Khleang - Khmer temple

Khleang is one of the oldest Khmer temples in Soc Trang built in the middle of the 16th century. The pagoda has a Buddha statue sitting on a 6.8-meter-tall lotus tower located right at the main hall. Khleang Pagoda was recognized as a national cultural and historical monument.

Khleang Pagoda is an ancient temple in Soc Trang, with a very long life, associated with the legend of Soc Trang. Initially, the pagoda was built with wood, roofing, then gradually built with bricks and roofing, with beautiful decoration and architectural features. The pagoda is located on a large plot of land, airy space, surrounded by many green trees, cool shade all over the yard, under each tree with stone benches to rest, giving visitors a feeling Very comfortable, cool after a hard visit. In particular, there are many palm trees and trees in the temple grounds The 6.8-meter high Buddha statue, the 2.7-meter-tall statue was cast in 1916 (Photo: geocities), which Khmer people like to grow in their living areas. The temple gate is decorated with many patterns, motifs, vibrant colors with Khmer style. However, Khleang pagoda was built very high above the ground, with steps and three fences, all in cement and brightly colored. Large outer fences then become smaller and smaller, the distance between the fences is very wide, the pagoda floor occupies a very large area. In front of the temple, two oval towers were built on both sides, used to hold the bones of the abbots.

Inside the main hall, there are 16 wooden columns, very big, smooth black, covered with gold, pictures of Buddha's life, Dharma activities. The ceiling and surrounding are decorated with many pictures of Buddha's images, expressing the harmony between architecture and painting. The main place is the 6.8 m high Buddha statue, the 2.7 m high body is cast in 1916. The statue is placed on a gorgeous lotus with electric halo at the time of hiding, present, create majestic and subtle. Around a large Buddha image and a small Buddha image with many glass cabinets displaying household artifacts of the ancient Khmer community as a way to preserve and promote the ancient cultural activities of their people.

The temple roof is also built according to the three-level formula and each level has 3 folds. The middle fold is larger than the side fold on the sides and there is no roof tower. Around the temple roof is covered reliefs of birds and animals as well as images symbolizing Buddhist philosophy. The entire temple roof is a great architectural work showing the concept, philosophy of the Buddha, the God of the Khmer.

Every day, Khleang Pagoda welcomes many tourists to visit, especially foreign tourists. The pagoda has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a national historical and cultural relic.