South East Asian Trips

The 'Silver Pagoda' sits next to the Royal Palace, separated by a walled walkway, but within the same larger walled compound. The Silver Pagoda's proper name is Wat Preah Keo Morokat, which means 'The Temple of the Emerald Buddha,' but has received the common moniker 'Silver Pagoda' after the solid silver floor tiles that adorn the temple building. The pagoda compound as a whole contains several structures and gardens, the primary building being the temple Wat Preah Keo Morokat and other structures including a library, various stupas, shrines, monuments, minor buildings and the galleries of the Reamker.

Wat Preah Keo Morokat is unique in several ways. It is the pagoda where the King meets with monks to listen to their sermons and where some Royal ceremonies are performed. It houses a collection of priceless Buddhist and historical objects including the 'Emerald Buddha.' And, unlike most pagodas, no monks live at the pagoda. The temple building, library and Reamker galleries were first constructed between 1892 and 1902 under King Norodom. The equestrian statue of King Norodom was set in place in 1892. Other structures such as the stupas of King Ang Doung Stupa King Norodom (1908), the Kantha Bopha memorial sanctuary (1960) and others were added later. The temple received major reconstruction in 1962 and further renovations 1985-1987, particularly to the Reamker fresco murals. Many of the temple treasures were looted during by the Khmer Rouge 1975-1979, but fortunately the Khmer Rouge chose to keep much of the collection intact for propaganda purposes.

The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda sit side by side on the riverside, and while they are two separate complexes they are visited as one, starting with the Royal Palace and then continuing onto the Silver Pagoda. Approaching the complex you will notice the walls painted vivid yellow to represent Buddhism, and white for Hinduism, the two main faiths of Cambodia until they were combined into one by Jayavarman VII in the 12th century. At this point the dominating feature is the golden spired Chanchhaya Pavilion, used as a venue for Royal Dancers, as a tribune for the King to address the crowds, and as a place to hold state and Royal banquets. Once inside the Palace grounds, street sounds are silenced by the high walls and the various Royal buildings sit like ornate islands rising from the tranquil, manicured tropical gardens. Except for the area of the actual Royal residence, the Khemarin Palace (if the blue royal flag is flying the King is in residence), most of the Palace grounds and Silver Pagoda are open to the public. Surrounded by asian grandeur you cannot fail to notice the strangely out of place, grey, mostly cast-iron, colonial building - this was a present from Napoleon III in 1876.

The Silver Pagoda's proper name is Wat Preah Keo Morokat, which means 'The Temple of the Emerald Buddha,' but it has received the common moniker 'Silver Pagoda' after the 4000+ solid silver tiles that make up its floor. The walls of the pagoda are lavishly decorated with colourful frescos depicting episodes from the Khmer version of the Ramayana. The focal point of the pagoda is the large jade Buddha statue - the Emerald Buddha. Standing in front of the Emerald Buddha is another taller, solid-gold Buddha weighing 90 kilograms and encrusted with over 2,000 diamonds. The pagoda compound as a whole contains several structures and gardens, including a library, various stupas, shrines, monuments, and minor buildings, as well as the equestrian statue of King Norodom which was set in place in 1892. Also worth looking at are the complex walls with their lavishly decorated frescos depicting episodes from the Khmer version of the Ramayana.