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
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
