Wat Moha Leap

Wat Moha Leap (វត្តមហាលាភ), or Wat Maha Leap, is a very special pagoda for being one of the last remaining traditional wooden pagodas, or at least the most well-known of those remaining. It was originally constructed in 1894 (consecrated in 1906 AD), and built atop a raised platform to protect it from floodwaters which were quite common at that time. The pagoda is demarcated by sema stones placed at cardinal and intercardinal points with unique half-moon steps providing access inside where beautifully painted wooden columns and trusses can be seen along with beautiful murals on the ceiling. The ornate pediment on the exterior of either end is also quite special.

Alongside the pagoda are two supporting buildings (Sala) of the same era, noting one still retains its ornate pediment. On the western side is a new double-story pagoda and another Sala, double-storey concrete with wooden windows and roof, showing the character of its age.

The site was restored and designated a cultural heritage site by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in 2016.

Inscription

• K. 1046 – A stele (lost to time and known only by its photographs) records the beginning of construction in 1894 and its consecration in 1906. de Bernon Olivier. L’inscription du vatt Mahā Lābh K. 1046. In: Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient. Tome 103, 2017. pp. 433-452.

Getting to Wat Maha Leap – It is located around 20km south of the city of Kampong Cham and can be reached by car, Tuk Tuk, or moto via good quality roads. From Kampong Cham you can head south to Koh Pen and on the eastern side of the island take a quick ferry trip costing 2000 riel to the other side and continue on to the pagoda. Alternatively, you can head east out of KC via the Kizuna Bridge and then south following the Mekong, noting that there is one small section of the road just before Tuol Khloang Pagoda that is not sealed and can be slippery in wet weather (as of 06/22).

Rodney Charles LHuillier

Living in Asia for over a decade and now residing in beautiful Siem Reap. Rodney Charles L'Huillier has spent over seven years in Cambodia and is the author of Ancient Cambodia (2024) and Essential Siem Reap (2017, 2019). Contact via [email protected] - more..