WAT NOKOR

Wat Nokor is a Buddhist temple which was initially built in the 10th century as a place of worship of the Mahayana (Great Vehicle) movement. At the time, the Mahayana is predominant in the whole region. Later, the temple was converted to Hinayana (the Small Vehicle) around the 15th century. It is at this time that more modern pagodas were built in the enclosure; they are Khmer in the inner courtyard, and Vietnamese beyond the first wall. Vat Nokor, which means "the city pagoda", stands at a place called Phnom Ba Chei, "the height of the Sainte-Victoire", a strange name because no relief is actually present on the site. Open to the east, the temple consists of two enclosures enclosing two libraries and the sanctuary. The latter is now in the center of a recently built colored pagoda: a curious mixture of genres, unfortunately quite frequent when restorations are not carried out under the supervision of historians respectful of the architectural heritage. One notices numerous decapitated statues to which a head in molded concrete has been added, which is not the most beautiful effect. Pediments and bas-reliefs are of great beauty. A recent pagoda, outside, houses frescoes depicting on one side the Ramayana and on the other the story of Buddha. The road to Phnom Penh is 500 meters north, at the end of the path. A little further on, one notices a disused textile factory built by the Chinese in 1960.