Stepping through the side gate that separates the throne-hall precinct of the Phnom Penh Royal Palace from its walled southern compound, visitors enter a tranquil paved courtyard enclosed on all four sides by covered galleries. Rising at the center of the court are tall royal funerary stupas and the main ordination hall, crowned by a three-tiered roof of orange and green glazed tiles with sweeping Naga-tail finials resting atop a white Italian marble terrace. Removing your shoes at the foot of the stairs and crossing the tall threshold into the sanctuary, soft daylight filtering through the windows illuminates the uncovered sections of the floor, where gray-silver metal tiles gleam cool beneath bare feet, while directly ahead a gilded multi-tieredbaldachin rises nearly to the ceiling.
Foreign travelers and Vietnamese visitors commonly call this sanctuary the Silver Pagoda (known colloquially in Khmer as Wat Prak) because its ordination hall floor is inlaid with more than five thousand solid silver tiles. In Cambodian court protocol, however, the temple bears two formal titles: Wat Preah Keo Morakot (Temple of the Emerald-Crystal Buddha, named after the green crystal Buddha image enshrined at the apex of the central altar) and Wat Ubaosoth Ratanaram (Temple of the Jeweled Uposatha Hall). Serving as the private royal chapel where the monarch and royal family observe Theravada Buddhist ceremonies, the sanctuary also safeguards more than 1,650 gold, silver, and gemstone ritual treasures of the Cambodian crown.
IA Royal Chapel Without Resident Monks and Its Twin Sacred Images
In its religious function, the Silver Pagoda follows the same royal palace-chapel model as Wat Phra Kaew in the Grand Palace of Bangkok or Ho Phra Keo in Vientiane: it is a consecrated royal sanctuary inside the palace walls rather than a residential monastery with permanent monks. Whenever the court holds Uposatha observances, state blessings, or royal merit-making ceremonies, the King invites senior prelates from Cambodia's two Theravada monastic orders (the Maha Nikaya and the Dhammayuttika Nikaya) to officiate inside the hall. The most famous historical exception occurred on July 31, 1947 (Buddhist Era 2490), when King Norodom Sihanouk was ordained as a Buddhist monk and resided within Wat Preah Keo Morakot to study and practice the Dharma daily.
The spiritual focus of the entire compound converges upon the towering tiered throne at the center of the main hall (Preah Vihear), where two national palladia stand together: the Emerald-Crystal Buddha enthroned at the highest tier and the life-sized solid gold Maitreya Buddha standing directly before it.
Enshrining the historical Gautama Buddha (in the form of the green crystal Buddha seated in meditation at the summit of the altar) together with the future Buddha Maitreya (standing on the lower tier attired in the full regalia of a Khmer righteous monarch or Chakravartin) expresses the classic Southeast Asian Theravada theology of Buddhist kingship. Gautama Buddha represents the living Dharma guiding the present age, while Maitreya arrayed in royal vestments embodies the aspiration for a realm of peace, justice, and prosperity that the earthly sovereign is duty-bound to uphold in preparation for the coming of the future Buddha.
Out on the courtyard lawn in front of the hall, two bronze sculptures of the sacred bull Preah Ko and the holy child Preah Keo evoke one of Cambodia's most cherished foundational legends concerning twin brothers endowed with miraculous power who guarded the kingdom's golden Tripitaka scriptures and cultural heritage. Their presence beside the steps of the Silver Pagoda links the royal chapel to the enduring preservation of national wisdom.
In examining the three most famous treasures of the Silver Pagoda, three factual discrepancies across published sources should be noted clearly for comparison:
First is the material and date of the Emerald Buddha (Preah Keo Morakot). Numerous travel guides state that the statue was carved from French Baccarat crystal in the 17th century. Art historians point out, however, that the glassworks at Baccarat in Lorraine, France, was only chartered by King Louis XV in 1764 (the 18th century) and began producing lead crystal in 1816. Accordingly, Cambodia's green crystal Buddha is a 19th-century French crystal work (attributed by most museum sources to 19th-century Baccarat crystal, and by a few others to the French glassmaker René Lalique).
