Wat Ounalom ( km, វត្តឧណ្ណាលោម,
UNGEGN
The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) is one of the nine expert groups of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and deals with the national and international standardization of geographical names. E ...
: ,
ALA-LC: , ; also Wat Unnalom and several other spellings) is a
wat located on
Sisowath Quay
Sisowath Quay ( km, តីរវិថីព្រះស៊ីសុវត្ថិ, Preah Sisowath Quay) is a 3-kilometre riverfront strip along the Tonlé Sap River in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, lined with hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops ...
in
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
, near the
Royal Palace of Cambodia.
As the seat of Cambodia's
Mohanikay Order, it is the most important wat of Phnom Penh, and the center of
Cambodian Buddhism. It was established in 1443 and consists of 44 structures.
It was damaged during the
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 ...
period but has since been restored.
The main complex houses a
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circum ...
that contains what is believed to be an
eyebrow hair of
Lord Buddha and an inscription in
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...
.
Etymology
The name of Wat Ounalom commemorates one of the holiest relics in Cambodia, a hair (''lom'') from the whorl (''unna'') between the eyebrows of the Buddha.
Gallery
References
15th-century Buddhist temples
Buddhist temples in Phnom Penh
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1443
{{Buddhist-temple-stub