A Buddhist monk stands inside Wat Svay Sach Phnom in Kampong Cham province’s Koh Sotin district and a closer look at one of the intricate gold pillar paintings. FB
Although the gold paintings on the 32 pillars inside Wat Svay Sach Phnom are over 100-years-old, they remain remarkably vivid. Together they tell the story of the Reamker, Cambodia’s version of the Hindu epic the Ramayana, and the story of the dragon king.
The pagoda at the site is also called Ampavnaram and it is located in Svay Leu village of Svay Khsach Phnom commune in Kampong Cham province’s Srey Santhor district.
It would be easy for any passerby to fail to take note of the pagoda’s gate adorned with lion statues and to keep on walking past the compound, which is surrounded by trees and the sounds of forest wildlife.
According to Neang Mak, deputy chairman of the pagoda, based on the inscriptions found on its walls, the temple’s construction was completed in 1905.
He said that the ancient painters used pure gold melted with a special ink to paint each of the pillars during the 1910’s.
Im Bunthoeun, the 64-year-old chief monk, is presently in charge of the pagoda and its 17 monks, but unfortunately he has been dealing with health issues recently.
He mentioned that Ampavanaram pagoda is home to several notable historical points of interest including a well-preserved Sala Chhann hall, or dining hall, with 86 wooden pillars and three wooden temples.
The temple was originally constructed with a tiled roof, but it was replaced with a new one and its walls were replaced with bricks because the wooden walls suffered damage during the Khmer Rouge regime when the temple was converted into a fertilizer production site.
Bunthoeun mentioned that 31 out of the 32 pillars within the temple are still in good condition. Each pillar is larger around than an adult’s outstretched arms can reach with the exception of one that is supported by a concrete pillar because in 1969 they noticed that its original wooden base had become rotten.
The 32 pillars of the temple are painted all in gold and depict the story of the Reamker and the dragon king in vivid detail. Today they have become caked in dust and dirt, but if one were to carefully clean it away they would still shine brightly.
According to Mak, the pagoda was able to keep a number of ancient ornaments and other property because, during the Khmer Rouge era, the man who was the head of the cooperative unit for the area was born in Svay Leu village.
Mak said that during the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror, he was tasked with managing the pagoda as a fertilizer production site using human waste. He admits that he ordered his subordinates not to damage or interfere with the pagoda and he had the paintings on the 32 pillars covered in a mixture of dung and clay to keep them hidden and intact.
He further mentioned that the pagoda is home to numerous species of trees including the gigantic Chheu Teal and Koki trees, alongside a diverse variety of mixed trees.
Unfortunately, in 2011, a group of individuals cut down over 300 trees at the site with the intention of also demolishing the ancient temple to take its pillars.
However, thanks to the efforts of his newly formed pagoda committee, they submitted a request to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, which then sent experts to investigate the matter.
Wat Svay Sach Phnom was placed on the National Heritage List in 2014, to help ensure the pagoda’s peaceful existence into the future.
According to Mak, there were eight chief monks from the time the pagoda was first built until the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia.
After the liberation of Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge on January 7, 1979, until now, there have been three chief monks running the pagoda.
During the Khmer Rouge era, the big Buddha statue in the temple was pulled down causing damage to it that was eventually restored by local Buddhist worshippers.
Soeung Phearum, director of the Department of Culture and Fine Arts of Kampong Cham province said that Kampong Cham province has a total of 372 pagodas in both the Mahanikaya and Dhammayut sects of Buddhism.
Out of these, there are four pagodas that are more than 100-years-old: Wat Mohaleap, Wat Por Rith, Wat Prek Krabao and Wat Svay Sach Phnom, and all are listed as National Heritage sites.
Phearum noted that the artisans who painted the pagoda’s pillars back in 1910 or so were clearly masters of their craft and that they even had a superior formula for the gold paint than what is typically used to day.
“Our Khmer handicrafts from ancient times look vivid as if they have been brought to life by the blowing winds. However, some paintings made today lack the same intensity of colour and vividness by comparison,” he said.
