Wat Phnom (Khmer: វត្តភ្នំ, "temple hill"), whose real name is Wat Phnom Daun Penh, is one of the oldest Buddhist pagodas in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, although the current building dates from 1926.

Legend and history

According to legend, Wat Phnom was built in 1373 to house Buddha statues on a 27 m high wooded mound. It is Daun Penh ("Grandma Penh" ដូនពេញ), a rich widow, who would have discovered four statues of the bronze Buddha and one in a tree trunk stranded on the banks of the Mekong River. The stone statue is described as a deity standing, holding a staff and a conch, hair raised in a bun (which would look more like an image of Vishnu). This statue has been named Neak Ta Preah Cau.

After discovering the statues and placing them under a temporary awning, Daun Penh would have raised the hill next to his house and built the sanctuary housing the statues, using the trunk wood that had descended the Mekong for the frame. A monastery was then installed west of the hill.

The temple gave its name to the city of Phnom Penh.

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