Silver Pagoda Area

The Silver Pagoda, often called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha after the crystal Buddha image it houses, is a beautifully restored pagoda within the Royal Palace complex in Phnom Penh. Though it holds many treasures, it is the Emerald Buddha and the famous silver floor tiles that draw most visitors.

The temple’s floor is covered with thousands of solid silver tiles, each weighing more than a kilogram; most are protected beneath a large carpet, with only a small section left on display. The pagoda also houses a solid gold Buddha image, cast in the early 1900s and adorned with nearly 10,000 diamonds, which nearly overshadows the 17th-century baccarat crystal “Emerald” Buddha beside it. A small silver and gold stupa is said to hold relics of the Buddha.

Murals painted at the start of the 20th century wind around the surrounding courtyard, depicting episodes from the Ramayana. The grounds also hold funerary stupas - including those of King Ang Duong and King Norodom - an equestrian statue of King Norodom, the Khmer Mondul mound, a bell hall and a library of sacred texts. Photography is permitted only in certain areas, and visitors must keep knees and shoulders covered; sarongs and long shirts can be rented on site.

The original pagoda was commissioned by King Norodom in the 19th century and built largely of wood. King Sihanouk expanded and rebuilt the site in 1962 in concrete and marble, with the marble façade imported from Italy and the entire floor laid with silver tiles. The temple has no resident monks; instead, monks from nearby temples attend ceremonies presided over by the King on Buddhist holidays, when the pagoda is closed to the public.

The Silver Pagoda was fortunate to escape being entirely plundered by the Khmer Rouge, who spared it as propaganda of their supposed benevolence. Although many artefacts were stolen or destroyed, some 1,650 objects - predominantly Buddhist statues belonging to the royal family - remain on display for visitors today.

The gold Buddha image carries its own history: it was cast in 1909 from the melted-down coffin of King Norodom, fulfilling one of his dying requests. Alongside it, the equestrian statue of King Norodom in the courtyard originally bore the head of the French Emperor Napoleon III.