Wat Bakan

Wat Bakan or Bakan Pagoda is a pagoda in Bakan District, Pursat Province in Cambodia. It is one of the oldest active pagodas in the country.

The Buddhist Institute of Cambodia notes that the original pagoda is over 800 years old and has been in continuous use as a temple. It is regarded as one of the holiest sites in Cambodian Buddhism. ["History of Bakan Pagoda", Kambuja Soriya Magazine, Volume 2, 2003, Buddhist Institute, Phnom Penh] Parts of the original pagoda can still be seen around a small mound behind one of the buildings of the main temple. During the Khmer Rouge years many stones from the old temple were taken to build an embankment and repair bridges at Damnak Ampil nearby. [ [http://www.cnv.org.kh/2003_releases/130303_bakan_pursat.htm Address by Hun Sen at the Inauguration of the Bakan Pagoda, 13th March, 2003] ]

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