
tury Khmer king is said to have hidden the national treasury here during a war with the
Thais.
Ascending the main, monkey-lined north stairway from the parking area, the first struc-
ture you come to at the top of the ridge is a modern temple that comtained a relic of the
Buddha, believed to be an eyebrow hair and fragments of teeth and bones. The relics were
brazenly stolen in late 2013. Follow the path behind this stupa along the ridge and you'll
come to a line of three large stupas. The first (northwesternmost) is Damrei Sam Poan , built
by King Chey Chetha II (r 1618-26) for the ashes of his predecessor, King Soriyopor. The
second stupa, Ang Doung , is decorated with coloured tiles; it was built in 1891 by King
Norodom to house the ashes of his father, King Ang Duong (r 1845-59), but some say
King Ang Duong was in fact buried next to the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh. The last
stupa is Mak Proum , the final resting place of King Monivong (r 1927-41). Decorated with
garudas (mythical half-man, half-bird creatures), floral designs and elephants, it has four
faces on top.
Continuing along the path beyond Mak Proum, you'll pass a stone vihara with a cement
roof and a seated Buddha inside (looking resplendent in a sailor's cap when we dropped
in), then arrive at a clearing dotted by a gaggle of structures, including three small vihara
and a stupa. The first vihara you come to is Vihear Prak Neak , its cracked walls topped with
a tin roof. Inside this vihara is a seated Buddha who is guarded by a naga ( prak neak
means 'protected by a naga' ). The second structure also has a seated Buddha inside. The
third structure is Vihear Preah Keo , a cement-roofed structure that contains a statue of Preah
Ko, the sacred bull; the original statue was carried away by the Thais long ago. Beyond
this, near the stupa, red and black mountain lions guard the entrance to a modern brick-
walled vihara .