It’s hot here. Really hot and really humid. It’s not a surprise. I was well aware of what I was signing up for. But it’s hot.
So when a cool day comes along – it is winter here – I try to take advantage of it. And a cool day means the high is 79 and the low 66. The Khmer people are bundled up in sweaters and coats and I’m thriving.
So one cool day I wandered up the river North of National Road 6. Away from the tourist area. Besides just enjoying a walk along the river my destination was Preah Enkosei Temple. A couple of the YouTube channels I follow have made episodes about Preah Enkosei Temple so I decided today was the day to visit.
This is a working pagoda – monks live and do their monk duty here. I’m not real clear about what it is they do. I do know that it is often a way for children to get an education they may not otherwise get. So a monk may be 10 years old and spend a great deal of their time in school.
Preah Enkosei Temple pre-dates Angkor Wat and are thought to be the oldest remains in Siem Reap. And they are right in town.
The pagoda is right next to a primary school. I’m not quite sure if kids attend school half-day or if parents pick up their kids at lunchtime to take them out (or home) to eat. When I got to the pagoda is was near lunchtime and the school was surrounded by parents on scooters and motorcycles waiting on kids, driving away with kids, bedlam. I’ll have to make a point of getting video of that. It is quite remarkable to Western eyes.
On entering the grounds of the temple I zigged left towards a new pagoda that is still being finished, especially inside. However, I didn’t get very far. Temple grounds often have many mostly feral dogs that the monks take in. There were a few of the dogs that were not happy that I was walking towards the new pagoda. They weren’t near but they did raise a ruckus and I didn’t want to push it. So I backtracked a bit and went further in to the grounds to find the ruins.
Built in the mid-10th century there are two brick sanctuaries. You can see in the pictures that there are representations of the Buddha in each and folks are still actively making offerings. The Buddhas are “new” as when these were built they were Hindu in nature. Here’s a link to learn more: Preah Enkosei, the Legacy of an Indian Brahmin in Siem Reap