Second is the casting date and diamond count of the 90-kilogram solid gold Maitreya Buddha. Many popular guidebooks report that the statue was cast in 1904 (the final year of King Norodom's reign, who conceived the dedication) and set with 2,086 diamonds. Palace workshop records and Wikipedia, by contrast, state that the statue was crafted in the royal workshops during 1906 and 1907 under King Sisowath (King Norodom's brother and successor) and originally inlaid with 9,584 diamonds, the largest weighing 25 carats on the crown and 20 carats on the chest.
Third is the weight of the 5,329 silver floor tiles. Specialist Southeast Asian museum surveys (such as Iola Lenzi's study) and Cambodian heritage records confirm that each individual tile weighs approximately 1.125 kilograms (bringing the total weight of silver across the floor to nearly 6 metric tons), whereas a few online summaries mistakenly cite 1,125 kilograms as the combined weight of all 5,329 tiles.
First-time visitors entering the ordination hall often wonder why most of the floor is covered by protective carpets rather than leaving the entire silver pavement exposed. Because pure silver is a soft metal easily scratched and worn down by thousands of footsteps each day, the Royal Palace administration keeps the majority of the floor carpeted, leaving selected sections near the doorways uncovered so visitors can inspect the fitted silver tiles firsthand.
IIFrom King Norodom's Wooden Sanctuary to the Marble Ordination Hall
The history of the Silver Pagoda stems directly from King Norodom's decision to transfer the royal capital from Oudong to the four-river confluence of Phnom Penh in 1866. After completing the throne hall and residential pavilions of the palace, the monarch set aside a spacious walled enclosure immediately south of the palace to build a royal temple for enshrining the crystal Buddha, celebrating state religious rites, and housing the funerary stupas of the dynasty.
- 1892 to 1902King Norodom builds the original wooden Silver PagodaKing Norodom commissioned the first ordination hall in fine timber roofed with glazed tiles and paved with more than five thousand handcrafted silver tiles. The structure was completed and formally consecrated in 1902.
- 1903 to 1904Painting of the 642-meter Reamker cloister muralUnder the direction of chief palace architect Oknha Tep Nimit Mak, 40 classically trained Cambodian court painters executed a continuous 3-meter-high, 642-meter-long mural of the Reamker epic along the four interior walls of the perimeter galleries.
- 1904 to 1907Casting of the 90-kg solid gold Maitreya BuddhaInitiated at the close of King Norodom's reign (1904) and completed in the palace workshops in 1906 and 1907 under King Sisowath, the life-sized standing Maitreya Buddha was cast from 90 kilograms of gold and encrusted with thousands of diamonds.
- 1947Monastic ordination of King Norodom SihanoukOn July 31, 1947, King Norodom Sihanouk took monastic vows and resided at Wat Preah Keo Morakot to study and practice the Dharma, earning the temple an expanded royal title commemorating a reigning monarch living as a monk within its walls.
- 1962Reconstruction in reinforced concrete and Italian marbleQueen Mother Sisowath Kossamak and King Norodom Sihanouk dismantled the aging wooden structure and rebuilt the ordination hall in reinforced concrete clad in white Italian marble on the exterior while reinstalling all 5,329 silver floor tiles inside.
- 1985 and from 2015Conservation of the Reamker gallery muralsBetween 1985 and 1990 Polish and Cambodian conservators carried out initial stabilization of the Reamker murals, followed in 2015 by a major joint restoration program to revive the fine linework and mineral pigments along the 642-meter cloister.
