Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early modern · Buddhist · Cambodia

Silver Pagoda

Royal Palace, Chey Chumneas, Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh · 11.5625°, 104.9317°

The Emerald Buddha of green crystal, and a life-size gold Maitreya BuddhaNorodom
Sacred since
1800 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
19th c. (Norodom); remodelled under Sihanouk
Norodom

History & significance

The royal temple within the Royal Palace compound at Phnom Penh, completed in the 19th century under King Norodom and later remodelled under Norodom Sihanouk with 5,329 silver floor tiles and Italian marble. It holds a small green crystal Buddha and a life-size gold Maitreya of 90 kg set with 9,584 diamonds, made in the palace workshops in 1906-07; Sihanouk was ordained there on 31 July 1947, and the Maitreya lost most of its diamonds during the civil war before restorations from 1985.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.

The Reamker, the Khmer telling of the Ramayana, runs in murals along 642 m of the enclosing wall, and the legend of Preah Ko Preah Keo is represented by two statues.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Norodom