Oudong (; also romanized as Udong or Odong) is a former town of the post-Angkorian period (1618–1863) situated in present-day ''Phsar Daek'' Commune, Kampong Speu Province,

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

, near the border between Kandal Province and Kampong Chhnang Province. Located at the foothill of the mountain Phnom Oudong, also known as Phnom Preah Reach Troap (), about 35 km northwest of the modern capital

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

via National Road No. 5, Oudong was a royal residence and Cambodia's capital for almost 250 years until 1866. A monumental royal necropolis of sovereigns of several centuries is scattered on top of the prominent bisected mountain, which runs from the southeast to the northeast.

Etymology

The city's name is derived from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word "" (), meaning tall, which probably refers to the mountain. As it had gained religious merit and significance it might have undergone extension towards: "great" or "supreme".

History

Oudong was founded by King Srei Soryapor in 1601, after the abandonment of Longvek in 1594. Under the reign of King

Ang Duong Ang Duong ( ; 12 June 1796 – 18 October 1860) was the King of Cambodia from 1848 to his death in 1860. Formally invested in 1848, his rule benefited a kingdom that had suffered from several centuries of royal dissent and decline. His politics f ...

(1841–1850), he constructed canals, terraces, bridges and erected hundreds of pagodas in this region. From 1618 until 1866 it was formally called Oudong Meanchey, the royal capital of Cambodia for 250 years. In 1866, it was abandoned by King Norodom, taking his royal court along with him to the current capital, Phnom Penh, a dozen miles downstream from the former capital at Oudong. During the

Cambodian Civil War The Cambodian Civil War (, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) was a civil war in Cambodia fought between the Communist Party of Kampuchea (known as the Khmer Rouge, supported by North Vietnam and China) against the government of the Ki ...

the town was captured by the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

in March 1974, who marched the citizens into the countryside, as well as executing a large number of prisoners. This proved to be a trial-run for the evacuation of Phnom Penh a year later. The Government retook the town in August the same year, but evidence of atrocities was widely discarded by international journalists. It was extensively damaged by the

in 1977, along with the other temples, monuments and religious structures there.

Folklore

Legend has it that in the Arthaross Temple (Temple of Eighteen Points, from , eighteen ), the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

located here faces north instead of the traditional direction of east, symbolizing a testimony to the strength and power of the ancient Khmer kingdom. Henri Mouhot: "Travels in the Central Parts of Indo-China" 1864:

World Heritage Status

This site was originally added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Tentative List on 1 September 1992, in the Cultural category.Site d'Oudong - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref> The submission has been renewed on 27 March 2020.

Notable people

King of Cambodia The monarchy of Cambodia is the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The king of Cambodia () is the head of state and head of the ruling Royal House of Norodom. In the contemporary period, the king's power has been limited t ...

from 1848 to his death in 1860

References

Sources

* "The Rough Guide Southeast Asia" Rough Guides, 2002

External links

Brief History of Oudong

{{coord, 11, 49, 26, N, 104, 44, 33, E, region:KH_type:city, display=title Towns in Cambodia Populated places in Kandal province Archaeological sites in Cambodia Buddhist temples in Cambodia