According to palace chronicles, when King Norodom Sihanouk resided as a monk at the temple in 1947, the sanctuary was bestowed the formal Khmer title Wat Ubaosoth Preah Chin Rangsey Reachea Norodom Ratanaram, meaning the Jeweled Uposatha Pagoda of the Victorious Radiance of the Buddha of King Norodom. Art historians also note that the posture of the 90-kilogram gold Maitreya Buddha, standing with both palms raised forward at chest level (double Abhaya Mudra), echoes the iconic silhouette of the ancient Phra Bang Buddha image, recalling the 14th-century religious ties between the Angkorian court and King Fa Ngum of the Lan Xang kingdom in Laos.
IIIThe Marble Vihara, the Reamker Cloister, and the Royal Funerary Stupas
The Silver Pagoda compound forms a self-contained rectangular sacred precinct enclosed on all four sides by continuous roofed cloister galleries. At the center stands the Ordination Hall (Preah Vihear) raised on a high molded plinth, where slender colonnades support a three-tiered roof of yellow and green glazed tiles crowned by a gilded needle spire typical of 19th- and 20th-century Khmer royal architecture. Flanking the eastern and western ends of the main hall are royal funerary stupas (Chedei), a bell tower, a scripture library, a royal reception pavilion, and the artificial hill of Phnom Mondop.
Inside the main hall, alongside the 5,329 silver floor tiles and the central altar enshrining the Emerald Buddha and gold Maitreya Buddha, glass display cases lining the walls house more than 1,650 royal ritual objects and votive gifts: solid gold betel sets, ceremonial water vessels, miniature Buddha images carved from jade, amber, and silver, and the gilded palanquin used to carry the monarch during coronation processions.
Reconstructed in 1962 with white Italian marble steps and exterior walls, its interior floor is inlaid with 5,329 handcrafted silver tiles (each weighing about 1.125 kg) and houses a miniature gold-and-silver reliquary stupa containing a Buddha relic brought from Sri Lanka.
Crowning the gilded wooden baldachin at the center of the hall is the 19th-century green crystal Emerald Buddha, while directly in front stands the life-sized Maitreya Buddha cast from 90 kg of gold and set with thousands of diamonds.
A continuous 642-meter-long, 3-meter-high wall painting running around all four sides of the enclosure, painted in 1903 and 1904 by 40 court artists under architect Oknha Tep Nimit Mak, narrating the Cambodian epic of Prince Preah Ream, Princess Neang Seda, and the white monkey general Hanuman.
Standing to the east and west of the main hall are finely carved stupas enshrining the royal ashes of King Ang Duong (built 1908), King Norodom (built 1908), King Norodom Suramarit and Queen Mother Kossamak, and the young Princess Norodom Kantha Bopha.
An artificial rockery hill in the southwest corner symbolizing Mount Kailash, topped by a spired pavilion housing a bronze imprint of the Buddha's footprint marked with 108 auspicious symbols. Nearby stand the Hor Samran Phirun elephant-mounting pavilion and the palm-leaf scripture library.
East of the main hall stands a bronze equestrian statue of King Norodom cast in France in 1875 and installed in the courtyard in 1892 under a royal canopy, alongside the belfry rung to announce ceremonial openings of the gates.
| Feature | Documented measurement | Notes and reference sources |
|---|---|---|
| Silver floor tiles in the main hall | 5,329 tiles (each weighing approx. 1.125 kg) | Totaling nearly 6 metric tons of silver (some summaries misstate 1,125 kg as the total) |
| Solid gold Maitreya Buddha | 90 kg of gold, set with 2,086 or 9,584 diamonds | Cast in 1904 or 1906 to 1907, with the largest crown diamond weighing 25 carats |
| Reamker cloister mural | 642 m long, 3 m high (40 painters, 1903 to 1904) | Directed by chief royal architect Oknha Tep Nimit Mak |
| Displayed royal artifacts | Approx. 1,650 ritual objects and statues | Crafted in gold, silver, bronze, jade, and precious stones |
| Construction and reconstruction dates | 1892 to 1902 (wooden hall), 1962 (marble reconstruction) | Preserving the traditional tiered roof profile and original silver tile floor |
To follow the narrative of the Reamker wall painting from beginning to end, visitors should start at the southern half of the eastern gallery and walk clockwise around the perimeter. Unlike the Indian Ramayana, the Reamker murals at the Silver Pagoda set the mythic battles and royal processions amid early 20th-century Cambodian river landscapes, palace roofs, and traditional dress.
