Mongkol Serei Kien Klang Pagoda

Mongkol Serei Kien Klang is a large monastery on the northern edge of Phnom Penh, not far from the bank of the Tonle Sap. The main vihara is raised on a high plinth and reached by wide staircases whose railings are made in the form of many-headed nagas. Figures of gods and demons pulling the body of the serpent are drawn up along the steps, the same scene of the churning of the ocean that appears on the bridges of Angkor. The walls and ceiling of the prayer hall are painted with a continuous carpet of subjects from the life of the Buddha, and gilded altars stand in the corners. On feast days the courtyard fills with lay people, the monks line up along a white cloth, and the ceremony goes on until dark.

On the map