August 21, 2012
After the viewing the dark history of Cambodia through The Killing Fields and S21 Genocide Museum and buying souvenirs at the Russian Market, we were bound for the Royal Palace and The Silver Pagoda.
We are looking forward to this one, as we have seen it from the outside. Our hotel is just 10 minutes walk from the Royal Palace grounds, we were able catch a glimpse of it during our first day in Phnom Penh.
The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
The Royal Palace is the principal residencce of the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The current location covers 181 hectares of land, with different temples and castles inside. According to the booklet they give, the Royal Palace is regarded as symbol of the whole nation and all the pavilions are adorned and painted yellow and white. The Yellow represents Buddhism and the white represents Brahmanism.
There are several halls inside the Palace grounds:
1. Preah Tineang Tevea Vinichhay (The Throne Hall)
This is the first hall that will greet you upon entering the Palace grounds, it facing the Victory Gate. The Throne Hall, as its name suggests, houses the throne used by the King and is used for the Royal coronation ceremony.
Located at the left side of the Throne Hall, Ho Samritvmean houses the ancient items of the Cambodian Royal regalia, or in the other words, items used during the coronation of the King and Queen.
3. The Pavilion of Napoleon III
This is located at the right side of the Samritvmean, however, during our visit, this one is under construction. Sadly, we were not able to see its silver facade (as shown in the Royal Palace booklet).
After the main ground, you will proceed to Silver Pagoda or the Wat Preah Keo Morokot, the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha.
4. Mondapa of Satra and Tripitaka
The library of the Royal Residence. This houses the sacred scripts on palm leaves.
5. Wat Preah Keo Morokot / Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha
The pagoda is located ath the southern section of the Royal Palace grounds, and it houses the different images of Buddha in His all states. The main image, The Emerald Buddha, sits a top of the golden glass case.
The place is called as such because of the silver floor tiles used in the entire venue.
6. Stupas of King Norodom and King Ang Duong
These stupas, mound likes statues, are the symbols of enlightenment in Buddhism. These two symbols are given to King Norodom and King Ang Duong as an act of gratitude towards the Kings powers.
7. King Norodom Statue
This statue can be found in the front of the Silver Pagoda, as King Norodom sits on top of a horse. This honors the great King, erected in 1875.
8. Kailassa Mountain
When inside the Silver Pagoda, only the top of the pagoda can be seen, as it towers the trees below it. A temple, dedicated to Buddha, sits on top of a small hill inside the compound, surrounded by many other Buddhas outside the area. This presents the many states of Buddha as depicted on the religion.
9. Stupa for Princess Norodom Kantha Bopha
Located at the left side of Silver Pagoda (or on your right when inside the Pagoda itself), the Stupa is dedicated to the Princess of Cambodia.
Before you leave the place, you can drop by the museums inside for the Royal Artifacts (pillows that are put at the back of the elephant during the time that these huge mammals are used by royalties) and even how elephants are captured and trained.
Entrance fee: 90,000 Riels or USD 6.50
WAT PHNOM
After dropping us at the Royal Palace, Mr. Samoun, our tuktuk driver instructed us how to get to Wat Phnom, which is basically, another temple for Buddha located at the top of a hill. Since it rained while we were at the Palace grounds, instead of walking, we decided to take a tuktuk to Wat Phnom - our last stop for the Phnom Penh tour.
Wat Phnom is another temple dedicated to Buddha. as it houses a bronze seated Buddha. According to the people, it is the tallest religious structure in the city. Aside from the bell like structure, it also has a analog clock and a shrine where Cambodians pray to Buddha.
Entrance fee: USD 3.00
To cap off our Phnom Penh experience, food entry comes next.
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