IVLandform and Orientation
The indigenous spatial principles must be stated first: King Norodom and his 19th-century court architects planned the Phnom Penh Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda according to traditional Khmer royal urban planning and Theravada-Brahmanical cosmology, and did not use Chinese or Vietnamese compass feng shui. Following royal Khmer precedent dating back to Angkor, the palace and royal chapel face east toward the rising sun and the great riverfront. The observations below represent a comparative reading by the library using traditional Sino-Vietnamese landform analysis (hình thế) to highlight the striking parallels in riverside capital siting.
Examined on a macro-hydrological scale at coordinates 11.5625° N, 104.9317° E, the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda occupy the western bank directly facing the Chaktomuk four-river confluence (the Khmer name Chaktomuk derives from the Sanskrit Chaturmukha, meaning Four Faces). Here four major waterways, the Upper Mekong, Lower Mekong, Tonle Sap River, and Bassac River, meet in a vast X-shaped junction. In classical Eastern water-method reading (thủy pháp), the broad, calm convergence of four major rivers directly in front of a capital (tứ thủy triều quy) forms a supreme water-gathering bright hall (đại minh đường tụ thủy), nourishing the vitality and prosperity of the realm.
Within the palace complex, both the Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda sit west and face east, backed by the higher inland ground of the city and looking straight across Sothearos Boulevard and the riverside esplanade toward the Chaktomuk junction. The Silver Pagoda occupies the southern sector of the palace enclosure (the right-hand or White Tiger flank when looking out from the throne hall toward the river, corresponding to the southern Fire sector), enclosed within its own high cloister walls to preserve contemplative stillness apart from the administrative court to the north.
Inside the temple courtyard itself, 19th-century Khmer court architects raised the artificial rock mound of Phnom Mondop in the southwestern corner (the Kun Earth sector) to symbolize sacred Mount Kailash, providing an elevated landform backing behind the main ordination hall. The pairing of white Italian marble and 5,329 silver tiles (the Metal element) below with the golden tiered roofs and solid gold Buddha image above creates a luminous, self-contained field of gathered qi at the heart of Phnom Penh.
VRoyal Ceremonies and the Theravada Buddhist Calendar at the Silver Pagoda
Although no monks reside permanently on the grounds, the Silver Pagoda remains the premier stage for state religious ceremonies presided over by the Cambodian monarch and the Supreme Patriarchs of the two Theravada orders. Observances follow the Khmer lunisolar calendar, blending canonical Buddhist rites with centuries-old royal protocol.
| Time of year | Calendar system | Observance | Ceremonies held at the Silver Pagoda and Royal Palacefront |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full moon of the 6th Khmer lunar month (around May) | Khmer lunisolar calendar | Visak Bochea (Buddha Day) | The King or royal representatives join senior prelates in the ordination hall to offer lotus blossoms, light candles, and lead a clockwise circumambulation praying for national peace. |
| Full moon of the 3rd Khmer lunar month (around February to March) | Khmer lunisolar calendar | Meak Bochea | Commemorating the Buddha's recitation of the monastic code to 1,250 arahants, observed with solemn chanting inside Wat Preah Keo Morakot. |
| Mid-April (usually April 13 to 16) | Khmer calendar | Chol Chnam Thmey (Khmer New Year) | The royal family performs the ritual bathing of Buddha statues, presents alms to the Sangha, and conducts memorial rites at the royal funerary stupas (Chedei) in the courtyard. |
| May (waning moon of the 6th Khmer month) | Khmer lunisolar calendar | Royal Ploughing Ceremony (Preah Reach Pithi Chrot Preah Neangkol) | An ancient agrarian rite presided over by the monarch, in which the royal oxen's choice of grain or wine predicts the coming harvest, closely linked to the sacred bull Preah Ko statue in the Silver Pagoda courtyard. |
| November (full moon of the 12th Khmer month) | Khmer lunisolar calendar | Bon Om Touk (Royal Water Festival) | Long boat teams from across Cambodia race on the Chaktomuk four-river confluence directly east of the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda to give thanks for the seasonal flow of the Mekong and Tonle Sap. |
For Vietnamese travelers visiting Phnom Penh, the Silver Pagoda offers the clearest window into living Cambodian royal Buddhism and courtly craftsmanship, complementing the ancient stone monuments of Angkor Wat and the Bayon temple in Angkor Thom.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Samdech Sothearos Blvd (Street 3), Sangkat Chey Chumneas, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Getting there
- The Silver Pagoda occupies the southern compound of the Royal Palace on Samdech Sothearos Boulevard (Street 3), Sangkat Chey Chumneas, Khan Daun Penh, in central Phnom Penh along the western bank of the Tonle Sap River and the Chaktomuk confluence. From Central Market (Phsar Thmei) or the Independence Monument, a taxi or tuk-tuk takes about 10 minutes to the Royal Palace visitor entrance on Sothearos Boulevard.
- Coordinates
- 11.5625, 104.9317
Because the Silver Pagoda lies within the active Royal Palace compound of the King of Cambodia, a strict dress code is enforced at the ticket entrance: visitors must wear shirts or blouses with sleeves covering the shoulders (loose scarves draped over sleeveless tops are not permitted) and trousers or skirts covering the knees. Before ascending the Italian marble steps into the silver-tiled ordination hall, shoes, socks, and hats must be removed at the exterior racks. Photography is permitted in the open courtyard, around the royal stupas, and along the Reamker mural galleries, but photography and video recording are strictly prohibited inside the main ordination hall housing the Emerald and Gold Buddhas.
Nearby places in the library
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?Quick Questions
Why is the temple called the Silver Pagoda
The popular name Silver Pagoda (Wat Prak) comes from the interior floor of the main ordination hall, which is inlaid with 5,329 handcrafted silver tiles, each weighing over 1.1 kilograms (nearly 6 metric tons of silver in total). Its formal Khmer name is Wat Preah Keo Morakot, meaning Temple of the Emerald-Crystal Buddha.
What material is the Emerald Buddha of Phnom Penh made from
Despite its title as the Emerald Buddha (Preah Keo Morakot), the principal image enshrined at the apex of the central altar is not carved from natural green emerald or jadeite, but cast from translucent green French crystal (identified by most museum sources as 19th-century Baccarat crystal, though some older guides cite the 17th century or the glassmaker Lalique).
How much does the gold Buddha weigh and how many diamonds does it have
Standing directly in front of the central altar is a life-sized statue of the future Buddha Maitreya cast from 90 kilograms of solid gold in the early 20th century (between 1904 and 1907 under Kings Norodom and Sisowath). Popular travel guides usually cite 2,086 diamonds, whereas palace workshop records and Wikipedia note that it was originally encrusted with 9,584 diamonds, the largest weighing 25 carats.
Do Buddhist monks live permanently at the Silver Pagoda
No. Like Wat Phra Kaew in the Grand Palace of Bangkok, the Silver Pagoda serves as the private royal chapel of the Cambodian monarchy and has no permanent resident monks. However, in July 1947, King Norodom Sihanouk was ordained as a monk and lived inside this temple while studying the Dharma.
What story is painted on the long walls surrounding the Silver Pagoda
Running along all four sides of the covered perimeter galleries is a continuous 642-meter-long, 3-meter-high mural painted in 1903 and 1904 by 40 court artists under chief architect Oknha Tep Nimit Mak. It depicts the entire Reamker epic (the Khmer version of the Indian Ramayana) set amid traditional Cambodian landscapes and royal architecture.